SLIIT International Conference on Advancements in Sciences and Humanities [SICASH] 2022
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://rda.sliit.lk/handle/123456789/3457
Browse
Publication Embargo Abandonment of paddy lands and its causal factors in Bentota Pahalagamhaya Agrarian service division, Sri Lanka(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2022-09-15) Hansika, A.H; Amarasinghe, S.T.C; Sandamali, T.G.IPaddy is the most significant and highly valued crop in Sri Lanka. Paddy cultivation has been given top priority in the agriculture industry due to its strong links to food security and the socioeconomic development of the rural community. Paddy is the most significant commercial crop in the Galle district of the Low Country Wet Zone (LCWZ). However, the Galle district has a substantial amount of abandoned paddy land due to various circumstances. Abandoned paddy lands have an impact on paddy production, rural livelihood and food security in Sri Lanka. Therefore the objectives are to identify factors affecting paddy land abandonment and farmers' willingness to recultivate abandoned paddy lands in Pahalagamhaya Agrarian service division. One hundred paddy farmers with abandoned paddy lands were selected by purposive sampling while adopting a questionnaire survey method to perform multiple regression analysis and descriptive statistics. Frequent flood conditions, wild animal damage, poor drainage system, salinity and inadequate infrastructure facilities were identified as the factors that affect paddy land abandonment according to the results of multiple regression analysis. Descriptive statistics revealed that 69% of farmers are willing to re-cultivate abandoned paddy lands. The findings will aid the government and other responsible organizations in the effective management and control of the factors that cause paddy land abandonment in Bentota, Pahalagamhaya Agrarian service division. Reducing the number of abandoned paddy lands will help boost the food security in this area.Publication Embargo An Analytical Study of the Factors Influencing the English Speaking Proficiency of Prospective English Medium Teachers(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2022-09-15) Amaratunga, UNational Colleges of Education (NCOEs) conduct Pre-service Teacher Education courses in English medium to cater to the demand of English medium teachers to implement bilingual / bi-medium education in government schools. Although English speaking proficiency is very important to English medium teachers, it has been revealed that the majority of the prospective teachers who follow the Information Communication Technology (ICT) course in NCOEs do not have the required level of English speaking proficiency. This paper discusses the nature of the English speaking deficiencies of prospective English medium teachers of ICT and the major factors that affect their English speaking proficiency. This analysis was done as part of an ongoing study conducted using the Mixed Methods approach. Quantitative and qualitative data was gathered through questionnaires, interviews and documentary analysis from a sample of prospective teachers of ICT, English medium lecturers who teach in the ICT course in three NCOES, Directors of Education at the Ministry of Education and Senior Lecturers at the National Institute of Education. Findings revealed that the prospective English medium teachers’ English speaking proficiency is lower than that of the other language skills due to several psychological, linguistic and socio-cultural factors. Therefore, effective strategies should be introduced to improve the Teacher Education Programme of the NCOEs to enhance the development of English speaking proficiency of prospective English medium teachers.Publication Embargo Attitude of Police Officers towards Dealing with Individuals with Psychological Problems: A Sample from Selected Police Stations in Colombo District(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2022-09-15) Tennakoon, L; Ponnamperuma, LSri Lanka’s Mental Diseases Ordinance (1873) gives discretion to police officers to make decisions concerning individuals who live with mental health conditions despite lack of clinical training. Identification of officers’ attitudes towards individuals with psychological problems (IPPs) is important as these influences officers’ responses to situations involving IPPs. Using the Mental Health Attitude Survey for Police (MHASP; Clayfield, 2011), the study aimed to identify police officers’ attitudes towards IPPs, on the community responsibility towards IPPs and on IPPs living in the community. Officers’ perceived level of adequacy to deal with IPPs was also assessed. Literature indicates that factors such as age, gender, level of education, years of experience, personal experience with an IPP and past training predicted officers’ attitude, the current study investigated the same. The survey was distributed amongst 77 officers who volunteered on site. MHASP