University of Colombo e-Repository

UCER (University of Colombo Electronic Repository) is a collection of scientific research publications by researchers at the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. This e-Repository serves to manage, preserve and make available the academic works of the faculty, postgraduate students, and research groups. The collection includes faculty publications, master's and doctoral theses abstracts. This repository is updated regularly, and new works are added to collections on a continuous basis

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Authors are responsible for obtaining copyright permission from the publisher and submitting the signed declaration to ir@lib.cmb.ac.lk.

Recent Submissions

Development of “The Colombo Intake Interview to identify skilled meditators for scientific research (CIISMR)”
(Research Square, 2022) Outschoorn, N.O.; Somarathne, E.A.S.K.; Dasanayaka, H.M.N.N.; Karunarathne, L.J.U; Vithanage, K.K.; Dalpatadu, K.P.C.; Gunathunga, M.W.; Herath, H.M.J.C.; Jayasinghe, S.; Dissanayake, W.D.N.
Background: Buddhist-derived meditation is a well-known phenomenological practice that enhances overall well-being of individuals. However, broad and less-rigorous criteria in recruiting suitable meditation practitioners affect the reliability of results obtained through meditation research. Therefore, we aimed at developing an instrument to identify and recruit skilled meditators to be used in work conducted to understand the physiological, psychological, social, and environmental effects of meditation. Methods: Extensive literature reviews, interviews and focus groups with experts in the field of meditation were utilized in developing the instrument. Judgmental validation of the generated items was ensured through establishing their face, content and consensual validity. Internal consistency reliability and factor structure of the scale was explored to analyze its psychometric properties. Cut-off marks were determined in order to develop a scoring system for the instrument. Results: Twenty five items were categorized under five sections (A, B, C1, C2, D) that addressed six factors: duration of the meditation practice, details of the meditation practice, peripheral awareness, stable attention, alertness, and emotional stability. Three further qualitative items were added under section E. An exploratory factor analysis process resulted in a two-factor structure between the Likert scale items as theoretically expected. Scores to identify ‘skilled meditators’ were determined as: Section C1>7 (fall-back score; 7-9, ideal score; 10-12), Section C2>14 (fall-back score; 14-16, ideal score; 17-20) and Section D>25 (fall-back score; 25-29, ideal score; 30-35). Conclusion: An instrument named, “The Colombo Intake Interview to identify skilled meditators for scientific research (CIISMR)”, consisting of 28 items exploring six factors that identify a “skilled meditator” was developed and validated to the Sri Lankan context. The importance of using a combination of these six factors is discussed.
Relationship between physical activity levels with risk of falls and social participation among elders attending daycare centers in Colombo, Sri Lanka: A descriptive cross-sectional study
(Ceylon Journal of Medical Science, 2022) Rajasinghe, Upendra; Dalpatadu, Chamila
Background: The older adult population is rapidly increasing worldwide including in Sri Lanka. Daycare centers for older adults is a newly introduced concept for Sri Lankan community-dwelling elders which has not been studied previously. Objective: To evaluate the relationship between physical activities (PA), risk of falls (RF) and social participation (SP) among community-dwelling elders from daycare centers in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study. Randomly selected sixty elders (aged 60 ≥ years) from all six registered daycare centers in Colombo. PA, RF and SP was measured using International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) short form, Berg Balance scale (BBS) and Participation scale (P-scale) respectively. Chi-square and Spearman correlation were used for statistical analysis. Results: A Mean age (+SD) was 73.23±6.02 years. Majority were women (90%). Median (Range); BBS and P-scale scores were 51 (34-56) and 8.5 (1-52) respectively. Median (Range) PA per week was 2133 (33-6426) MET-minutes. A low RF was seen among 88.3% of the population, 66.7% had a high SP and 58.3% had moderate PA levels. Increased PA levels correlated with higher BBS score and lower RF (r=0.31, p<0.05). There was no significant association between PA and SP. Conclusion: High PA levels were associated with lower RF. Further studies with larger populations are recommended. Exercises programs that improve PA and balance among elders would be beneficial. Strategies that enhance social bonding and participation of elders should be promoted within the Sri Lankan society.
A Study on Instructional Supervision by Principals in Type 2 and Type 3 Schools in Sri Lanka
