Masters Theses - Faculty of Social Sciences
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://repository.kln.ac.lk/handle/123456789/212
Browse
265 results
Search Results
Item The Importance of Community Participation in Road Infrastructure Development Projects (Based on the Integrated Road Investment Program)(Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2024) Eksith, K. G. M.The availability of passenger transport facilities and freight transportation capacity is a crucial factor in the development of any region. In this regard, the road network holds a significant position. Before the colonial era in Sri Lanka, there were footpaths and cart roads, but an advanced road system, as seen today, did not exist, nor was there a major necessity for it. However, over time, with changing circumstances, an extensive road network, including expressways, has been developed. The need for an extensive and complex road system in Sri Lanka arose due to factors such as population growth, urbanization, industrialization, increased complexity in freight transportation services, rural-to-urban migration, the growth of the tourism industry, business and industrial expansion, the expansion of educational opportunities, and the emergence of new villages outside urban areas. The Road Development Authority (RDA), with funding from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), implemented the Integrated Road Investment Program to improve connectivity between rural communities and economic centers. This program focused on upgrading access roads in the Northern, Eastern, Uva, and Western Provinces, covering approximately 3,650km of rural and national roads through traditional road contracts, including essential maintenance. The second phase of the Integrated Road Investment Program aimed to further enhance rural access roads and national highways. The primary objective of this research was to identify how a community participation approach could be applied to road infrastructure projects, using the Integrated Road Investment Program as a case study. For this research, data were collected through questionnaires from a random sample of 100 respondents selected from 13 Grama Niladhari divisions within six Divisional Secretariat divisions in the Gampaha and Colombo districts. Additionally, several key informant interviews were conducted to gather further insights. This research, based on the second phase of the Integrated Road Investment Program, which focuses on rural road development projects in Colombo, Gampaha, and Kalutara districts, examined the importance of community participation in road infrastructure development projects.Item Impact of the Technology of Post-production Process on Managing the high production costs in Sri Lankan Cinema(Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2024) Lal, H. R. P.The film post-production stage is extremely important in shaping the final output of a film and represents a significant cost. In a country like Sri Lanka where budget constraints are a common challenge, this high cost is quite a challenge and will especially affect low-budget productions and independent artists as well as the student community. This research aimed to identify and validate a low-cost post-production system suitable for the Sri Lankan film industry, evaluate the post-production technology in use, introduce a cost-effective alternative and assess the feasibility and performance of standard industry practices. This study was conducted through the qualitative research method, literature sources were used to understand the global standards in post-production and cost factors and audio-visual cognitive capabilities. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted to gain an understanding of current post-production practices and post-production costs in Sri Lanka, followed by the identification of a pilot post-production system, the quality of which was evaluated using focus group feedback. After careful analysis of all the data, it was confirmed that the proposed post-production system meets the required quality standards while significantly reducing the cost, quality and effectiveness with an affordable price.Item INFORMATION SEEKING BEHAVIOR OF EXPECTANT MOTHERS IN SOCIAL MEDIA FORUMS IN SRI LANKA(Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2023) Pathirana, U. P. N. N.Awareness of health information needs, sources of health information, and barriers to accessing health information among pregnant women is critical for the development of health interventions, and providing high-quality prenatal care for them. Hence, the aim of this study was to address a gap in the literature by exploring the use of social media by pregnant women, specifically to examine the use of Facebook to fulfill pregnancy-related information sharing and retrieval. The study was conducted employing a mixed method in two phases using simple random sampling. In the first phase, data were collected through a structured questionnaire from 120 expectant mothers registered in six selected MoH offices in the Colombo district. In the second phase, a subset of questionnaire participants (n = 25) were interviewed to substantiate findings. Data were analysed descriptively using SPSS. The most pressing problems of barriers to information acquisition were identified as lack of support from healthcare providers and no opportunities to discuss sensitive topics. The top main reasons that motivated mothers to turn to Facebook for health information were the acquisition of detailed information, learning from others’ experiences, and obtaining confirmation of already known facts. Nutrition, fetal development, and vitamins and tests were among topics searched greatly. Postpartum preparation, maternity goods, selection of doctors and hospitals, do’s and don’ts during pregnancy, and complications were cross-checked, as multiple experiences and views needed to be examined and evaluated before making choices and decisions. Importantly, psychological and behavioural changes were the most sought. Significantly, respondents believed that effective Facebook groups encouraged mothers in their journey towards