includes 33 statements of officers rated their level of agreement using a Likert scale. MHASP Total an overall attitude score (M=132.67, SD=17.55) indicated a significant positive attitude towards IPPs despite an absence of a specialized training (84%) or any personal experience, officers felt confident to deal with IPPs. Multiple regression analysis identified gender of the officers to be the only predictor for attitude towards community responsibility towards IPPs (p=0.047). Despite the positive attitude and perceived adequate preparedness reported in the current study, considering the lack of experience stated by the officers and the analysis of individual items of the survey, several stigmatizing beliefs held by officers were identified. The findings can be used to enhance the current practices and specialized training to the police officers who deal with IPPs in Sri Lanka.Publication Embargo Austen, Cinderella Complex and beyond: An analysis of Austen’s portrayal of her Heroines in Juxtaposition to the Cinderella Complex(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2022-09-15) Rathnasena, UJane Austen is one of the most prominent writers of the 19th century. In terms of chronology, her six novels fall between the 18th-century neoclassical formality and the effusive romanticism after the 19th century. Her novels portray the socio-political and cultural landscape of Regency England even though her prose style, manner, and approach held no resemblance to her contemporaries. Austen seems to operate in a limited landscape and writes about what she is most familiar with birth, love, marriage, death, faith, and judgment. She details the tedious business of living of the gentry in her society and displays unrivaled knowledge of the upper middle class. Even though issues of women were at the crux of Austen’s writing, Austen is not considered to be a staunch feminist writer. She concentrated on upper-middle-class women whose marriage, and courtship were the cynosure of her plots as she thoroughly examines the right basis for marriage in her work. However, most of her heroines have been written off critically as the selfsame Cinderellas. Therefore, the monotonous aura engulfing Austenian heroines who are in search of marital bliss has been inadvertently appendaged to the Cinderella Complex and hence the prejudiced critique. Austenian heroines are said to lack passion and vibrancy and by extension, character. This paper intends to analyze the portrayal of two Austenian heroines in view of the Cinderella Complex with the objective of exploring these portrayals beyond the Cinderella archetype.Publication Embargo Care of an Adult Patient who underwent a Series of Surgical Interventions for Psoas Abscess Complications with Haemophilia: Case Report(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2022-09-15) Sepalika, H.M.S; Dinuka, M.D.; Dasanayaka, C.D.K.Introduction: Psoas abscess is a collection of pus in the Iliopsoas muscle compartment. Haemophilia is an inherited congenital bleeding disorder with a lack of clotting factors. Patients with haemophilia commonly bleed in joints and muscles and experience delayed wound healing. Case Report: A 50-year-old individual was admitted to the medical ward with fever and abdominal pain with the diagnosis of Haemophilia A and with regular treatments for 37 years. Subsequently he was diagnosed with an infected psoas abscess which was not cured even with IV antibiotics. The patient underwent a series of surgical procedures including drainage of infected hematoma, vacuum dressing application, exploratory laparotomy, sigmoid colon resection and end-to-end anastomosis. Currently, the patient is experiencing delayed wound healing, ongoing septicaemia, nutritional deficiency, psychological defects, and socio-economic issues. There were many treatment strategies used for treating this patient including intravenous (IV) antibiotics, transfusion of clotting factors, blood transfusion, and surgical, psychological, and nutritional interventions. However, compassionate holistic nursing care was provided to this patient for his psychological stability. Conclusion: Infections, delayed healing, prolong hospitalization, psychological distress and nutritional deficit were identified as complications of chronic HaemophiliaA. Maximum effort was madeto relievethe patient’s pain, psychological defects, nutrition,and knowledge Using a holistic approach was very important in providing effective and, compassionate care. Collaborative care with the patient’s family members created a trustworthy relationship that promoted continuity of care and the psychological wellbeing of the patient.Publication Embargo Case Report: High-Pressure Chronic Retention (HPCR) of an Elderly Female and Ongoing Care following Permanent Urinary Catheter Placement(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2022-09-15) Wijayarathne, G. H. P. D. S; Kumarasinghe, M. S; Dasanayake, C. D. K.Chronic Urinary Retention is defined as a