(Sri Lanka Journal of Education, 2022) Kumari, H.M.L.
The main purpose of this study was to examine how principals engage in instructional supervision in Type 2 and Type 3 schools in Sri Lanka. Three research questions were used to guide the study to a rational conclusion. Mixed-method approach was adopted in the study to triangulate data. A questionnaire and semi-structured interview schedules were used to obtain data from 150 teachers, 10 principals and 10 section heads in 10 selected Type 2 and Type 3 schools using the simple random sampling techniques. Tables, percentages and graphs were used to analyze quantitative data and the qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis in order to address the research questions. The findings revealed that all principals in Type 2 and Type 3 schools have positive perceptions about the role of instructional supervision and have formed an instructional supervisory team including the principal in their schools. However, the study revealed that the majority of principals in Type 2 and Type 3 schools do not engage in instructional supervision on account of major administrative duties forced upon them. The study further revealed that the existing internal supervisory team, which engages in instructional supervision, does not conduct post observational discussions which help teachers to identify their strengths and the areas that need further improvement. It is, therefore, recommended that the principals need to carry out adequate instructional supervision of teachers to improve their teaching skills and professional development.
A Study on Instructional Supervision by principals in type 1C and type 2 Schools in Sri Lanka
(PEOPLE: International Journal of Social Sciences, 2019) Kumari, H.M.L.
The main purpose of this study was to examine how principals’ engage in instructional supervision in Type 1C and Type 2 school in Sri Lanka. Three research questions were used to guide the study to a rational conclusion. Mixed Method was adopted in the study in order to triangulate data. Both questionnaire and semi structured interview schedules were used to obtain relevant data from 150 teachers, 10 principals and 10 sectional heads in 10 selected Type 1C and Type 2 schools using the simple random sampling techniques. Tables, percentages and graphs were used to analyze quantitative data and the qualitative data was analyzed by using thematic analysis and answer the research questions. The findings revealed that all the principals in the type 1C and Type 2 schools have positive perception about the role of instructional supervision and have formed an instructional supervisory team including the principal. However, the study revealed that the majority of principals in the type 1C and Type 2 schools do not engage in role of instructional supervision due to the major challenge of having engage in general administration roles than the instructional roles. The study further revealed that the existing internal supervisory team engage in instructional supervision role rarely and do not conduct post observational discussions which facilitate teachers to identify their strength and the areas that need further improvement. It is, therefore, recommended that, the principals need to carry out an adequate instructional supervision of teachers so as to improve their teaching skills and professional development.
Instructional Supervision by Principals in Type 1C and Type 2 Schools in the Gampaha District Sri Lanka
(International Journal on Integrated Education, 2022) Kumari, H.M.L.
This study examined how principals engage in instructional supervision in Type 1C and Type 2 schools in Sri Lanka. Three research questions guided the study to a rational conclusion. Mixed-Method was adopted in the study to triangulate data. Both questionnaire and semi-structured interview schedules were used to collect relevant data from 150 teachers, 8 principals and 8 sectional heads in 8 selected Type 1C and Type 2 schools using the simple random sampling techniques. Tables, percentages and graphs were used to analyze quantitative data and the qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed that all the principals in Type 1C and Type 2 schools in the Gampaha District have positive perceptions about the role of instructional supervision and have formed an instructional supervisory team including the principal. However, the study revealed that the majority of principals in Type 1C and Type 2 schools do not engage in the role of instructional supervision. The study further revealed that the existing internal supervisory team engage in instructional supervision role rarely and do not conduct post observational discussions which facilitate teachers to identify their strength and the areas that need further improvement. It is recommended that, the principals need to carry out adequate instructional supervision of teachers to improve their pedagogical skills and professional development.