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Writer performance ranges on the NBT Academic Literacy Test: an analysis through a Semantics lens

Karl Maton argues that Legitimation Code Theory (LCT) not only allows knowledge practices to be seen and analysed; it also brings them into relation with the analysis of students themselves. In other words, it views educational experiences as an outcome of the dispositions brought by actors to a kno...

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Main Author: Msusa, Naomi
Other Authors: Cliff, Alan
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: Centre for Educational Research 2024
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access_status_str Open Access
author Msusa, Naomi
author2 Cliff, Alan
author_browse Cliff, Alan
Msusa, Naomi
author_facet Cliff, Alan
Msusa, Naomi
author_sort Msusa, Naomi
collection Thesis
description Karl Maton argues that Legitimation Code Theory (LCT) not only allows knowledge practices to be seen and analysed; it also brings them into relation with the analysis of students themselves. In other words, it views educational experiences as an outcome of the dispositions brought by actors to a knowledge context, and the nature of the context itself. My dissertation research addressed the question of how LCT can be used to analyse student performance of a higher education applicant cohort on a National Benchmark Test (NBT) Academic Literacy assessment. This was done in order to glean more information that can be used firstly as a predictive tool for future success, and as an identifier of specific areas that reveal student academic under-preparedness. The study also attempted to show how this information might play a role in the development of interventions intended for students identified in this way. I argued that an appropriately designed tool can enable the lecturer to surface additional information from the NBTs that may be of further use after admission and placement, particularly when applied to an aspect of the curriculum of an extended or support programme. I proceeded by analysing the performance patterns of an NBT Academic Literacy test-taker cohort. I focused on the semantic gravity and semantic density ranges of these test-takers' performance, and used this analysis as a tool to gauge the level of performance of the NBT test-taker against what is considered to be the 'legitimate' indicator for success: status and achievement in this domain in a first year classroom. I demonstrated how, by using this tool, the lecturer might be able to determine what information from the NBT AL may be deemed to be of value to complement existing provision of support in this domain.
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institution University of Cape Town (South Africa)
language eng
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:39:50.072Z
license_str Not specified — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
publishDate 2024
publishDateRange 2024
publishDateSort 2024
publisher Centre for Educational Research
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source_str UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
spelling oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/39245 Writer performance ranges on the NBT Academic Literacy Test: an analysis through a Semantics lens Msusa, Naomi Cliff, Alan Higher Education Studies Karl Maton argues that Legitimation Code Theory (LCT) not only allows knowledge practices to be seen and analysed; it also brings them into relation with the analysis of students themselves. In other words, it views educational experiences as an outcome of the dispositions brought by actors to a knowledge context, and the nature of the context itself. My dissertation research addressed the question of how LCT can be used to analyse student performance of a higher education applicant cohort on a National Benchmark Test (NBT) Academic Literacy assessment. This was done in order to glean more information that can be used firstly as a predictive tool for future success, and as an identifier of specific areas that reveal student academic under-preparedness. The study also attempted to show how this information might play a role in the development of interventions intended for students identified in this way. I argued that an appropriately designed tool can enable the lecturer to surface additional information from the NBTs that may be of further use after admission and placement, particularly when applied to an aspect of the curriculum of an extended or support programme. I proceeded by analysing the performance patterns of an NBT Academic Literacy test-taker cohort. I focused on the semantic gravity and semantic density ranges of these test-takers' performance, and used this analysis as a tool to gauge the level of performance of the NBT test-taker against what is considered to be the 'legitimate' indicator for success: status and achievement in this domain in a first year classroom. I demonstrated how, by using this tool, the lecturer might be able to determine what information from the NBT AL may be deemed to be of value to complement existing provision of support in this domain. 2024-03-13T06:55:03Z 2024-03-13T06:55:03Z 2019 2024-03-13T06:42:24Z Thesis / Dissertation Masters Masters http://hdl.handle.net/11427/39245 eng application/pdf Centre for Educational Research Faculty of Humanities
spellingShingle Higher Education Studies
Msusa, Naomi
Writer performance ranges on the NBT Academic Literacy Test: an analysis through a Semantics lens
thesis_degree_str Master's
title Writer performance ranges on the NBT Academic Literacy Test: an analysis through a Semantics lens
title_full Writer performance ranges on the NBT Academic Literacy Test: an analysis through a Semantics lens
title_fullStr Writer performance ranges on the NBT Academic Literacy Test: an analysis through a Semantics lens
title_full_unstemmed Writer performance ranges on the NBT Academic Literacy Test: an analysis through a Semantics lens
title_short Writer performance ranges on the NBT Academic Literacy Test: an analysis through a Semantics lens
title_sort writer performance ranges on the nbt academic literacy test an analysis through a semantics lens
topic Higher Education Studies
url http://hdl.handle.net/11427/39245
work_keys_str_mv AT msusanaomi writerperformancerangesonthenbtacademicliteracytestananalysisthroughasemanticslens