condition of the urinary bladder in which the residual urine after a normal void exceeds 300ml. High-Pressure Chronic Retention (HPCR) differs from chronic urinary retention with four characteristics as follows, late-onset anuresis, a tense painless palpable bladder, hypertension, and bilateral hydronephrosis with hydroureter which leads to uraemia and death (Goonawardena & Sivapriyan, 2004). A 79-year-old socially active lady has been diagnosed with type II diabetes mellitus, presented with frequency, urinary incontinence, dribbling, and urgency for three years reluctant to seek proper medical assistance by rationalizing her thoughts that this condition was normal with her advanced age. As nurses, it is important to initiate care systematically: addressing the informationseeking behaviour of clients with permanent urinary catheters, encourage them to express their feeling and concerns on this condition, provision of necessary knowledge on the management, care, and long-term follow up on permanent catheterization of patients with HPCR and family. This would relieve patients’ anxiety, and dissatisfaction, and leads to enhance patients’ quality of life during their advanced age. Further, evidence and updated clinical nursing guidelines are needed on long-term care and follow-up for this unique clinical entity of elderly women.Publication Embargo Case Study on the Patient with Ovarian Cancer: Palliative Nursing Management(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2022-09-15) Alahakoon, N; Meegoda, LThis case study is on a 59 year old female patient who was admitted to the medical ward due to severe abdominal pain. Four years ago, she was diagnosed with Carcinoma in the Ovary. She underwent – Total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH), bilateral Salpingooophorectomy (BSO) and Omentectomy. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments followed the surgery. She had been diagnosed with Diabetes Mellitus & Hypertension too. This patient mainly showed significant pain, abdominal distension, and gastrointestinal dysfunction. Apart from the other physical symptoms, she showed psychological and spiritual problems too. During the assessment her eyes were full of tears. She was highly worried about her health condition & worried about her elder son who is unable come the see her because he lives abroad. The sensitive aspect of this patient was her psychological status. More attention must be paid to alleviate anxiety and depression. The holistic approach is very important in caring for a patient on palliative care. There was a problem found with her caregiver at home. Because she lives with her husband and her younger son is at home. A Caregiver plays a major role in caring for this palliative patient. Therefore, it is essential to assess the caregiver condition for preventing caregiver burden. In providing nursing care for this patient to relieve pain and other physical problems they used pharmacological and nonpharmacological interventions. Though her pain & other physical problems were relieved by the day her psychological status was deteriorating. This may have caused depression and anxiety. It is suggested to take care of the patient's mental health and to implement appropriate psychological strategies, nursing interventions, and precautionary measures to minimize the level of psychological distress and to increase patient’s quality of life.Publication Embargo Commercialization of Dracaena Sanderiana (Lucky Bamboo) as a Foliage Crop in Hambanthota District of Sri Lanka(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2022-09-15) Anuruddi, H.I.G.K.; Fonseka, D.L.C.K.Dracaena sanderiana is an in-demand cut foliage plant belongs to family Agavaceae. Dracaena varieties are commercially produced in export-oriented large scale plantations in Sri Lanka. The crop is mainly cultivated in the wet zone due to the favourable growth conditions which enhance the export quality characteristics of the plant. The climatic conditions in the dry zone is also favourable for its growth under appropriate conditions. But the supply of the crop still falls short of the demand. A survey was conducted to identify possibilities of introducing Dracaena as a future commercial foliage to the Hambantota district. Randomly selected 40 flower growers from selected divisional secretariat divisions (DSD) in Hambantota were interviewed administrating a pre-tested questionnaire during early 2022. Data were subjected to a percentage analysis while descriptive statistical methods were used to represent the results using Microsoft Excel. According to the survey, bulk of them (60%) continue floriculture business as a full time employment. Middle aged women work in floriculture enterprises in large numbers. The majority of responders (70%), are willing to incorporate Dracaena as a fresh floriculture produce for their nurseries. Fifty percent of them have additional land with natural shade up to 0.25 acres, which is possible to utilize for