motherhood by dispelling information confusion, imparting new knowledge, fostering self-confidence, holding members accountable, discussing delicate subjects, and providing emotional support.Item අස්පර්ශණීය සංස්කෘතික උරුමය සුරක්ෂා කිරීමෙහි ලා ශ්රී ලංකා ජාතික පුස්තකාලයේ කාර්යභාරය පිළිබද විමර්ශනාත්මක අධ්යයනයක්(Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2024) Senarathna, K. I. D.A society's cultural heritage is not just its outward manifestations but primarily embodied by the fundamental components that demonstrate human societies' existence, growth, and ongoing development. These components, collectively called intangible cultural heritage, include beliefs, customs, attitudes, behaviours, aspirations, and knowledge passed down through the generations. Safeguarding this legacy requires identification, documentation, preservation, promotion, and transmission. Safeguarding intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is a national duty due to rapid societal changes. In this context, creating a specialized institution and developing a policy for safeguarding ICH is essential. The purpose of this study is to investigate the National Library of Sri Lanka's role in safeguarding ICH, determine the need for internal safeguarding initiatives, analyze the National Library's current holdings of ICH collections, evaluate the difficulties and problems associated with ICH safeguard, and suggest a framework and policy for the National Library's role in safeguarding ICH in Sri Lanka. A case study methodology is used in this mixed-method study, which includes a sample of 25 public libraries in 25 districts of Sri Lanka. A multi-stage and judgmental (purposive sampling) sampling method was used to select 25 librarians, and a multi-variable judgmental (purposive sampling) method was used to select six subject matter experts from six relevant institutions for a total sample size of 31 participants. Structured interviews with subject matter experts and an online questionnaire sent to public libraries were used to gather primary data. Additionally, an inventory of the National Library's current ICH collection was created through participatory observation. According to the findings, the National Library was primarily involved in registering Sri Lanka's intangible cultural heritage for inclusion in the UNESCO list rather than concentrating on the national-level safeguarding of ICH. The study also identifies the lack of an efficient ICH collection, problems with authority and accountability, a lack of commitment from authority figures, and an inadequate policy within the National Library for safeguarding ICH. Despite attempts to increase the collection through donations and legal deposits, no formal mechanism has been established for integrating ICH resources across the country. To improve the safeguarding and accessibility of Sri Lanka's intangible cultural heritage, this study suggests a framework and policy for the National Library.Item පුරාතන ශ්රී ලංකාවේ රාජ්යත්වයේ ආරම්භය සහ විකාශය පිළිබද සෙල්ලිපි මූලාශ්රය ඇසුරින් කෙරෙන ඓතිහාසික විමර්ශනයක්(Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2024) Ransirini, J. M. C.The research historically examines the origin and the evolution of kinship from the 3rd century B.C to the end of the 16th century B.C. The academic scope spans from the 3rd century B.C. to the end of the 16th century B.C. The inscriptions, which are primary sources, reveal limited information about the nature of the kinship of the rulers, evolution and development of the kinship. The limitation of those facts is a major issue confronted by historical researchers. In this research, the inscriptions, the secondary sources and the archaeological sources were used and hidden information about the political role of the Sri Lankan kings could be revealed. The primary sources play a major role in studying historical facts and it helps for an accurate and specific study about the history. The research focuses on the manner in which the origin, evolution, behavior, role, daily routine and bureaucratic regime influence Sri Lankan history. The inscriptions, which were written between the 3rd century B.C. and the end of the 16th century B.C., have mentioned the evolution of the kingship during the Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Dambadeniya, Yapahuwa, Kurunegala, Kotte and Kandy eras. In those eras, the ruling power was centralized around the king and the major duties of the king were providing security to the countrymen, expanding the kingdom and protecting the boundaries. The behavioral patterns related to the royal lives of the kings have directly impacted the political history in Sri Lanka. The well-being of the rulers was also decided accordingly. Thus, it can be concluded that the political behaviors of the rulers have equally impacted the existence of the state in Sri Lanka.Item Sustainable Strategies for Managing Human-Elephant Conflict (Based on the Galnewa Divisional Secretariat Divisions)(Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2023) Jayathissa, R. H. N. J.Human-elephant conflict in Sri Lanka has emerged as a result of negative interactions between elephants, which are historically, environmentally, and culturally significant animals, and humans. Over the past 30 years, this conflict has led to 2,011 human deaths and 5,954 elephant deaths. Additionally, the government incurs an annual cost of approximately 500 million rupees to compensate for the damages caused by this conflict. Despite implementing various management strategies and approaches to mitigate this situation, they have not achieved satisfactory success. This issue is also significant in the Galnewa Divisional Secretariat Division of the Anuradhapura District, located in the dry zone. Given this context, 11 Grama Niladhari Divisions within the Galnewa Divisional Secretariat were selected as the study area for this research. