iPURSE 2016

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://ir.lib.pdn.ac.lk/handle/20.500.14444/40

Browse

Now showing 1 - 20 of 317

Issue of Pedophilia; is it a mental disorder or a sexual orientation?
(University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 2016-11-05) Ven. Wimaladhamma, K.
Pedophilia, which is considered as a mental disorder, can be simply defined as the fantasy or act of sexual activity with prepubescent children. A ''pedophile" is a person who has a sustained sexual interest towards children, generally aged 13 or younger (APA, 2013). The American Psychiatric Association (APA) considers ''pedophilia" as a mental disorder in its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders since 1968. In DSM-5, ''pedophilia" has been grouped with other paraphilia. Research studies have clearly shown that pedophilia is a result of neurobiological, environmental, and psychological facts. Though DSM-5, ICD-10 and other manuals of mental disorders consider pedophilia as a mental disorder, a considerable number of research studies try to prove that pedophilia is a ''sexual orientation.'' Sexual orientation is a term used to describe a person's patterns of emotional, romantic, and sexual attraction - and a person's sense of personal and social identity based on those attractions. There are three sexual orientations. Heterosexual: attracted to individuals of the opposite sex Bisexual: attracted to members of either sex Homosexual: attracted to individuals of one's own sex Considering several research findings, many psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, forensic psychologists, scientists etc. had to accept that pedophilia is a sexual orientation. However, the idea that sexual attraction to children is an “orientation” is highly controversial as it suggests that offenders cannot change. Further, social and cultural opinions on pedophilia remain the same and so does the law. So, we are left with the alarming question: if someone is born pedophile, what should society do with him or her? This issue should be addressed soon and authorities have to take a decision soon as a considerable number of people in the world are pedophiles. Using a literature review of the research studies done on ''pedophilia'' the topic ''Issue of Pedophilia; is it a mental disorder or a sexual orientation?'' will be critically discussed.
Misery in spite of happiness: critical problems of poverty alleviation programmes in Sri Lanka
(University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 2016-11-05) Udayanga, K.A.S.
Welfarism, has long been considered as a major political ideology of administrative programs in the so called Third World societies. Regardless of the political dimensions used, the welfare approach must be perpetuated to ensure social development in these countries. However, social protection and security policies intended to alleviate poverty in Sri Lanka that were introduced with highly administered government interventions were questioned since interests of some societal segments were not addressed satisfactorily. The objective of the study is to understand some culturally defined socio economic and political problems relevant to specific social segments (such as estate sector) when poverty alleviation social policy programs (here “Divineguma Programme” is concerned) are carried out with the intention of social development in Sri Lanka. In order to address the research problem specified, phenomenology was employed in accordance with the grounded theory approach. “Labukele Estate” in Nuwaraeliya District was selected as the research area. Accordingly, using unstructured interview guideline, 20 respondents were interviewed and 2 case studies were conducted. Collected data was analyzed using thematic analysis. Poverty alleviation programs initiated as a social welfare policy program in Sri Lanka have encountered several complications for many years without any appropriate and pragmatic solution. Resource leakages due to complex bureaucracy and inappropriate targeting with controversial conditionality are uppermost of the critical problems. So far these problems have been identified in an economic and administrative sphere; but this study asserts that these problems are amalgamated with rigorous cultural determinants. On the other hand, intergenerational dependence of family members, government policy changes and cultural resistance, widely targeted policy approach followed by the neglecting of specific cultural pockets, lack of administrative interventions due to culturally defined presumptions, deeply rooted cultural barriers, protracted poverty trap can be considered as major problems of social welfare policies in Sri Lanka. It is not an easy task to compile social policies aiming at alleviating poverty since expected social development get subsided due to unexpected problems specific to the culturally defined Third World societies. Therefore, administratively programmed and culturally specified welfare policy programme would be the best possible approach to address the above problems.
Buddhist monastic architecture in ancient Sri Lanka designed to fit spiritual development
(University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 2016-11-05) Jayawardena, R.G.D.