Dracaena cultivation with proper intervention. Sixty percent of them stated that they prefer to train on value addition of Dracaena plants by knitting. Fifteen percent (15%) of them possess shade net houses and other infrastructure in place. An export-oriented Dracaena producer society in Beliatta DSDs is ready to impart its knowledge and offer advice to novice producers. The need of marketing the products collectively to reduce transportation costs is understood by the respondents. The initial investments on growth structures and irrigation pose a significant challenge. A majority of growers (70%) anticipate receiving financial assistance from the government. A lack of awareness of the crop, low availability of planting materials, high transportation costs along with high prices of fertilizer and fungicides in the markets were other challenges. It is necessary to provide finance support, trading facilities, production aid, and awareness and training initiatives to introduce D. sanderiana as a lucrative crop for the Hambantota district.Publication Embargo Common Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes of Pregnancies Diagnosed with Endometriosis(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2022-09-15) Epaarachchi, E. A. K.; De Silva, B. S. S.Endometriosis is a progressive stirring disease marked by the appearance of endometrial glands and stroma exterior of the uterus. It affects 8%–10% of reproductive-age women, and is linked to develop primary or secondary infertility in 30% of these women.The main objective of this systematic review was to critically analyse the current related literature to explore the maternal and neonatal outcomes of pregnancies diagnosed with endometriosis. Pregnant women with endometriosis are more likely to develop negative pregnancy outcomes and complicated neonatal outcomes, and therefore they may benefit from extra screening and early detection. Related literature within 5years (2016 - 2021) was searched from databases like CINAHL, MEDLINE, and PUBMED, Additionally, a few numbers of studies prior to 2016 were taken due to the availability of related information.A total number of 23 articles related to the search criteria was found and out of that, eight articles were selected due to their extreme relevancy. After critically analysing the eight studies authors explored that pregnant women diagnosed with endometriosis are at elevated risk to develop Placenta previa, hypertensive disorders, postpartum hemorrhage, emergency caesareans and preeclampsia as common maternal outcomes and premature birth, Low birth weight and still birth as common neonatal outcomes. In conclusion, women with endometriosis are at elevated risk of developing adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes in their pregnancies.Publication Embargo Convergence of Gradient Methods with Deterministic and Bounded Noise(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2022-09-15) Abeynanda, H; Jayantha Lanel, G. H.In this paper, we analyse the effects of noise on the gradient methods for solving a convex unconstraint optimization problem. Assuming that the objective function is with Lipschitz continuous gradients, we analyse the convergence properties of the gradient method when the noise is deterministic and bounded. Our theoretical results show that the gradient algorithm converges to the related optimality within some tolerance, where the tolerance depends on the underlying noise, step size, and the gradient Lipschitz continuity constant of the underlying objective function. Moreover, we consider an application of distributed optimization, where the objective function is a sum of two strongly convex functions. Then the related convergences are discussed based on dual decomposition together with gradient methods, where the associated noise is considered as a consequence of quantization errors. Finally, the theoretical results are verified using numerical experiments.Publication Embargo Correlates of Severe Pain: Descriptive Study among Patients with Cancer in Sri Lanka(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2022-09-15) Edirisinghe, N. P; Makuloluwa, P. T. R; Amarasekara, A. A. T. D; Goonewardena, C. S. EThe most prevalent and unpleasant symptom that cancer patients encounter is pain. Pain is a highly subjective feeling resulting from the intricate interaction of bio-psycho-social aspects of the individual. The study aims to describe the correlates of severe pain in cancer patients in Sri Lanka. Methods: The descriptive study involved 384 cancer patients from Apeksha Hospital, Maharagama. Patients over 18 years who experienced cancer pain for three months or more, related to the primary lesion, secondary lesions, radiation, or chemotherapy were eligible. Patients whose pain is due to a non-cancerous source, triggered under three months of the assessment, and those who are too frail or disoriented with evidence of brain metastases are either unable or unwilling to give informed consent were