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the current management strategies and approaches used to mitigate human-elephant conflict and to propose recommendations based on practical experiences and perspectives of the local community to enhance their sustainability. A combination of both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods was employed in the research. The findings of this research indicate that human-elephant conflict in the region has led to crop damage, property destruction, and loss of human lives, significantly disrupting the social and economic activities of local communities. The study also revealed that the ineffectiveness and unsustainability of existing management approaches stem largely from a lack of community consensus and cooperation. Although electric fences have shown partial success, inadequate maintenance has prevented them from delivering the desired results. In response, farmers have shifted from cultivating paddy, which attracts elephants, to alternative crops such as gherkin and gingelly. The community advocates for sustainable management strategies based on practical approaches, including increasing food and water availability within forest areas, controlling the elephant population, and utilizing technology. Key recommendations derived from the study include strengthening electric fences, promoting alternative crops, and providing incentives for such changes. Considering the region's unique conditions, key proposals include implementing appropriate measures to restore disrupted social activities and educational opportunities caused by elephant intrusions. This involves utilizing technology to facilitate the conservation of elephants, such as providing villagers with real-time information on elephant movements through their mobile phones.Item ශ්රී ලංකාවේ වෙරළ කලාපයේ භූමි පරිහරණයේ කාලීන හා අවකාශීය වෙනස්කම් : වයඹ වෙරළ තීරය ඇසුරින් සිදු කරන අධ්යයනයකි(Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2024) Bandara, S. M. R. S.This research describes the temporal and spatial changes in land use in the northwest coastal region of Sri Lanka. The main study problem is whether the land use of the coastal zone of Sri Lanka varies temporally and spatially. The main objective of the study is to identify the temporal and spatial variation of land use in the Northwest Coastal zone. This is an inductive research approach. For primary data collection, structured questionnaire method, quantitative and qualitative data collection through interviews and field survey and secondary data collection through secondary sources were used. As the study area, the 300-meter buffer zone from the shore towards the land of the ten Grama Niladari Divisions on the coastal border of Wennappuwa Divisional Secretariat has been selected. The total sample is 100 as per simple random sampling method. GIS, SPSS and spreadsheet softwares were used for data analysis. According to the data analysis, there have been temporal and spatial changes in land use in the Northwest Coast zone. Compared to 2008, the total area has increased by 7% in 2018 and by 12% in 2023. The time required for rapid land use change in this area is short. In the year 2023, instead of the abundant coconut plantation in the area, gardens have been created. Road density and building density have doubled compared to 2008. Thus, physical factors have a direct effect on land use change and human factors have a direct and circular effect. In the future, coastal areas near Maha Oya and Ging Oya may be submerged by sea water. Being a coastal area, this change cannot be completely stopped, but various sustainable strategies can be used to control it.Item SCHOOL DROPOUTS OF ADOLESCENTS IN THE URBAN AREA OF COLOMBO, SRI LANKA WITH REFERENCE TO MODARA AND MATTAKKULIYA AND POSSIBLE STRATEGIES TOWARDS CONTINUOUS EDUCATION(2023) Solangaarachchi, Rev. Fr. T. G. K.This sociological study is done based on children who are considered to be the school dropouts of adolescents in Modara and Mattakkuliya areas, belonging to the Colombo Divisional Secretariat in the Colombo district. These adolescents live under the care of their parents, grandparents and with other caregivers. The school dropouts in the urban area of Colombo are found to be the victims of a society which is strongly corrupt due to socio-economic factors. The main objective of this research work is to look into the main causes for students to dropout halfway of their schooling. The primary and secondary data were collected by providing questionnaires, interviews and observations using accepted data collecting methods. The collected data are presented using the most suited methods to analyse data by charts, tables and descriptive methods. It is observed that adolescents show an interest towards primary education amidst various social issues, yet the secondary education has been disrupted by these adolescents. It is found that less attention of parents has largely affected the adolescents. Thus, adolescents lack the proper guidance to nurture their own career paths and achieving their life goals in this society. The primary socialization process has been less among parents, grandparents and other caregivers like close relatives. Therefore, a considerable portion of the children are subjected to a de-socialization process instead of a successful primary socialization process in our selected sample of adolescents. The parents, teachers and key informants are interviewed as to why the percentage of school dropouts in this area is high and in a vulnerable state. The contribution and the support from the parents are found to be very poor in providing a proper education to their child. This fact is further confirmed and proved by the schoolteachers and by the key informants of the sample selected for the study. This study clearly manifests the necessity for considerable attention and contribution of parents to lead adolescents toward a proper education. The socio-economic and demographic background of the school dropout adolescents, factors and agencies that create the reasons for school dropouts, impact of the school dropouts on their family and society and the attitude about continuous education have been discussed in the study. Apart from this, the Zonal Education Director, Grama Niladhari and police OICs of Modara and Mattakkuliya were consulted for lengthy discussions to gather information on the topic. The following