Browsing by Author "Jayasooriya, U.G.L.B."

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Implications of Language on Career Choices of 16 Years Old Female Students: A Sociological Study Based on Trilingual Mixed School
(Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Jayasooriya, U.G.L.B.; Mathangasinghe, Y.
Sex-role attitudes are known to influence career choices. The objective of this study was to assess the factors affecting career choices in a group of Sri Lankan female students attending a senior secondary school. The protocol of the study confirmed to the Declaration of Helsinky. The study was conducted in a trilingual mixed school from January to March 2016. A combined quantitative and qualitative approach was employed. In the quantitative study, Sri Lankan females in the Ordinary Level classes following studies in three different languages (Sinhala, English, and Tamil) were selected using the cluster sampling method. Students who were already occupied were excluded. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the socio-demographic data, their future career choice and the self-perceived factors associated with their choice. Face validation of the questionnaire was obtained before the study. Comparative qualitative study was based on the Grounded theory. The sample was selected using non-probability purposive sampling. In-depth interviews were conducted in their native language. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to elicit the accounts of the factors influencing their future career choices. Interviews were recorded and fully transcribed. Interviews were conducted until the saturation of the themes. Sixty students (20-Sinhala language, 20-Tamil language, 20-English language) participated in the study. The subjects were 16 years old. Monthly family income was approximately similar in all three categories. (37000-Sinhala language, 39000-Tamil language, 40000-English language). Mode “major occupation category” of the fathers according to the International Standard Classification of Occupations-08 (ISCO-08) was “Elementary Occupations” in all three groups. All the subjects chose their future career as “Professional” major group according to the ISCO-08. 30% (n=18) of them chose sub-major group of “Health Professionals” followed by “Science and Engineering Professionals” (8.3%, n=5), “Business and Administrative Professionals” (8.3%, n=5), “Information and Communications Technology Professionals” (5%,n=3), “Legal, Social and Cultural Professionals” (6.7%,n=4) and “Teaching Professionals” (38.3%,n=23). The English medium students had a wide range of choices (n=10) compared to Sinhala (n=7) and Tamil (n=5) medium students. Among the factors determining their choice of future career, “External influences” were identified as most influential factors. Self-efficacy beliefs were found only among few subjects (n=9). Interviews for the in depth study were conducted with 25 subjects who were randomly selected from the main sample. We found that the parental influence played a major role in determining future careers. Unlike Sinhala and Tamil medium students, gender stereotypes, social acceptance and monetary outcomes were de-emphasized in the choice of the future career by English medium students. The study population had a limited range of interests in occupations. All wanted to be “Professionals” in the future. Career choices were largely determined by the external influences. English medium students were less restricted in their future career choice.
Knowledge and attitudes among final year students of a Sri Lankan Medical Faculty on nutritional assessment and counseling
(Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Mathangasinghe, Y.; Prasanni, W.D.D.; Ranatunga, M.M.; Jayasooriya, U.G.L.B.
Nutritional assessment and counseling are core clinical skills expected from a medical graduate. Our objective was to describe the knowledge and attitudes on nutritional assessment and counseling among final year medical students. Since self-perceived scores are influenced by non-test-relevant response determinants, we also intended to examine the effect of social desirability bias on self-reported knowledge and attitudes to control for overestimation. A random sample of final year medical students of a Sri Lankan Medical Faculty was assessed using a self-administered questionnaire. Knowledge and attitudes on nutrition were measured using a modified 17-item Nutrition in Patient Care Survey questionnaire. A 13-item Malrowe- Crowne instrument was used to assess the social desirability. Questions were in English language. Face validity of the above tests was established. Of 88 respondents, 62.2%(n=56) were females. The mean age was 25.1±0.9 years. Seven (7.8%) had participated in some kind of special projects in nutrition. Forty-three (47.8%) had close friends/relatives with a medical condition which needed greater than normal attention to nutrition. Mean knowledge score was 65.5%±8.9%. Mean positive attitudes score was 61.1%±6.5%. Although 85.6%(n=77) agreed that nutritional assessment should be included in any routine consultation, 53.3%(n=48) agreed that most final year medical students are not adequately trained to discuss nutrition issues with patients. Pearson’s test found no correlation between attitudes and self-reported knowledge (r=.041, n=88, p>.05). Student’s t-tests did not show significant differences of knowledge or attitudes depending on sex, participating in some kind of special projects in nutrition, or having a close friend/relative with a medical condition which needed greater than normal attention to nutrition(p>.05). The internal consistency of the SD scale (Cronbach’s alpha) was 0.56. Results of a simple linear regression analysis predicting knowledge and attitudes score from SD score did not show a statistically significant association (F (1,74) =.050, p>.05, R2=.001, R2Adjusted=-.013). Perceived knowledge and positive attitudes on nutritional assessment and counseling is inadequate among final year medical students. The findings of this study do not support the presence of social desirability bias in students’ reporting of knowledge and attitudes.