excluded. The patients fulfilling inclusion criteria were recruited using the consecutive sampling method. The correlates of severe pain were determined using logistic regression A validated Sinhala version of the Short Form Brief Pain Inventory and a pre-tested socio-demographic questionnaire was used to collect data. The correlates of severe pain were determined using logistic regression. Statistically significant correlation was shown between severe pain and ‘male gender’, (AOR=1.723; p=0.035); ‘being in marriage’ (AOR =1.947; p=0.026); ‘patients with no perceived family commitments’ (AOR=1.8; p=0.013) and pain of three months or more duration (AOR = 1.76; p=0.021). In conclusion it is discovered that the severe pain is positively correlated with males, ‘being in a marriage,’ ‘no perceived family commitments, and in pain for over a three months duration.Publication Embargo Current Status and Challenges in Using Plant-Food Waste in the Cosmetic Industry – A Case Study in the Sri Lankan Context(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2022-09-15) Thilakarathne, M.A.P.K.; Wijerathne, W.D.C.C.The majority of contemporary research has focused on the cosmetic application in fresh plant materials but there is a lack of critical analyses on the potential of plant waste material for the cosmetic industry. In this regard, this study was conducted with aid the literature from the 2000-2022 period. Accordingly, we can conclude that the nonedible plant materials such as seeds and peels and food wastes contain a significant number of phytochemicals which are the key ingredient of natural cosmetic products, and low-cost as well as non-toxic ingredients for cosmetic products. But using food waste can be challenging since plants are biodegradable, before using for cosmetics it should be tested for any microorganism activity which can affect the skin as well. Then availability and collection of waste such as soaked water, seeds, and peels will be difficult since first of all it has to be consumed in the food used in the cosmetic industry. However, the analysis result of the phytochemical content of plant waste has shown a significant value in the cosmetic industry due to their anti-inflammatory activity, antioxidant activity, anti-tyrosinase, and elastase activity for the skin.Publication Embargo Depression, Anxiety, and Stress in Primary Caregivers of Children with Invisible Disabilities in Sri Lanka(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2022-09-15) Mohamed, W; De Silva, RChildren with invisible disabilities such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, speech impairments, and learning difficulties require special support and a diligent caregiving environment to thrive. Primary caregivers have to take on additional roles to provide extra support for children with invisible disabilities while accommodating their professional and personal lives through the process. This research analyzed depression, anxiety, and stress between primary caregivers of children with invisible disabilities and primary caregivers of typically-developing children in Sri Lanka. Data was gathered through an online survey. The sample consisted of 75 primary caregivers between the ages of 23 years to 56 years, which included 38 primary caregivers of children with invisible disabilities and 37 primary caregivers of typicallydeveloping children. The DASS-21 (Lovibond and Lovibond, 1995) was administered to measure depression, anxiety, and stress. The Independent sample t-test was used to compare the mean difference between the two groups of caregivers. The findings did not reveal a significant difference in the levels of depression, anxiety, and stress between primary caregivers of children with invisible disabilities and primary caregivers of typicallydeveloping children. However, regression analysis revealed that parental age had a significant impact on the levels of anxiety among caregivers of children with invisible disabilities. This implies that experience gained with age may reduce anxiety in primary caregivers of children with invisible disabilitiesPublication Embargo A Dialogue on the Effectiveness of Section 308A and Section 341 of the Penal Code in Discouraging Corporeal Punishments(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2022-09-15) Widanapathirana, S.HCorporeal punishments can be identified as a method of punishment that can be traced a long way back in history as a method that is utilized to ensure compliance and discipline. It is quite well known that the same method is used in various degrees to discipline children at schools and even within the unit of a family. However, it is proven by research that such punishments can have devastating effects on the well-being of children, thus, the claims on punishments being imposed in the best interests of the children might be considered ineffective due to lack of evidence and the severity of the consequences of imposing corporeal punishments to children. Thus, the purpose