The objective of this research paper is to highlight the religious utility of Buddhist monastic architecture in ancient Sri Lanka which was typically planned to fit spiritual development. Buddhist Monastic setting and planning in ancient Sri Lanka seem to be a particular subject which supported spiritual development. Though a considerable amount of research work has been done on this subject, there is a need for a supplementary study on typical setting and design of monasteries fit for spiritual development of monks. The aim of this study is to complete this shortcoming. The research methodology of the study is based on the data collected from literary and archaeological information involving library research and field study. The collected data will be analyzed and compared with the literary evidences. Hypothetically, it seems that residences of monks in ancient Sri Lanka were built to suit the spiritual development of meditators. In the field of Asian architecture, Buddhist monasteries were planned and setup to facilitate mental development. They are not only symbolic but are also representative of the inner lives of monks who lived in these monasteries. Designing of buildings for monks fosters the attainment of the ultimate goal in Buddhism. These plans reflect inner life of monks. The Papancas dani and the Visuddhimagga consist of the following types of monasteries which were recommended by the Buddha. They are lenani or abodes allowed for monks: Vihara, Addayoga, Pasada, Hammiyam, Guha, Lena, Kuti, Kutagara, Mala, Upatthanasala. In this study these types of plans will be closely examined.
Influence of ethnicity on counseling in the Divisional Secretariats in Sri Lanka
(University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 2016-11-05) Karunanayake, D.D.K.S.
The study was conducted with 30 participants, ten counselors and twenty clients in five divisional secretariat offices in Sri Lanka. There were three Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim counselors and one Burger counselor. Seven clients were Sinhala, six were Tamil, five were Muslim and two were Burger. There were twenty women and ten men. Both quantitative and qualitative measures were conducted. Data was collected for quantitative analysis using a questionnaire developed along Toronto Empathy Questionnaire.The total score of the questionnaire measured the overall empathy of the participants. The four subscales measured participant’s empathy towards Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim and Burger counselors separately. The questionnaire was completed by all 30 participants. Semi structured interviews were conducted with four counselors representing all four ethnic groups and six clients again representing all four ethnic groups to elicit in- depth information using qualitative analysis. Overall, the participants were positively empathic with a mean score close to the answer ‘often’ indicating that for most situations they were ‘often’ empathic. All ethnicities were most empathic towards their own. Preference for their own ethnicity continued for counselors and clients. All four counselors were very clear about being proud of their own ethnicity and seeing it as the most positive. They had positive comments about clients from their own ethnicity and overwhelmingly preferred to work with them. Their comments were not as negative towards clients of other ethnicities compared to their comments about other ethnicities in general. Clients too liked their own ethnicity the best and had mixed or negative reactions towards the other ethnicities. They preferred counselors from their own ethnicity but were willing to work with other ethnicities. In conclusion, participants were positively empathic overall but were most empathic towards their own ethnicity. All counselors and clients were proud of their own ethnicity and had mixed reaction to other ethnicities. They preferred to work with similar ethnic dyads but were willing to work with an ethnically other.
Invasion of Alexander the Great and the emergence of hybrid cultures in the East
(University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 2016-11-05) Wickramasinghe, C.S.M.
Alexander the Great became the master of the Achaemenid Empire after defeating Darius III in 331 BC. Then he secured the Achaemenid satrapies of Baktria and Sogdiana in Central Asia. In 327 BC Swat and Punjab were annexed to his empire. He had to abandon the expedition to further east and had to turn homewards when his army refused to proceed. While some of the soldiers remained and settled in India and in the other eastern territories having intermarried with the locals, some joined Alexander in his homeward journey. The Greeks who remained and settled along with the people in the newly founded cities, colonies and provinces led to stimulate the spread of Hellenism in the eastern territories. When Alexander died in 323 BC his empire was divided among his generals. When these generals began to consolidate their territories it further led to create new hybrid cultures (mixing Hellenic culture with the local cultures) and/or to consolidate the existing ones. This study intends to critically examine the impact of the conquests of Alexander the Great in spreading Hellenism in the East, and how it led to the establishment of hybrid cultures that later swelled into separate political centers. In this process, first the conquests of Alexander, with reference to the establishment of settlements and provinces, and setting up of garrisons will be examined along with Alexander's setting up of new cities. Then, the focus will be shifted to examine the impact of Alexander's conquests on the East with attention to the setting up of hybrid cultures. It can be concluded that the scant Hellenism in Asia gained a revival with a great dynamism due to the invasion of Alexander. Gandhara and Matura art and architecture are clear manifestations of hybrid cultures that emerged from the fine amalgamation of East and West.
Buddhist perspective on religiosity and spirituality as shown in Mahāyañña-sutta
(University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 2016-11-05) Basnayake, D.S.
