Browsing by Author "Shantha, P.H.A.B."

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Assessing Practical Constrains in Implementing Web 2.0 Tools for Teaching English as a Second Language at Higher Education Sector in Sri Lanka: A Case Study- Sri Lanka Institute of Advanced Technological Education
(University of Kelaniya, 2015) Jayathilake, M.V.M.; Shantha, P.H.A.B.
In an era of globalization and with the advancement of information technology, web 2.0 tools are used increasingly in education sector and there is also a growing interest in how and whether Web 2.0 tools could be used for second language teaching. Those tools are creating a collaborative environment in which users have the opportunity to contribute to a growing knowledge base and participate in online communities. On the other hand these tools can access anytime and anywhere. Due to that number of researches state that these tools are useful for teaching second languages. The Web 2.0 tools are beginning to play a role within the more formal learning environment of English classrooms. The objective of this study is investigating the practical constrains facing when implementing Web 2.0 tools for teaching English as a second language in Sri Lanka Institute of Advanced technological Education (SLIATE). Clustering sample technique was used to select the sample among English lecturers in SLIATE. Sample size was thirty five. Questionnaire was used to collect data. Questionnaire was based on four factors, awareness, computer and hardware facilities, internet facilities and attitude. Qualitative and quantitative methods were used for the data analyzing. The data of this study reveals the most aware Web 2.0 tools are wikis and social network. And the least aware tool is vodcasts. More than 60% show the positive attitudes towards these tools. The study found that computers and other facilities are available but need to extend usage time of them. Internet facility is also available but bandwidth and data amount should be increased. Although they believe these are effective tools for teaching, they need a proper training of how to use them in a class room teaching.
Factors Influencing Game Addiction among Sri Lankan Undergraduates
(Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2021) Samaraweera, W.A.S.R.N.; Shantha, P.H.A.B.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, world has started to use online learning. So, students have to engage with technology and digital devices more and more. This creates a very good chance to attract students for playing video games and motivate them to hang on games continuously. Most students can easily be addicted because of unawareness about the factors influencing game addiction. So, there is a need to identify those factors especially in Sri Lankan context. With the objective of finding factors influencing game addiction of undergraduates and the relationship between those factors, this research was conducted using a quantitative approach. Conceptual framework consists of Human-Computer Interaction, Social Interaction, Attitude, Subjective Norm, Perceived Behavioral Control, Continuance Intention, and Game Addiction. The data was collected through a survey by taking 210 state university undergraduates as the sample based on convenience sampling method. Data analysis was conducted using statistical analysis and Smart PLS3 and Excel tools. And reliability and validity were established for the study. As well as all 6 hypotheses were supported under 95% of significant level. HumanComputer Interaction, Social Interaction, Attitude, Subjective Norm and Continuance Intention positively impact on Game Addiction while Perceived Behavioral Control negatively impacts. Findings help researchers, students, parents, gaming software development companies, government institutions, counselors, etc. So, playing video games with sufficient awareness helps us to protect from game addiction.
Password Security Concerns and Practices of Online Account Users: Case Study in Gampaha District, Sri Lanka
(Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2015) Jayathilake, M.V.M.; Shantha, P.H.A.B.
With technological advancement, usage of internet and its applications are increasing rapidly. Because of that, number of online account users are also increasing. Although there are number of authentication technique, the most usable and popular authentication mechanism is using password protection mechanism. Same time data protection is also a critical problem. There are many threats for data of online users. Most user passwords are weak. Due to that reason attacker can easily break the password using dictionary attack, password guessing and social engineering attack and so on. This study has been evaluated password security concern and practices of online users. The objectives of this study was to identify relationship between the online users‘ password security concerns and practices with their education level, IT Skill and social factors. Hypothesis for the study was derived from these objectives. Conceptual framework has been developed using factors identify from literature survey. Independent variables are education level, IT skill and social factors. Dependent variable is password security concern and practices. Sample has at least one year experience of using password protecting online account. Simple random sample technique was used to select sample. Sample size was 180. Questioner was used to collect data. Survey querying: general demographic information, types and number of different password protected accounts maintained, internet usage behaviors (frequency, duration and longevity of use), actual practices used in generating, storing and using passwords and practices believed they should use in generating and storing passwords. Regression model was used to identify relationships. This study identify the relationships between the variables, general password characteristics of users, password construction practices/strategies of users and user perceptions of password construction practices that should be used.
The Perception of English Lecturers at SLIATE in Implementing Web 2.0 Tools for Pedagogy of English as a Second Language
(University of Kelaniya, 2015) Jayathilake, M.V.M.; Shantha, P.H.A.B.
With technological enhancements, a number of Web 2.0 tools have been introduced toaccelerate Englishlanguage acquisition. These tools improve learner motivation and provide opportunities to communicate, share knowledge and practice English with others. Learners can collaborate with native speakers outside the classroom. Also, these tools eliminate time and place limitations.Therefore, it is timely to examine the effectiveness of Web 2.0 tools in language learning. In Sri Lanka, only a few studies have been conducted in this regard. This study investigates the perception of English lecturers towards implementing Web 2.0 tools in teaching English at Sri Lanka Institute of Advanced Technological Education (SLIATE) and practical constraints on implementing Web 2.0 tools in teaching English. The conceptual framework was developed using four factors: familiarity, effectiveness, ability and constraints. Five web 2.0 tools were selected for this study. They are Blogs, Podcasts, Social Networks, Vodcasts and Wikis. The sample consisted of thirty five SLIATE English lecturers using stratified random sampling. Questionnaires were distributed among them and ten of them were interviewed for in-depth analysis. Qualitative and quantitative methods were used for data analyzing. Finds suggest that the majority of lecturers show positive attitudes towards the implementing of Web 2.0 tools and they believe those are effective tools in teaching English. In addition, Wikis and Social Networks are the most commonly known Web 2.0 tools. The least used Web 2.0 tool is Vodcasts. Although they believe these are effective tools for teaching all components in the English language, they used them in a few subjects like Computer Aided Language Learning (CALL). Further this study identifies the number of practical constraints when implementing Web 2.0 tools.