of this research was to conduct a dialogue on the capability of criminal law on ensuring protection for children against acts of violence within the school system via a focused emphasis on the competency of Section 308A (1995 Amendment) and Section 341 of the Penal Code through utilizing the epistemological approach and the black letter approach of qualitative research. The research findings depicted that the relevant Sections considered within the course of the research has potential in terms of ensuring protection for children from acts of cruelty against children in the school atmosphere. The provisions further attempt to strike a balance between reasonable acts to ensure student wellbeing and acts that can be considered as being influenced by malice and cruelty, yet, with limitations that leave room for improvements.Publication Embargo Educational Technology Implications for Enhancing Reading Comprehension(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2022-09-15) Sunitha, S.; Jayanthy, A .C.Reading comprehension has always been a requirement for success in many facets of the educational system and in the majority of adult spheres of participation, since writing systems have been invented. In both the educational and therapeutic fields, the greater accessibility of technologies and web-based resources can be a truly valuable assistance for creating training exercises that can also be completed remotely. Studies that have looked at the effectiveness of technology for children with reading comprehension issues can be found in recent literature. The current study presents information on a technological tool for improving reading comprehension on 40 secondary school pupils. The students were trained to read, to spell with proper stress, idioms and phrases and also comprehension for understanding. These all were taught with the help of technology. The findings have both clinical and educational implications as they suggest the possibility to promote reading comprehension with a suitable technology.Publication Embargo The Effect of Text Difficulty on Types of Miscues among Proficient, Average and Below Average Readers(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2022-09-15) Van Gramberg, V.T; Vithanage, DThe aim of this study was to understand the differences in the type of miscues among proficient, average and below average readers as text difficulty increases. It was hypothesised that the percentage of semantic and syntactic cues made by proficient in comparison to average and below average readers will increase as the text difficulty increases. The lack of available literature with regard to reading errors facilitated the designing of this study which could serve as a base to design remedial instruction and intervention tools. A quasi-experimental design was used to investigate this relationship. A sample of hundred and three students (N=103) were recorded while reading four levels of passages with increasing difficulty and miscues were analysed according to the three cueing system. The first level passage was a tested grade appropriate passage which was used to determine if the reader was proficient, average or below average based on their accuracy scores. Results revealed that there was no significant difference across the three cueing system and reading ability. However, it was observed that readers rely on the grapho phonics cueing system when encountered with a difficult word. The findings of this study can be used to design reading instruction and remedial systemsPublication Embargo Effects of Coconut Water on Micropropagation of Caladium Bicolour Cv ’Thai Beauty’(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2022-09-15) Ratnayake, R.D; Peiris, S.E; Malwattage, G; Peiris, C.NCaladium bicolour (Aiton) Vent. is an attractive commercial ornamental plant in the horticulture industry which is popular as potted plants for homescaping and as garden plants for landscaping. Propagation of this attractive plant through micropropagation has more benefits than conventional propagation. The current study describes an in vitro multiplication of Caladium bicolour cv ‘Thai Beauty’ with coconut water as a supplement. Shoots derived from leaf explants were cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 0, 0.5, 1 and 1.5 mg/L (6- Benzylaminopurine) with and without 120 mL/L of coconut water. The results showed that coconut water (CW) with 0.5 and 1.5 mg/L BAP in the medium increased caladium shoot multiplication having an average of 6.67 and 7.75 shoots /shoot, respectively, with a large number of high-quality shoots. Coconut water alone in the medium also produced average of 3.42 shoots/ shoot. Hence, the current protocol provides a direct, cost-effective mass propagation method for large-scale commercial cultivation of caladium.Publication Embargo English Speech Production of Native Sinhala Speakers with Special Reference to Interlanguage Analysis(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2022-09-15) Wijayabandara, H.M.TNative