The relationship between religiosity and spirituality is a controversial issue. Even though humankind does not deviate from the influence of religion, its impact on their daily life-style is declining. Now humankind is equipped with better scientific explanations to clarify what was unclear to them and technological enhancements which can solve many of the problems. The present study will elaborate how Buddhist teachings can give insights to enrich this dialogue. The present study is primarily a textual study based on an Early Buddhist discourse namely, the Mahāyañña-sutta in Sattaka-nipāta of the Buddhist canonical text in Pāli language, Aṅguttara-nikāya. (Part IV, pp.41-46.) The discourse begins with the preparation of Brahmin Uggatasarīra for a great sacrifice in which hundreds of bullocks, heifers, goats and rams were on the way to be sacrificed. Replying to a Brahmin's question, the Buddha explained how a sacrifice becomes beneficial. Proper maintaining of three fires can make a sacrifice great: the fire of those who are worthy of gifts, the fire of the householder and the fire of those who are worthy of offerings. In fact these three kinds of fires were not new to the Brahmin. The Buddha only redefined Brahmanism’s terminology by allotting new meanings to a set of already existing terms. Religion is characterized by its authoritative nature and emphasis on its followers’ obligation to perform rites. In Brahmanism, sacrifices were performed for the purpose of achieving a prosperous life, although there is no causal correlation between a sacrifice and a good life. In this way, religion defends its mysticism. On the contrary, the Buddha’s interpretation of three kinds of fires paves a way to a much candid explanation with a clear practical basis. If anyone treats others in proper ways, this would create causes and conditions to live in harmony with the society. There is nothing clandestine in this explanation. Spirituality, unlike religiosity, does not represent an inviolable bondage to an external authority. It comes from within. As pointed out in the Mahāyañña-sutta, one can be spiritual even in his or her interaction with the society. This might be a starting point to break the wall between secularity and spirituality, that is, towards a “secular spirituality”.
Attitudes of academics towards self-archiving: a situational study of the University of Peradeniya
(University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 2016-11-05) Gunasekera, C.
How to increase the Faculty participation in self-archiving has been one of the key topics in the discussion and operation of institutional repositories (IRs) at present. The usability of an IR primarily relies on the amount of its content material, which becomes available through self-archiving of research outcomes by academic scholars in the Faculty. The main objective of this study is to examine the awareness and attitudes on self-archiving practices of academic scholars in the University of Peradeniya (UOP). A survey method was adopted and the questionnaires were distributed among all permanent academic staff members in the UOP on May, 2015 and out of 751, 279 duly completed questionnaires were received making a 37.1% response rate. With regard to the awareness of self- archiving, only 25% of the academics who participated in the survey mentioned that they are aware of it while 34% mentioned that they have not heard about self-archiving and 112(40%) did not respond to the question. As far as the experience in self-archiving is concerned, only 13% of the respondents are exposed to the self-archiving practices, while 45.5% did not have experience and only 8.6% mentioned that they have been self-archiving their work for 1-3 years. Of the respondents, 11.47% learnt about self-archiving while surfing the internet, followed by 5.38% came to know from professional friends or colleagues. With regard to the self-archiving materials, 29% of the scholars who responded to the survey prefer to self-archive conference papers rather than research reports and post print articles (23.7%). Findings suggest that most of the scholars (74.5%) who responded to the survey are unaware of self-archiving practices or even have not heard about it. Overall, only 13% of respondents have had exposure to self-archiving practices and most of them learnt about self-archiving from the internet and the most preferred format they would like to self-archive is conference papers. Based on the conclusions, it is recommended to conduct seminars and workshops to create awareness and on understanding of self- archiving among the university academics.
Use of library resources by the Humanities and Social Sciences undergraduates: factors associated with information seeking in the main library of University of Peradeniya.
(University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 2016-11-05) Alahakoon, C.N.K.
The purpose of this study is to determine the factors that are associated with the use of library resources among undergraduates and their relationship. A survey research method was applied. A close-ended questionnaire developed by Mohammadamin, Abrizah and Karim (2012) was used with the Likert Method. After the pilot survey conducted in February 2015, the main survey was carried out in September 2015. The sample was selected from the 2nd – 4th year undergraduates in different departments in the Faculty of Arts, University of Peradeniya and 209 cases were selected by considering ten percent from each academic year. The study revealed the following results. Out of the total sample, 80.3% of the library users were female and less than 20% were male. According to the study, 80.8% used the Sinhala language, 15.4% used Tamil and only 3.8% used English as the medium of communication. Regarding the use of library resources, less than 50% of undergraduates used databases, electronic information media, ICT and other resources in the library. More than 50% undergraduates agreed that they were unfamiliar with information resources and that they feel anxious when using them. Another factor identified was the use of computers: the Internet barrier and ANOVA indicated that there weren’t any significant differences during the academic year. Another factor measured was the barriers relating to the library: from that scale, 41.3% indicated that the temperature inside the library is uncomfortable. Moreover, 45.7% have anxiety when searching for information. With regards to the factors related to technology, 51% are suffering from mechanical issues during information seeking and another factor they have difficulties with is generating topics for search (41%). The study indicated that a great majority of the students are still in a critical condition in terms of the use of library facilities and services available in the university. Students need more awareness of the library resources and it is necessary to provide hands-on training in the use of OPAC, computers and internet resources to get reliable results when searching for information within the library. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct relevant and useful user education programs based on the consideration of the study. Moreover, other awareness methods are also needed to promote the use of the library resources for students’ academic endeavors.
