What is the basis of mathematics education as a field of knowledge? Is mathematics education a discipline, a field of enquiry, an interdisciplinary area, a domain of extra-disciplinary applications, or what? What is its relationship with other disciplines such as philosophy, sociology, psychology, linguistics, etc.? How do we come to know in mathematics education? What is the basis for knowledge claims in research in mathematics education? What research methods and methodologies are employed and what is their philosophical basis and status?