Doctoral students' ability to understand, use, and build on theory in educational research is a critical aspect of their learning to be successful scholars. Unfortunately, there is a paucity of work that explores the voices of graduate students articulating their experiences as they learn about theory. Using Positioning Theory to frame their work, the authors of this paper examined doctoral students' evolving understandings of theory and its uses in educational research. This work has important implications for concrete ways that senior faculty can work with doctoral students to foster their understanding of theory and its uses in educational research.