Rearticulated caste identity in the context of war
(University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 2016-11-05) Rasanen, B.J.
With the end of the nearly three-decade long Sri Lankan civil war in 2009, the socio-cultural consequences of war require a critical introspection on caste and its hegemonic construction. In this research I examine how war has impacted caste and especially the hegemonic Vellalah identity construction. War entails migration, brain drain, denial of dissent, internal displacements, economic embargo, the loss of land, assassinations, disappearances, killings, abductions, violations of social-cultural norms and even internecine wars. These are considered widespread abnormalities within the grammar of war. The data for this study focuses on the Jaffna district and is drawn from purposive and snowball sampling. My analysis relies heavily on how Vellalah and depressed castes describe their experiences of the war. I also conducted several semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions and document analysis over a period of three years from 2006- 2009. War as an embodied experience meant that everyone went through similar but not the same experience in an enforced war zone. I argue that people’s experiences of war depend on individual involvement in politics, their placement in already existing socio- economic strata and their direct experience under firing or shelling. The Vellalah identity evolves from agriculture and the accumulated assets being settled in one place for the first time shattered by the war. Internal dislocations forced Jaffna Tamils to be together physically in temples, camps, schools and public places. This gave a space for all to go through similar experiences. The war created a temporal transition and adjustments in caste practices and in Vellalah identity. The changes remained for a short time, but a radical transformation in terms of caste (Vellalah) identity occurred. Vellalah identity structures deteriorated without immediate consolidation of a new structure, although caste sensibilities never disappeared and continued to reassert themselves even with Vellalah becoming a numerical minority in Jaffna. Vellalah dominance has not disappeared, they still own much of the land, and control local politics, but the arenas that formerly demarcated their identities have eroded with massive Vellalah emigration from Jaffna.
Do university libraries in Sri Lanka use social media as a marketing tool?
(University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 2016-11-05) Jayasekara, P.K.; Abeyrathne, D.K.
The development of Information and Communication Technologies and Web 2.0 technology created the opportunities for the librarians to reach their patrons by moving beyond its physical boundaries. As one of the main communication products of Web 2.0 technology, social media plays a vital role on library marketing. Libraries worldwide are using popular social media platforms as a digital marketing tool. Therefore, the objectives of the present study are to: assess the availability of social media platforms to academic libraries in Sri Lanka and to identify the types of social media channels used by academic libraries in Sri Lanka. The universities and higher education institutes accredited to the University Grants Commission (UGC), Sri Lanka were selected as the study sample. There are 15 universities accredited to the UGC, Sri Lanka. The social media accounts of each library were accessed through researchers’ own accounts to make sure whether these accounts were created by the particular library. Since this research focused on the availability of libraries on social media, the contents of the social media accounts were not considered. Two libraries Facebook pages were mentioned as ‘unofficial’ and they were omitted from the study. Finally data were analyzed using Microsoft excel 2010. Results revealed that, nine out of fifteen academic libraries have at least a single account in any type of social media platform. However, of those nine academic libraries (60%) which have at least a single social media account, four academic libraries (40%) provide links through the library homepage. Facebook is the most widely used social media site for marketing university libraries in Sri Lanka. Eight out of fifteen university libraries (53.3%) use Facebook to promote their library and related activities such as events, new arrivals and new services. Only two university libraries (13.3%) published their details on Wikipedia encyclopedia. One library created YouTube (6.7%) and Google+ (6.7%) accounts to market their library services. However, none of the university libraries use Twitter, MySpace, Pinterest, Instagram, Flicker, LinkedIn or Blogs for promotional purposes. Therefore, libraries must pay their attention to developing strategies to use social media more effectively for library marketing.
