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U n i v e r s i t y of P e r a d e n i y a

The Institutional Repository of the University of Peradeniya is the University's digital gateway to scholarly knowledge and research excellence. Established as the next phase of the Digital Library initiative launched by the University Library in 2011, it preserves, showcases, and provides open access to the intellectual output of the University community.

Through a rich collection of research articles, conference proceedings, theses, dissertations, and other scholarly works, the repository enhances the visibility, accessibility, and long-term preservation of knowledge, extending the global reach and impact of the University of Peradeniya’s academic and research contributions.

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Enhancement of student achievement in science of a 1ab school in Dehiowita Education Zone: an action research
(Postgraduate Institute of Science (PGIS), University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 2023-11-03) Narangoda, N.W.L.; Chandrasena,W.D.
Intrinsic motivation is a fundamental element of student learning, and teachers could assist in increasing and developing intrinsic motivation for optimal achievement in the classroom. As there were students with deficient levels of achievement in science, this action research was conducted to enhance their achievement in science in Grades 7, 8 and 9 through interventions. A purposive sampling technique was used. Participants comprised 16 students in each Grade, totalling 48 students. A multidimensional questionnaire was used to measure intrinsic motivation, along with pre-test papers, post-test papers, and continuous assessment test papers to measure achievement before and after the intervention. Students were identified with low achievement in science as the first phase of the intervention. Positive reinforcement, positive feedback, verbal rewards and other strategies were used to enhance intrinsic motivation in the second phase. Furthermore, activity-based learning methods were applied in the third phase. Focus group interviews were conducted for qualitative data. Post-test papers and other measurement tools were used to measure their progress in the fourth phase of the intervention. The mean statistics of the pre-test and intrinsic motivation of students were 26.63 and 1.33 prior to the intervention, respectively. The mean statistics of the post-test and intrinsic motivation were 35.73 and 4.26 after the intervention, respectively. Results showed a significant difference in intrinsic motivation and achievement of students prior to the intervention and after the intervention (p=25.67 (47), t=.000 and p=8.93 (47), t=.000). Three themes were derived from the thematic analysis, including enhancement of intrinsic motivation through attractive teaching-learning methods; teacher’s verbal rewards for intrinsic motivation; and enhancement of students’ achievement through a student-centred approach. Thus, the intervention process improved the intrinsic motivation and achievement of the students who demonstrated low achievement in science in Grades 7, 8, and 9. Thus, Student-centered teaching-learning methods and teaching strategies to enhance students’ intrinsic motivation are highly effective in teaching science to meet 21st-century educational goals.
Improving school attendance of a grade eight student empowering competence, autonomy support and relatedness through science activities: an action research
(Postgraduate Institute of Science (PGIS), University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 2023-11-03) Narangoda, N.W.L.; Chandrasena,W.D.
Teachers’ support of students’ basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness facilitates students’ autonomous self-regulation for learning, empowering academic performance and well-being. Teachers can nurture these needs by autonomy-supportive behaviours. Thus, it creates more opportunities for students to work on their own. Autonomy- supportive teachers promote the relevance of schoolwork, provide more opportunities for choice, ask more questions about what students want to do, and praise signs of improvement. As there was a Grade eight student with meagre attendance, this action research was conducted to improve the attendance of a student who was absent from school regularly (only once in two weeks) by enhancing three innate needs of intrinsic motivation: Competence, Autonomy support, and Relatedness (CAR). This was accomplished through various science activities in a 1AB school in the Dehiowita education zone. Discussions were held with the student, the teacher of Grade Eight, the sectional head, and the child’s mother to explore the reasons for poor attendance, interests of the child, learning style, and level of achievement as the first phase of the intervention process. Existing CAR was estimated using a multidimensional questionnaire as pre-intervention. Different activities in science with the supportiveness of CAR were conducted with the students with the support of the school community as lab-based activities, innovations with the support of technology teachers, scientific drawings with other science teachers, and equipment handling with lab assistants as the steps of interventions. The same multidimensional questionnaire was administered to measure student CAR after the intervention. The mean statistics of CAR were 1.5, 1.85, and 1.43, respectively, prior to the intervention, and related mean statistics of CAR were 3.35, 3.54, and 3.26 after the intervention. Thus, student’s interest in engagement in science has been improved while increasing student’s school attendance with the enhancement of science performance. As such, this study concludes that the empowerment of CAR is highly effective in the enhancement of student school attendance and performance while developing student’s intrinsic motivation.
The impact of school resources on the performance of students’ G.C.E. O/L (Ordinary Level) mathematics results
(Postgraduate Institute of Science (PGIS), University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 2023-11-03) Meera, S.; Udagedera,I.G.K.
The reports of the Central Bank of Ceylon and other sources emphasise the substantial amount of financial and human resources spent on the Sri Lankan free education system. It is crucial to find out whether this expenditure is worthwhile and effective. This study aimed to identify the impact of school educational resources on students’ G.C.E. (O/L) mathematics performance. The data was collected from 27 principals and 52 mathematics teachers from 27 selected schools in the Vadamaradchy Education Zone. Schools were selected using the cluster sampling method. Information regarding school resources and their efficient use was collected from principals and teachers through structured questionnaires. The G.C.E. (O/L) mathematics results in the last five years were used to evaluate students’ performance. The statistical analysis was conducted using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) 17.0, employing Spearman’s correlation coefficient to determine the correlation between variables. This study revealed that 1 AB schools had the highest average pass percentage in mathematics (85.55%) than 1 C schools (70.32%) and Type II schools (47.36%). The classroom size and teacherstudent ratios did not have a significant impact on the pass percentage. More than 75% of scholarship-holding students