Sri Lankan State Research Articles

Measuring the Readiness for Change among Academics: The Case of Transforming Sri Lankan State Universities into ‘World-class’ Status

Sri Lankan state universities are under the pressure of internationalization and achieving ‘world-class’ status. Attitudinal change among academics is imperative to transform state universities into ‘world-class' status. There is a concern about the need for a paradigm shift of the state university academics to achieve international standards of ‘world-class’ universities. As such, this editorial note mainly focuses on providing a conceptual insight into the 'readiness for change' among state university academics, and on signifying a scale of measurement to facilitate the examination of how state university academics accept the transformations in progress to achieve ‘world-class' university status. The suggested measurement scale consists of four dimensions, namely, ‘appropriateness, administration support, change efficacy, and personal benefits, to examine the readiness for change among academics. Though readiness for change among the academics is not essentially sufficient to meet the internationalization and the achievement of the ‘world-class’ status of Sri Lankan state universities, a data driven longitudinal assessment will help higher education decision makers to take effective initiatives to transform Sri Lankan state universities into world-class status.

University students’ intention to use e-learning systems

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that might influence the intention and use behaviour of e-learning systems by students in state universities in Sri Lanka.Design/methodology/approachThe theoretical model for this study was primarily drawn from unified theory of acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT2). Exogenous variables included performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, work life quality, hedonic motivation, internet experience and facilitating condition, and their influence on behavioural intention and use behaviour were studied. Instrument was developed using validated items from past literature. Data for this quantitative study were collected from undergraduate and postgraduate students from 15 Sri Lankan state universities by self-administering and Web-form during second quarter of 2018. Structural equation modelling was used to see the insights from the valid data using IBM’s SPSS 25 and AMOS 22.FindingsResults of the confirmatory factor analysis and subsequent evaluation of the structural model confirmed the proposed hypotheses, and it was found that constructs of UTAUT2 have a significant impact on and play an important role in behavioural intention to use and use behaviour of e-learning system by state university students in Sri Lanka.Originality/valueThe adoption of an e-learning system in Sri Lankan state universities is fairly low. Hence, investigation of what determinants might be contributing for adoption is important to enhance the learning experience of students and help them improve their knowledge. This paper contributes by delineating the factors that influence the acceptance and use of e-learning systems by students of state universities in Sri Lanka.

In Conversation with Daya Dissanayake

Daya Dissanayake (born 8 March 1947) is an award-winning bilingual Sri Lankan novelist, poet and feature writer. His work spans nine novels in English, six novels in Sinhala, a collection of poems, and numerous articles in newspapers, journals and magazines. He is the author of the first e-novel in Asia, The Saadhu Testament (1998), and the first e-novel in Sinhala, Vessan Novu Wedun (2003). He is the only Sri Lankan writer to receive the Sri Lankan State Literary Award for the best English novel thrice and was awarded the SAARC Literary Award in 2013. Being the first Sri Lankan to release his work online and for free access, he is often seen as one of Sri Lanka's earliest and most vocal advocates for the e-book format, copy left and Creative Commons.This interview was conducted at Yercaud, a hill station in Salem District, in Tamil Nadu, India. Some answers were formed during the e mail exchanges.

Role Demands and Work Life Balance among Women Lecturers in Sri Lankan State Universities

The main purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between role demands of work, family and work life balance. Also, this study tried to explore the factors that influence the supportive work life balance of the women academic staff in university. In quantitative phase of the study, a questionnaire survey was used to gather data from 265 women lecturers in state universities of Sri Lanka. Twenty in -depth interviews were conducted with women lecturers in same universities as gathering qualitative data. Finding of structural equation modeling indeed indicate that the significant negative relationship between role demands and work life balance, it fills a gap in the literature by validating the associations between role demands and work life balance dimensions. The qualitative data were analyzed via thematic exploratory analysis, which suggest that supportive factors for work life balance, such as workplace flexibility, avoiding role interference, correct prioritization, good working environment and personal factors against the role demands, that will be useful to Sri Lankan women in the academic profession to avoid their imbalance of work and family life and it also sends an important message to individuals to encourage work and family satisfaction