Examination of bibliographical standards followed by Sri Lankan authors: a case study of the subject related books acquired by the main library, University of Peradeniya
(University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 2016-11-05) Premarathne, B.N.G.S.; Bandara, B.E.S.
Book publishing is indispensable in the knowledge society. The details of title page, ISBN, Copyright, Cataloguing In Publication (CIP) data, year of publication, place of the publication, publisher, page numbers are essential bibliographical information for publishing a book. When librarians acquire books it is observed that some authors/publishers do not follow basic bibliographical requirements or standards for their publications. Missing of this information affects the preparation of the library catalogue, compilation of the library databases and other documentation. This paper addresses these issues with specific reference to publishing of books by Sri Lankan authors. The main objective of this study is to identify the authors’ behavior in using bibliographical information in their book publishing. Content analysis was adopted for this study. The guideline for authors prepared by the National Library and Documentation Services Board was selected to find the basic criteria and 17 criteria which are the most important criteria to consider in publishing of books have been identified. Out of the subject related books which were acquired by the Main library in January and February 2016, 51 titles were selected. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistical methods. All the authors have clearly understood how to use the title and author on the title page. The details of the publisher have been included by 97% of the authors, but the place of publishing was properly indicated only by 30%. CIP data had been included only by 69% and only 23% of the authors had added the details of the copyright. The ISBN number had been included by 94%. Using of a standard referencing style is essential in subject related books, and according to this survey 69% have not followed a standard referencing style. A total of 31% followed various types of reference styles. According to the above findings, it was revealed that there is a positive trend in the use of bibliographical standards in publishing of books but there are certain inadequacies. All libraries should have authors’ guidelines to make them aware of basic bibliographical information which should be included in their publications. It is necessary to encourage authors to follow ISO Standards.
Criteria for evaluating good and bad
(University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 2016-11-05) Herath, H.M.M.
In a monopoly of philosophical definitions about the ethics of good versus bad, Buddhist teachings present a unique perspective through the terms of kusala-akusala and pua-pàpa. These teachings interpret good and bad from a fundamental ethical standpoint. Further, kusala-akusala is a unique teaching of Buddhist philosophy that paves the way beyond pua-pàpa. All good and bad actions are preceded by mental functions. In Buddhist philosophy, the intention of an individual who is responsible for his own actions is a critical factor in determining what is good and bad. The Buddha has elucidated several criteria for evaluating good and bad actions. For instance, in the Kàlàma-sutta of the Anguttara-nikàya, the Buddha asked the Kàlàma-s to put aside everything that teachers had told them and presented clear criteria with which they could evaluate good and bad according to their conscience. In the Ambalaññhikàràhulovàda –sutta and the Bàhitika-sutta of the Majjhima-nikàya, the Buddha has presented a cognitively unique criterion for evaluating good and bad. All the Buddhist criteria expounded by the Buddha are centred on humanity and they can be accepted by all religions and people all over the world as a universal set of ethics. Such criteria need to be the template upon which all ethical decisions are made so that individuals can be confident that such decisions are founded on a deep and sound philosophical framework that is consistent and has stood the test of time. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the criteria used for evaluating concepts of good versus bad using the ethical framework of Buddhist teachings.
Investigative study on synonyms used to describe women in Sigiri Graffiti
(University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 2016-11-05) Ven. Wimalasara, P.; Ven. Sirisudhamma, A.
Sigiri graffiti is one of the main archeological resources that shows that the Sinhalese have quite a long history of writing poems, going back to the 8ᵗʰ century. Paranavitana has discovered 685 graffiti on the mirror of wall. Many of those verses include advanced poetic features and specify that Sri Lankan people have been good at writing poems for long time. This research is not about discussing the Sigiri graffiti or the history of Sinhala poetics, but it is about the synonyms used by the authors to describe women. The objectives of the research are to find out the kind of words that were used by the poets to describe Sigiri women, their reasons to use different kind of words, and to examine how these words were formed. The research is based on literary resources. Sigiri Padyavaliya is used as the primary resource and some dictionaries and judgments of some scholars are used as secondary resources. Gorgeous Sigiri women were the main theme of most Sigiri graffiti. Thus, many words have been used to eulogize those women. According to the meaning, these words can be categorized into a few groups as follows: People from different social categories such as royalties, government officers, ordinary people, monks and nuns have written these poems expressing their personal views. According to the research, most of the ordinary people have loved to see Sigiri women aesthetically. In addition to this, everyone tended to label women according to the age and these words have been used by women, wives and monks in their writings. Words such as ambu, abi, Ambuyuk" abuyui" gœhœnin indicate the meaning of ‘wife’ while the younger girls were identified as ළඳුන්, යොවනුන්. High class People, officers and reverends have discussed the characters of women while ordinary people indicated the status. Some of these words were formed with the influence of Pali and Sanskrit. Sigiri graffiti belong to a transitional period in the Sinhala language. So, many optional words have been used in Sigiri graffiti. In conclusion, it can be suggested that Sigiri poets have mentioned many words to describe Sigiri women according to their personal feelings and personal status. These words denote women’s beauty, characters, ages and status. Mother languages such as Pali and Sanskrit have affected some words when these were formed. And also, many optional words have been used for a word because of language evolution.
