Discerning Knowers An Exploratory Study Of University Students Perceptions Of Knowledge Claims Mathew Toll by Mathew Toll instant download after payment.

The main issues addressed in the thesis are centred on University students’ perception of the legitimacy of knowledge claims. This problem is not just an intellectual curiosity. Contemporary sociological theory is often concerned with the transformations associated with the emergent ‘knowledge economy’ and ‘knowledge society’. In view of this, University students’ perception of knowledge claims is of practical concern due to their future role as knowledge-workers and potential members of the power elite. To address these issues, elements of Code Theory, Legitimation Code Theory and Systemic Functional Linguistics have been drawn on to conceptualize language, knowledge claims and the organizing principles that mediate their contextual use. The main conclusion drawn in this research is that University students have a nuanced understanding of the forms knowledge claims that can be legitimately employed in divergent contexts; thereby positioning themselves with respect to the context and negatively evaluating knowledge claims that fall outside of the legitimate sphere of use.