The Viability of UTAUT-3 in Understanding the Lecturers Acceptance and Use of Virtual Learning Environments

This research aims to assess the viability of Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 3 (UTAUT3) in understanding lecturer's acceptance of virtual learning environments (VLE) in Sri Lankan state universities. The study employed quantitative methodology, random sampling technique to obtain 441 responses. It was found that performance expectancy (PE), effort expectancy (EE), facilitating conditions (FC), habit (HB) and hedonic motivation (HM) were significant influences of lecturer's acceptance of VLE. However, Social Influence and Personal Innovativeness in IT (PI) were not significant determinants of VLE acceptance in the study context. The study recognised a set of factors that affect the academic staff acceptance of VLE in the state university context. Finally, this research contributes to the growing body of IS literature by examining the validity of UTAUT3 framework in the use and acceptance of educational technology in a developing country.

Educating for Environmental Practices: An Assessment from Bachelor of Commerce (B. Com) Undergraduates in Sri Lankan State Universities

Scholarly attention on environmental literacy has been increased in recent years since the knowledge level and interest in environmental issues are decisive to engage in environmental protection functions. The study aims to investigate the environmental literacy level believing that understanding the level of environmental literacy will lead to influence attitudinal changes and actions of undergraduates towards environment. Total number of 650 Bachelor of Commerce undergraduates in state universities of Sri Lanka were selected as the sample of the study. A self-administered structured questionnaire was administered to collect data on the environmental literacy level, the interest and the activity engagement in environmental activities of the respondents. The regression-based path analysis was performed to examine the relationships among the constructs. Based on the descriptive analysis, there was low level of environmental literacy of the selected undergraduates in this study. The overall level of interest in environmental issues and the level of engagement in environmental activities were moderate. The regression-based path analysis indicated that environmental literacy as well as the environmental interest were significant predictors for environmental engagement. Further, interest in environmental issues mediated the relationship between the environmental literacy and the actual engagement in environmental activities. The study exclusively examined the relationship between the undergraduates' knowledge level of the environment and the interest in environmental issues and also examined the factors that influence undergraduates' participation in activities that promote sustainability of the environment, which has been neglected by prior studies. The results facilitate to recommend that the degree programmes should be integrated with environmental areas where such knowledge could lead to promote the interest and the action towards the environmental activities. Keywords Bachelor of Commerce undergraduates, Comparative study, Environmental literacy, Sustainability

An Assessment of the Social Science Research Environment of the Sri Lankan State University System

Higher education institutions play a vital role in society in varied capacities, and one major contribution amongst it all is conducting research as a part of knowledge creation and dissemination. Social Science Research thereby provides valuable input for policy makers, decision makers and the public, in order to encourage the well-being of the society. Previous studies have highlighted the importance of conducting social science researches to address social issues and improve quality of life. However, the number of research conducted in this discipline in Sri Lanka is not adequate when compared to that of other countries in the region. Hence, this study aims to explore the present status and challenges that hinder the number of social science research conducted by academics in State Universities in Sri Lanka. The study conducted a detailed literature review that was followed by in-depth interviews with 50 academics representing five state universities in Sri Lanka. The universities were selected based on the availability of Social Sciences and Humanities Faculties/Departments. The data were then analysed qualitatively based on the Grounded Theory Method to achievestudy objectives. The study revealed three main categories that limit the number of social science researches conducted in State Universities in Sri Lanka. They are; organizational factors, individual factors, and policy related factors. In addition, collaboration with other universities/ faculties, publication opportunities, research awards, and research allowance were identified as aspects in support of social science research in Sri Lanka. The study findings significantly helps in policy making, to identify the present status as well as factors that can contribute to enhance the level of social science related research among academics of State Universities in Sri Lanka.KeywordsResearch Environment, Social Sciences Research, State Universities

Does Engagement of Employees affect to Organizational Commitment? Evidence from Non-Academics in Sri Lankan State Universities