Protecting the protectors- broadening the definition of Human Rights Defenders
(University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 2016-11-05) Liyanapathiranage, K.N.
In the past two decades the world saw the beginning of a new era of human rights which created changes in the understanding and perception of human rights’. Within this context “Human rights defenders” emerged as a heated academic debate all over the world. Within the Sri Lankan post war context this term has been used on several occasions yet without any reference to the ordinary civil society, which is an essential category of human rights defenders. This research focuses on exploring the definition of human rights defenders and seeks to discuss how the term could be used as a protection mechanism towards building a sustainable future. A combination of primary and secondary qualitative research methods were deployed. The research, at the outset, involves a comprehensive domestic and international literature review. Coupled with this a series of in-depth, semi–structured interviews carried out with human rights defenders to understand the protection mechanisms available under the United Nations protection regime. The UN General assembly in 1998 passed the ‘Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms’, which became the main instrument and agent of human rights defenders. It is clear with the relevant findings that the definition of a human rights defender must be broad and inclusive. This will result in a vast majority of civil actors like trade unions, student unions, journalists, academics and a whole host of other actors working for the rights of the others to be recognized as human rights defenders. This will in turn positively affect their human rights activities under the human rights regime. It will strengthen the civil society against social injustice and to drive the society towards building a sustainable future.
Vulnerable situation of agency-hired casual workers in the business logistic field in Sri Lanka
(University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 2016-11-05) Peiris, W.A.H.T.
Business Logistics Field (BLF) is a field that is an amalgamation of various business functions. It requires thousands of workers as it is multifunctional in nature. To fulfil the usual turn over, the logistic companies hire ‘casual workers’. The new trend in the casual labour recruitment is “recruiting employees via labour supply agencies”. These agencies are called in layman term as “manpower agencies”, and they come under the category of ‘fee-charging employment agencies’. The study considered the restructured category of employment called “Agency-Hired Casual Workers” (AHCW). A combined research design was used for the data collection assisted by questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with field and a library surveys and both local and international legal instruments were used. The field survey reveals that there is a huge demand for AHCW in the BLF. It falls under the sub category of ‘atypical employment’ and there is a high potential for having more vulnerabilities in BLF especially in the warehouse operations for the AHCW. The library research shows that the existing labour laws in the country are insufficient in recognizing the category of AHCW in BLF as well as in the supervision of legal provisions on claiming insurance on behalf of them. There is a salient unawareness on the insurance policy of such workers. Even though there are both international and local laws related to the subject, there is no proper system of identifying AHCW. Finally the study emphasizes the requirement of identification of the BLF as a specific working field due to its complexity and hazardous nature in particular functions, AHCWs as a sub category of the ‘atypical employment’ by legislation and the quick ratification of the C121; Employment Injury Benefits Convention, 1964 [(No. 121) and C024; Sickness Insurance (Industry) Convention, 1927 (No. 24) for the betterment of AHCWs. Finally, the research confirms the hypothesis ‘the existing labour laws do not provide any sufficient recognition and coverage on the insurance policies of agency-hired casual workers in the Business Logistic Field in Sri Lanka’.
Naming speed, phonological awareness and orthographic knowledge in children with and without dyslexia
(University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 2016-11-05) Bulathwatta, D.T.