Knowledge and Practices towards Prevention of Dengue Fever in a Cohort of Advanced Level Students.
(In: Proceedings of the International Postgraduate Research Conference 2017 (IPRC – 2017), Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Mathangasinghe, Y.; Jayasooriya, U.G.L.B.
The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge and practices towards Dengue fever (DF) of a group of Sri Lankan students. Materials and methods: This was a combined qualitative and quantitative study from June to July 2016. Students in the Advanced Level classes of a trilingual mixed school following different streams (Science, Mathematics, Arts, and Commerce) were enrolled using the cluster sampling method. A face-validated self-administered questionnaire and in-depth interviews were used to collect data.
Use of E-resources among Education Professionals in Sri Lanka: Evaluating the Usage and the Need for Promotion
(Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Jayasooriya, U.G.L.B.; Mathangasinghe, Y.; Ranatunga, M.; Basnagala, E.; Jayasooriya, S.
Technology continuously develops as societies evolve: it is becoming a part and partial of many things that human beings engage in. But South Asian countries like Sri Lanka do not always show a considerable tendency in utilizing e-resources effectively. Disparities of utilizing internet based learning materials have been reported among different occupations. E-resources can be utilized by the teachers to deliver knowledge effectively, while being up-to-date aware of the current concepts of teaching. Thus we intended to evaluate the use of e-resources in a group of Sri Lankan teachers. This combined qualitative and quantitative (descriptive cross sectional) study was conducted in September 2016 at University of Peradeniya. Teachers from five schools in Kandy district were selected using non probability purposive sampling. In depth interviews were conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire after obtaining informed written consent. They rated themselves on a five-point Likert scale as how frequently they use e-resources for the educational purposes (5=daily to 1=never). Statistical analyses were conducted using a coding framework with a priori alpha of .05. A total of 24[male (33.3%, n=8), female (66.7%, n=16)] were interviewed. The subjects aged from 24-52 years with a mean of 35.2±8.4 years. Majority (75.0%, n=18) were Sinhalese, followed by Tamils (16.7%, n=4) and Muslims (8.3%, n=2). Majority of the teachers did not access e-resources frequently. The median and mode of the score was 3(=less than once a week, more than once a month). The score was non-normally distributed [skewness=0.125(SE=0.472), kurtosis=- 1.272(SE=0.918), Shapiro-Wilk test: W (24) =.844, p=.002]. Independent sample Mann Whitney U test revealed that there was no significant difference of the frequency of using eresources between males and females (p>.05). Spearman’s rank order correlation coefficient test found a negative correlation between the frequency of e-resource usage and the age (rs=- .422, n=24, p=.04). More than three quarters (n=16) reported that they were not adequately educated or trained about how to use e-resources to support their teaching learning process. Only two were aware of the online courses. Except three teachers aged ≥45 years, all accessed facebook daily. The results suggest that the majority is competent in accessing internet, especially the young. But there is a need of promoting the usage of e-resources among teachers in Sri Lanka to enhance their continuous professional development as well as for effective delivery of knowledge in the classroom.