________ issues concern the question of what is or should be regarded as acceptable knowledge in a discipline.

Correct option is A

Epistemological issues refer to the study of the nature, scope, and limits of knowledge. It addresses the question of what constitutes valid knowledge, how we come to know things, and what should be considered acceptable knowledge in a particular discipline. It is concerned with theories of knowledge, including sources, scope, and validity.

Information Booster:

1. Epistemology is one of the core branches of philosophy, concerned with how we acquire knowledge, its nature, and its limits.

2. Epistemological questions ask: "What do we know?" and "How do we know it?"

3. In research, epistemological considerations guide how knowledge is generated and validated within specific disciplines, such as in the social sciences, humanities, or natural sciences.

4. Epistemological debates in research may involve discussions on empiricism (knowledge from sensory experience), rationalism (knowledge from reason), and constructivism (knowledge as socially constructed).

Additional Knowledge:

• Ontological issues deal with the nature of being, existence, and reality, not directly with what is considered acceptable knowledge.

• Positivist approaches focus on observable phenomena and empirical evidence but do not focus on the broader question of knowledge validation.

• Realism concerns itself with the nature of reality and whether the external world exists independently of our perceptions, but it does not directly address the question of knowledge acceptance.