"Reading" can be identified as a complex cognitive process which leads people to become complete persons. Generally, children can acquire the ability to read when they are formally taught to read and write. But there is a special condition which prevents children from acquiring reading ability in spite of their average or above average intelligence, adequate reading environment and intact sensory organs. This condition can be identified as developmental dyslexia. The present study focuses on the reading ability of children with and without dyslexia. According to previous research findings, the reading ability can be measured through rapid naming skills, phonological awareness and orthographic knowledge of children. In this study major reading measures; Rapid Automatizing Naming (RAN), Phonological Awareness (PA) test and Orthographic Awareness (OA) test have been administered to 25 dyslexic children (age 8-14 years) and 24 aged-matched control group. I hypothesized there is a significant difference in children with and without dyslexia on reading measures, there is a significant relationship between the scores of RAN, PA and OA and RAN,PA and OA are important as predictors of reading achievement. Both accurate answers and time taken for completing tasks were analyzed by using the t-test, Pearson correlation and stepwise regression. The results revealed that there is a significant difference in children with and without dyslexia on reading measures other than colour naming, number naming and syllable reversal tasks. There is a significant negative correlation between RAN, phonological awareness and orthographic awareness scores. The results also showed there was a significant positive correlation between phonological awareness scores and orthographical awareness scores. The stepwise regression analysis showed that orthographic awareness and RAN-numbers were best predictors for word reading and OA for non-word reading in dyslexic children. Further, Phoneme deletion time taken was the best predictor for word reading and RAN-letters were the best predictor for non-word reading in non-dyslexic children. According to the results of the present study, the hypotheses stated were accepted and results are matched with the findings of previous studies other than RAN –colours, number and syllable reversal.
Multifarious replicas in metacognition and mindfulness
(University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 2016-11-05) Rathnayake, W.M.P.Y.B.
Pedagogy has been influenced by studies on cognitive psychology in recent decades leading research towards metacognitive approaches. Metacognition and Mindfulness have been standings used in cognitive pedagogical approaches with identical interpretations. Metacognition being a concept aligned with western scientific approach received liquidity while mindfulness being a Buddhist philosophical approach to the mind does not interact much in research. The study attempts to materialize a taxonomy for the concept: mindfulness in Buddhist philosophy and to contrast it with the taxonomy of metacognition thereby investigating the replicas of the two. Taxonomy of metacognition is constructed in twofold dimensions: metacognitive knowledge and metacognitive skills. Metacognitive knowledge is a construct of three super categories: declarative, procedural, and conditional metacognitive knowledge. The second core-component: metacognitive skills consists of regulation of cognition and executive functioning/metacognitive experiences. Mindfulness in contrast encapsulates three developmental stages in category level: remembering and recollecting (sati), alertness (sampajana), and ardency/compunction (atappa/ottappa). Remembering and recollecting consists frames of references: body, feelings, mind and mental qualities at super-category level. Alertness being the second category involves three super-categories and occurs between the mind and activities in the body as they are happening. Ardency/compunction includes the desire to avoid the unbeneficial coupled with desire to stimulate the beneficial. Such taxonomies remain the material for semantic analysis in contrast in category, super- category and sub-category levels. The quintessence of both constructions: metacognition and mindfulness remains identical paving category level replicas in reflection or remembering. The sub-category, super-category and category levels remain judiciously identical with distinctly agreed semantics. Thus the two taxonomies remain exact in their alignment in sub-category, super- category and category levels that function in sequence constructing either in metacognition or mindfulness. The replicas of semantics in the two taxonomies are abundant. The originality of taxonomy of mindfulness stands due to the mediating orchestration stage: alertness correlating body with the mind which manipulates the body. Taxonomy of Metacognition does not inevitably include such venture of orchestration, thus lacking a scheme of synchronization. Studies oriented for calibration of such taxonomy for applied concerns in to the fields such as education, learning, cognitive psychology, pedagogy, psychopathology are prescribed.
War literature and comparative politics
(University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 2016-11-05) Baskaran, N.
War is one of the social problems that the global society is facing today. War has plagued humanity since time immemorial. Many countries have gone through this experience at some point in their peoples’ lives. It can bring immense emotional trauma and suffering to the people left behind by the dead. This paper is committed to explore the ramifications of both inter- state and intra-state wars and its political realities which took place in different continental settings. The paper revolves around central figures that were lead into war and war zones sometimes by the urge for justice and at other times by insurmountable circumstances. The main objective of this study is to analyse the comparative perspective on three war-related literary texts. The First, Ivan by Vladimir Bogomolv, is a story of a child based in Germany who is way ahead of his age. It has rightly been described as the war ensues and the fall of Hitler is imminent, lieutenant finds evidence that Ivan is killed by the Germans. The second novel If I Die in War Zone is set in war-torn Vietnam. The protagonist O’Brien is forced to join the war against his wishes. Specially, this second text shows how the culture of his hamlet requires him to display courage and prove his mettle by fighting for his country. The third text is Tamil Tigress which depicts the life of a teenager who joins the LTTE insurgency in Sri Lanka against the discriminatory policies of the Sinhalese government. She is moved by the injustices committed by the state apparatus on the Tamil minority. This paper attempts to engage with the political realities as they have been conceptualized by the three novelists in question. Also, a large portion of these three novels explore the nature of war, its stages and its effects on the human soul in three different parts of the world. This study uses analytical and comparative methods. The qualitative methodology of the research is carried out through texts, journals, and articles. Thus, I attempt to analyse, compare and contrast the above three war- related texts.