Area of the Study This study is aimed to discuss the impact of employee engagement on the organizational commitment of the Sri Lankan non-academics in the state universities. Problem of the Study As an interesting research area, there are different finds of the impact of employee engagement on the organizational commitment. However, it is difficult to find the empirical findings of these two phenomenons among the non-academics in the state universities. Therefore the problem of the study is: Does employee engagement of non-academics in the state universities affect their organizational commitment? Method of the study 317 non-academics in the Sri Lankan state universities were selected randomly as the sample of the study and structured questionnaire was used to measure the employee engagement and organizational commitment of the sample respondents. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were basically used statistical analysis of the study. Findings of the Study The major finding of the study is that there is a positive and significant relationship and impact of employee engagement and organizational commitment of the non-academics in the state universities. However, there is weak and no relationship was found between the employee engagement (both job engagement and organizational engagement) with the continuance commitment. Conclusion of the Study The administrations of the state universities have to consider the employee engagement as an important human behavior and they have to pay their attention to enrich the employee engagement. Keywords: Employee Engagement, Organizational Commitment, Non-academics, State Universities

The Effectiveness of Services Outsourcing in Sri Lankan State Universities

The Effectiveness of Services Outsourcing in Sri Lankan State Universities

The Constitutional Practice of Ethno-Religious Violence in Sri Lanka

AbstractEthno-religious violence in Sri Lanka is a chronic problem, and it can be sustained even without the active support of a particular government. This understanding of violence prompts further reflection – both on the factors that drive such violence and the complex relationship between ethnicity, religion, and the Sri Lankan constitution. This article delves into the post-war context in Sri Lanka and examines how and why ethno-religious violence has persisted regardless of the government in power. It is presented in three sections. The first analyzes the current state of ethno-religious violence in Sri Lanka. The second offers a hypothesis on why such violence has persisted despite the democratic transition of January 2015. It argues that democratic transitions alone cannot prevent chronic ethno-religious violence due to certain factors that serve to entrench violence within the country’s constitutional practice. The final section discusses the relationship between ethno-religious relations, the nature of the Sri Lankan constitution, and the space for meaningful constitutional reform. It concludes that the Sri Lankan state – informed by Sri Lanka’s ‘political constitution’ – embodies a certain structural dispensation towards ethno-religious violence. Until this fundamental dispensation is in some way transformed, meaningful religious freedom and power sharing will remain elusive aims.

Sri Lanka’s Plantation Communities

Ethnic minorities, even if formally recognised as full citizens in their country of residence, may still encounter various forms of discriminatory treatment and exclusion, not only of a private nature, but also in governance, especially in public service delivery. This article combines a critical study of public service provision in Sri Lanka with a fieldwork-based assessment of the current position of the plantation communities in Sri Lanka. It highlights their continuing problems in accessing public services and encountering discriminatory practices by the Sri Lankan state. There is strong evidence that the previously stateless plantation communities remain subject to various forms of discrimination in public service delivery, though they are now citizens. In addition, evidence related to austerity measures in estate management creates further difficulties for the plantation communities.

Governance Practices and Symbolism: De facto sovereignty and public authority in ‘Tigerland’

AbstractThis article focuses on how the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) insurgency performed de facto sovereignty and public authority in Northeastern Sri Lanka. It is situated within the wider academic debate on governance by state and non-state actors. We venture to unravel the complex linkages between the LTTE's governance practices and legitimation strategies by looking at narratives, performances, and inscriptions. While monopolizing the justice and policing sectors, in other sectors the LTTE operated pragmatically in conjunction with the state. The organization tried to generate and sustain public authority and legitimacy through a variety of violent and non-violent practices and symbols. It ‘mimicked’ statehood by deploying, among others, policing, uniforms, ceremonies, nationalist songs, commemorations of combatants, and the media. This not only consolidated its grip on the Northeast, but also engineered a level of support and compliance. We conclude that the LTTE's governance included practices that were created and carried out independently from the Sri Lankan state, while others took shape within a pre-existing political order and service provision by the state. The article elucidates the LTTE's mimicry of the state, as well as the operation of parallel structures and hybrid forms of state-LTTE collaboration. This facilitates a nuanced understanding of rebel governance beyond a simple state versus non-state binary.