Sinhala speakers attempt to speak in English even prior to formal education regardless of the errors they make in speech production. This study is focused on interlanguage, the linguistic system behind the learner language of these native speakers, influenced by the first language and the target language. This research was conducted to analyze the impact of the Sinhala language on the English speech production of native speakers. A qualitative research approach was taken to initiate this research with 30 native Sinhala speakers, who informally learnt to speak English. They were asked to interpret a few simple English sentences to Sinhala. Each translated utterance was simultaneously recorded and analyzed to observe the produced patterns of the inter-language. Results indicate that the inter-language production of the speakers was visible in the structure of language and specific grammar rules about spoken English. Syntactic pattern, word order, misidentifying nouns and adjectives, omission of the ‘be verbs’, the misconception of verb tenses, and chaotic pronoun placement are included in the native language influence. The findings of this inter-language analysis concluded that the native language is a dominant factor in second language speech production. Competence in the first language is the main reason for this dominance since the speaker tries to perceive a second language most comfortably. Further, the importance of introducing Psycholinguistics in Sri Lanka is emphasized.Publication Embargo Envisioning Biocentrism in the Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2022-09-15) Shyamala, C.G.For several decades, ecological concerns have been addressed in several academic political, and social forums and the rounds of discussions seem irresolute in arriving at a conclusive decision about curbing environmental degradation. Literary expressions have echoed geo-political, socio-economic, religious and cultural concerns to raise consciousness on a plethora of aspects related to interconnectivities framed and formed. In this context, the relationship of artists, and litterateurs to the environment is significant in that it calls for reconsiderations, reflections and responses that posit the need for connectivity to collectively address pertinent issues. This paper argues that Amitav Ghosh, in The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable (2016) advocates a biocentric vision of the universe and he interrogates the efficacy of political, social and economic policies framed globally that have been neither eco-friendly nor triggered the environmental cause, and these predict the Anthropocene. Moreover, the role of writers is insubstantial to contribute to the protection of the environment. While pointing out to this grave lacuna within academia, he also calls for a substantive move to address not only this shortcoming but also garner the efforts of leaders, policy makers, businessmen and scientists. The endeavour should be to dive into the nadir of the factors that accelerate the rate at which the destruction of the environment is taking place for fear that the proposition may be deferred.Publication Embargo The Evaluation of ENhancing Assessment of Common Therapeutic factors – Sri Lanka (ENACT-SL) to Assess Common Factors in Counselling in Determining Therapist Competence in Sri Lanka(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2022-09-15) Abeysinghe, N; Kohrt, B; Galappatti, ACounselling and psychotherapy play an essential part in mental health care. The modern field of mental health care includes many counselling modalities. Each modality consists of specific knowledge and skills. This diversity makes objective evaluation of a therapist's competence across counselling modalities challenging. The "common factors" theory claims that along with each modality's specific strengths and techniques, common factors in counselling are essential for successful counsellor–client relationships. In high-income countries, the mental health care field has developed many tools to evaluate counselling skills based on the common factors relevant to specific socio-cultural settings. Hence, the usefulness of these tools is limited to the socio-cultural backgrounds where the tools were developed. The current study evaluated the ENhancing Assessment of Common Therapeutic factors – Sri Lanka (ENACT-SL) rating scale with the participation of 68 novice and experienced counsellors who used two versions of the scale to evaluate 10- minute pre-recorded counselling sessions. The scale's reliability was assessed using Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICC). The ICC for interrater reliability was above 0.75, denoting ‘good’ inter-rater reliability, while the ICC for intrarater repeatability was poor for both groups. The research findings contributed in developing a new version of ENACT-SL based on 'five domains' of counselling skills to be used in counsellor training and assessment in Sri Lanka.