A case study on the effectiveness of the process, services and products provided by a popular fresh vegetable outlet in Kandy
(University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 2016-11-05) Jayasundara, J.M.C.N.; Piyatissa, P.M.J.R.; Meddegoda, K.M.M.N.; Arampola, P.W.I.S.; Abeykoon Menike, A.R.G.A.M.; Vitharana, P.R.K.A.
The vegetable and fruit subdivision is the most imperative in the Sri Lankan agricultural sector after paddy. Consumption of fresh vegetables and fruits enhances the nutritional level in the body. The aim of this study was to gain an in-depth understanding of the consumer satisfaction, types of vegetables, services provided, supply channels, problems prevailing and to recognize the opportunities for further improvement of the vegetable outlet. The qualitative research approach consisted of participant observations, interviews, document reviews, photographs, and videos were used to collect data on site with the consent of the relevant parties. Sixteen hour observations were taken at different times and on different dates. Grounded theory was used to analyze the data. Good customer satisfaction, good and quality store management with continuous supply chain, identification of problems, and attractions of different customers were identified. They belonging to different age groups, genders, cultures, ethnicities, economic levels and different regions were observed in the stall on different days. It is important that customer services adapt to meet customer expectations to ensuring customer satisfaction. For this purpose, the vegetable outlet provided the customers with a wide variety of high quality food products, efficient services and customer care at the stall. Monitoring and awareness programs on the proper maintenance of well-organized soil conservation programs to develop marginal lands, continuous supply by the registered farmer societies without intermediates, and proper store functioning activities with the involvement of top management enable the organization to provide good-quality products and services. Limited space, improper functioning of cashiers, lack of staff members, dissatisfaction of staff with the salary and other benefits, lack of parking and other facilities and damages to products caused by customers were the problems prevailing. Suggestions for further improvements include enlargement of the stall, creating alternative parking space, and supplying required benefits to the staff members.
Youth and social media: a study on the use of social media by the new entrants in the Faculty of Dental Sciences, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
(University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 2016-11-05) Dharmarathne, W.G.A.
Social media performs a pivotal role in every aspect of human life in the modern information world. The main purpose of this study is to examine the way in which social media is used by the new entrants in the faculty of Dental Sciences, University of Peradeniya, specifically the way it is used for educational purposes. All new entrants registered in the academic year 2015/2016 were selected for the study. Even though there were 85 students registered in the Dental Science library, only 75 new entrants participated in the survey. The study was carried out in February 2016, while a questionnaire that consisted of open and close ended questions was used as the main data gathering tool The results revealed that 80% of the new entrants have been using Facebook accounts followed by Skype (37.3%), Twitter (18.7%) and Instagram (16%) as their favorite social media sites. In terms of privacy and security of their accounts, 77.3% of respondents maintained controlled accounts. Only authorized friends and relatives were permitted to view their accounts. However, 22.7% of respondents did not have an idea about the privacy and security of their accounts. Of the new entrants, 65.3% had not included their parents in the friends’ list but 34.7% participants had included their parents. Nearly half of the respondents (48%) opened their accounts daily while 12% did so once a week. Fifty eight percent (58%) of new entrants rarely posted on their accounts while 24% of respondents posted once a week. Majority of (88%) the respondents were in the view that social media helps to maintain better relationships with their friends, while 43% said that social media is one of the good platforms that helps to maintain better relationship with their family and close relatives. According to the results of the survey, 66% the respondents expressed that maintaining social media accounts is a time consuming matter while 28% expressed that social media behavior adversely affects their studies. Entertainment was the top reason for using social media by the new entrants followed by accessing information on science, culture and sports. Many students (54.7%) had been extensively using social media for studying purposes during their Advanced Level examination period. Findings established that most of the dental Science new entrants had an adequate awareness on particular types of social media. The results confirmed that even though there are numerous types of social media available online, only few types are popular among new entrants of the Dental Science faculty of University of Peradeniya.

Browse

Recent Submissions