Critical factors affecting students’ satisfaction with higher education in Sri Lanka

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explain critical factors affecting student satisfaction levels in selected state universities in Sri Lanka.Design/methodology/approachThe study has applied an quantitative survey design guided by six hypotheses. A conceptual framework has been developed to address the research questions on the basis of a literature review. The study is based on an undergraduate sample from four state universities, and it presents results of factor analytics and correlational and regression analyses.FindingsEvidence to support construct validity and reliability of all survey-based scales measuring the key variables has been found. The quality of the academic staff, university facilities, degree program, administrative staff, university location and university image have been correlated significantly with student satisfaction levels measured at 0.45, 0.47, 0.51, 0.31, 0.39 and 0.66, respectively. The statistically significant predictors are: the quality of university facilities, the quality of the degree program and the university image, with the image being the strongest predictor.Practical implicationsThe study offers a conceptual framework to guide future research and validated scales for measuring student satisfaction levels in a national higher education system in a developing region that is aspiring toward a knowledge-based economy where tertiary education is free. Five recommendations are provided for policymakers.Originality/valueResearch shows high variabilities in the models used and the findings of studies on factors affecting student satisfaction levels in universities. The study is among the first large-scale studies of student satisfaction levels in the Sri Lankan state university system, where little data exist on why students are dissatisfied and fail to complete their degrees.

Impact of Mathematics on the Theoretical Computer Science Course Units in the General Degree Program in Computer Science at Sri Lankan State Universities

Aim/Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify how Advanced level Mathematics and Mathematics course units offered at university level do impact on the academic performance of theoretical Computer Science course units. Background: In Sri Lankan state universities, students have been enrolled only from the Physical Science stream to do a degree program in Computer Science. In addition to that, universities have been offering some course units in Mathematics to provide the required mathematical maturity to Computer Science undergraduates. Despite of this it is observed that the failure rates in fundamental theoretical Computer Science course units are much higher than other course units offered in the general degree program every year. Methodology : Academic records comprised of all 459 undergraduates from three consecutive batches admitted to the degree program in Computer Science from a university were considered for this study. Contribution: This study helps academics in identifying suitable curricula for Mathematics course units to improve students’ performance in theoretical Computer Science courses. Findings: Advanced level Mathematics does not have any significant effect on the academic performance of theoretical Computer Science course units. Even though all Mathematics course units offered were significantly correlated with academic performance of every theoretical Computer Science course unit, only the Discrete Mathematics course unit highly impacted on the academic performance of all three theoretical Computer Science course units. Further this study indicates that the academic performance of female undergraduates is better than males in all theoretical Computer Science and Mathematics course units. Future Research: Identifying other critical success factors contributing to the students’ academic performance of the theoretical Computer Science through empirical studies

Students’ Acceptance of Online Courses and Perceived Risk: A Study of UTAUT in the Sri Lankan State Universities

Students’ Acceptance of Online Courses and Perceived Risk: A Study of UTAUT in the Sri Lankan State Universities

Size Still Matters: Explaining Sri Lanka’s Counterinsurgency Victory over the Tamil Tigers

The military effectiveness literature has largely dismissed the role of material preponderance in favor of strategic interaction theories. The study of counterinsurgency, in which incumbent victory is increasingly rare despite material superiority, has also turned to other strategic dynamics explanations like force employment, leadership, and insurgent/adversary attributes. Challenging these two trends, this paper contends that even in cases of counterinsurgency, material preponderance remains an essential—and at times the most important—factor in explaining battlefield outcomes and effectiveness. To test this, the paper turns to the case of the Sri Lankan state’s fight against the Tamil Tiger insurgency, a conflict which offers rich variation over time across six periods and over 25 years. Drawing on evidence from historical and journalistic accounts, interviews, memoirs, and field research, the paper demonstrates that material preponderance accounts for variation in military effectiveness and campaign outcomes (including military victory in the final campaign) better than strategic explanations. Additionally, a new quantitative data-set assembled on annual loss-exchange ratios demonstrates the superiority of materialist explanations above those of skill, human capital, and regime type.