were spotlighted as reasons for the school dropouts. Poverty, low level of education of parents and caregivers, drug addiction of parents and adolescents, their attitudes towards education are the key factors identified. Therefore, in order to reduce the above-mentioned causes in this society, remedial measures have been proposed and recommended in this study. Among them, promoting parent-teacher relationships, initiating continuous counselling sessions for needy parents and adolescents, engaging in more extracurricular activities, introducing vocational training in interested fields, initiating scholarship programmes for adolescents who are from the absolute poverty level, getting attention and support from the religious leaders in the area, necessary curriculum revision to introduce practical orientation in education, children should be cared for by loved ones and giving proper attention to their education are prominent. Thus, these recommendations will help policy makers and educationists to work on school dropout adolescents in Sri Lanka.Item THE ANALYSIS OF THE INFORMATION BEHAVIOR OF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERS: SPECIAL REFERENCE TO UNIVERSITIES IN SRI LANKA(2023) Dilhani, H. G. P. S. C. D.Information behavior examines how individuals interact with information, encompassing purposeful and passive actions in their daily lives. It includes seeking, managing, giving, and using information across various roles. This study focused on the administrative officers of Sri Lankan Universities, addressing an area that has received relatively less attention in the existing literature. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to comprehend the impact of personal and professional factors on the information behavior of Administrative Officers in State Universities of Sri Lanka. Moreover, the exploration of this study is primarily anchored in the proven effort to fill a gap. The research employed an online questionnaire as its research tool. Data collection involved the distribution of the questionnaire among a sample size of 218 officers from 17 state universities, resulting in an 81% response rate. The study collected data on three personal-related variables—age, gender, and education—and three professional-related variables—management level, job experience, and usage of information systems. Additionally, three dimensions of information behavior were investigated: information sources, information characteristics, and information types. The SPSS statistical analysis package was employed for multivariate analysis of variance, analysis of variance, and multiple comparisons using the Scheffe test to fulfill the study's objectives. Based on the study findings, professional factors such as position, experience, IT usage, and personal factors like age and education emerged as contextual elements impacting the three dimensions of information behavior among administrative officers. Further, a comprehensive analysis of the three independent variables was conducted to identify significant differences in means among subgroups and ascertain the direction of these variations. Therefore, one implication from the study's findings is that the age, education level, management experience, management position, and IT/IS usage of educational administrative officers collectively influence their information behavior. Furthermore, there are subgroup differences regarding the impact of information behavior on said factors.Item ROLE OF PUBLIC RELATIONS IN ACADEMIC LIBRARIES: WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO KELANIYA, PERADENIYA AND WAYAMBA UNIVERSITIES IN SRI LANKA(University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2023) Gunarathna, D.G.R.L.The university library serves as the heart of the organization, housing specialized resources that cater to the specific needs and objectives of the university community. The purpose of a library is to have a high volume of usage; if that volume increases, the result will positively impact society. A well-executed process is required to achieve this, which needs public relations programs. The study's main objective is to identify the existing role of PR in University libraries in Sri Lanka. Core objectives are To examine the importance of the role of PR, To identify possible activities in PR, To identify the role of PR in academic libraries in the world, To recognize the issues, challenges, and obstacles of public relations in university libraries in Sri Lanka and to propose solutions for issues in PR in university libraries in Sri Lanka. The study employed random sampling to select three universities from different provinces in Sri Lanka. Structured questionnaires were distributed to chief librarians, and random user samples from the universities were selected. The sample size for undergraduate library patrons was determined using the Morgan Table. SPSS and Excel were utilized to visualize and analyze data. The research revealed that university libraries in Sri Lanka do not have a permanent public relations officer and have yet to establish a formalized process for public relations. Furthermore, the study found that many users need to be more engaged in library activities and that their perception of library personnel is negative. At the same time, many users prefer to organize seminars, lectures, and forums from the library. According to feedback obtained from both patrons and librarians, the perception of the library by the authorities could be more favorable. The following suggestions pertain to this study: To establish an efficient PR system, it is imperative to notify the appropriate authorities and make every effort to develop and obtain authorization for a specialized PRO position in the library. An exhaustive enumeration of responsibilities ought to be formulated by the official duty list of public relations officers. Designating a temporary specialist with PR oversight for the library is advisable. Additionally, construct a comprehensive public relations plan. Utilize Different Channels of Communication, Organize Special Events and Programs, Provide Staff Training, and Establish Outreach Programs.