got admission to 1AB schools, and this had an impact on the pass percentage. Considering the relationship between educational resources and mathematics performance as a whole, there was a significant and large correlation (r=0.514, p=0.000) between the availability of school buildings and classrooms and students’ mathematics performance. A positive, moderate, but significant correlation (r=0.489, p=0.000) between the availability of instructional space and mathematics performance was observed. Availability of instruction materials also showed a positive moderate correlation (r=0.481, p=0.000) with G.C.E. (O/L) mathematics performance. The factors of developing their own lessons by the teachers, frequency of using computer software or applications for teaching, and frequency of using library resources demonstrated negative correlations with students’ mathematics performance. Based on the results, it can be concluded that several school resource factors significantly impact G.C.E. (O/L) mathematics performance, although the magnitude of these impacts is not substantial. Thus, it remains uncertain that educational resources have a significant impact on students’ G.C.E. (O/L) mathematics achievement. This conclusion suggests that while school resources play a role in shaping student performance in mathematics, they are only part of the equation, and other factors may also contribute to overall outcomes. This study encourages further research to delve deeper into the specific aspects of school resources that have a significant impact and explore strategies to optimise their effectiveness.
Effectiveness of integrating STEM education into science teaching and learning process
(Postgraduate Institute of Science (PGIS), University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 2023-11-03) Alahakoon,M.G.K.; Yatigammana,T.M.S.S.K.
Vital elements of STEM education are the integration of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics into the curriculum with a commitment to hands-on learning. Science national cognitive achievement tests were conducted for Grade 8 students in 2005 and 2008, and the lowest mean score was achieved in sub-skill synthesis due to weakness in the application of concepts to real life. Therefore, high scientific literacy can be achieved through STEMintegrated teaching-learning activities. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of STEM integration into the science teaching-learning process of Grade 8 students of three selected 1C schools (named A, B and C) in Wattegama Educational Zone. The study employed mixed methods to triangulate information. The soil erosion subunit (15.3) was selected under Natural Disasters (unit 15) of the Grade 8 science textbook. The purposive sampling process was utilised to select 136 Grade 8 students for the study. Quantitative data were collected from pre-test and post-test. Qualitative data were collected using activity sheets, teacher interviews and observations. The quantitative data were analysed using SPSS, and qualitative data were analysed using Thematic Analysis. It was identified that STEM-integrated teaching-learning activities enhanced the performance of students in schools B (p< 0.05) and C (p< 0.05). However, there was no significant difference in performance of the school A (p >0.05). The reason for not increasing student performance in school A may be due to crowded classrooms. An independent sample t-test showed that post-test marks of experimental and control groups of school A (p> 0.05) and C (p> 0.05) were not significantly different. However, post-test marks of the control and experimental group of school B were significantly different (p< 0.05). The highest performance of students was shown in school B, and student performance was not at a significant level in schools A and C. It may be due to various reasons, such as crowded classrooms and differences in teaching qualities in STEM-integrated teaching. It was also revealed that there was no considerable difference in the science performance of students who were taught with STEM integration in schools A, B and C (p >0.05). This may be due to similar social and cultural settings in school sub-systems. Furthermore, it was revealed that the highest performing were male students (School B mean = 98.77), the second highest was female students (School C mean= 97.94), and the lowest was School A (mean male =95.71 & mean female = 91.80). The low student number and male students in the classroom is the most influential factor for the highest students’ performance in school B, sequentially followed by school C and A. additionaly, the important aspects of STEM-integrated teaching-learning activities were revealed, which are helpful for students and teachers to develop personal qualities in authentic learning for solving real-life problems
Implementing inquiry-based learning approach to improve synthesis skills among science undergraduates
(Postgraduate Institute of Science (PGIS), University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 2023-11-03) Wijesinghe,K.J.
Analysis, evaluation, and synthesis are higher-order cognitive processes which require the active participation of students and inquiry-based learning (IBL) activities are an efficient means to improve them. IBL involves exposing the students to an issue or a concept, and the students are encouraged to ask questions and generate hypotheses or predictions. This process is followed by experimentation to collect data and analysis of data to draw conclusions. The learning process involves analysis, critiquing, designs, and reflections. An IBL activity was implemented on a group of 19 fourth-year undergraduates enrolled in the Membrane Biology course and were following the BSc Honours degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Colombo. For the IBL activity, students were provided with several research articles relevant to the taught material. They were requested to conduct a poster presentation on an experiment in the research article, assuming they were one of the authors in the article, providing context to what is already known, gap-in-the-knowledge, hypotheses, experimental method, results, conclusion/s and future direction/s for the study encouraging them to synthesise their own hypotheses and experimental designs. To ensure that students are not developing misconceptions during their inquiry, they were requested to submit a short manuscript on what they are proposing. Following the feedback from the instructor, students conducted their poster presentations, which were evaluated based on predetermined evaluation criteria. A cross-sectional survey involving the students who participated in the IBL activity recorded their positive learning experience, with all agreeing that the assignment helped them to learn how to analyse data presented in a journal article critically. In the study sample, 19% of students strongly agreed, and 76.2% of students agreed that they were able to synthesise their own hypotheses and experimental designs. All students agreed that the assignment led to an increase in their scientific creativity. In conclusion, the implemented IBL activity was highly constructive in developing students’ higher-order cognitive skills. Considering the intellectual effort that needs to be invested in an IBL activity, the entire course can be benchmarked by incorporating another IBL-based assignment, such as developing a research proposal forgoing the necessity of an end-semester examination.