The impact of automated teller machines (ATMS) service on customer satisfaction: A study based on state banks in Sri Lanka

The aim of this paper is to understand the impact of ATM service quality towards the customer satisfaction in Sri Lankan state banking sector. This research bridges the gap that exists in the current body of knowledge by investigating the ATM service qualities and their impact on customer satisfaction. It also examines the impact of demographic factors for the relationship between ATM service quality and customer satisfaction. Given these gaps in the literature, the research problem in this research is: The factors which influence on customer satisfaction with relation to the ATM service. To investigate the research problem, a pilot study involving 30 state bank customers was used to check the initial reliability and validity of the constructs in the questionnaire. The factor analysis was employed to refine the measurement items and test for reliability and validity. The study has used the primary data of customer satisfaction survey (N=385). The data was collected using a structured questionnaire designed to ascertain the satisfaction levels. Regression, ANOVA and T-test were used to identify significant factors and frequency analysis was used to analyze customer satisfaction. The ATM service qualities have a positive impact on the customer satisfaction and the demographic factors like age and educational qualification moderate the relationship between ATM service quality and customer satisfaction. This paper identified the significant factors which the banks may take care to enhance the customer satisfaction.

Sri Lanka: An Ethnocratic State Endangering Positive Peace in the Island

Although proclaimed as a democratic republic, the Sri Lankan state is strongly controlled and ruled by Sinhala Buddhist influence due to a deep engrained belief that the island belongs to the Sinhala Buddhists. The modus operandi of the Sri Lankan state apparatus outlines the ethnocratic characteristics of the state. This mono-ethnic and mono-religious attitude has led to the widening and deepening of the discrimination against a particular ethnic group known as the Tamils who traditionally inhabit the North and East of the island. Ethnocracy continues to be defended and justified by the state in the name of sovereignty, territorial integrity and national security and has led to further polarization of the already divided ethnic groups. As a consequence and outcome of the ethnocratic nature of the Sri Lankan state, a bloody war erupted between successive governments of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). After nearly 38 years the prolonged war came to a brutal end in May 2009 amidst blatant violations of international law. However, the root causes of this conflict, which occurred due to ethnocratic nature of the state, have not yet been addressed resulting in the continuation of the ethnic conflict despite the end of the war.

Role of diasporas in homeland conflicts, conflict resolution, and post-war reconstruction: the case of Tamil diaspora and Sri Lanka

ABSTRACTThe case of Sri Lanka and the Tamil diaspora can be cited as a classic case of participation by a diaspora in the homeland conflict and to some extent also in conflict resolution. Influenced by lived experiences of discrimination and suffering in an ethnocentric homeland and a range of racial prejudices and economic deprivation, in the host lands, the diaspora Tamils developed a strong sense of Tamil identity and ethno-nationalism which the LTTE could successfully harvest on. However, with the devastating civil war coming to an end, and a new government in power, numerous opportunities have opened up for diaspora participation in the development and reconstruction of the war-torn regions. All that is required is a pragmatic and reconciliatory approach by both sides – by the diaspora as well as by the Sri Lankan state.

Fluid territories: Rethinking state territorialisation in Palk Bay, South Asia

ABSTRACTThe study objective was to gain a better understanding of the transboundary fishing conflict between Indian trawl fishers and Sri Lankan small-scale fishers in Palk Bay using a relational approach to territoriality. The authors employed different ethnographic methods, including open, structured, and semi-structured interviews, and performed a media analysis in order to understand the everyday practices of Indian trawl fishers within the wider geopolitical context of a 30-year war in neighbouring Sri Lanka. The relational approach moves away from seeing cross-border fishing merely as an act of counter-territorialisation. The results revealed that the cross-border fishing underlying the crisis has largely resulted from a complex network of changing relationships between on the one hand Indian trawl fishers and India, and on the other hand Sri Lankan state agencies and Sri Lankan fishers, resulting in a porous international maritime boundary. The authors conclude that this in turn has resulted in a fluid international maritime boundary line.