SLIIT Conference and Symposium Proceedings
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All SLIIT faculties annually conduct international conferences and symposiums. Publications from these events are included in this collection.
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Item Open Access How We Apply Agent-Based Modeling of Climate-Induced Internal Migration in Sri Lanka(Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology, 2026-05-21) Wickramanayaka, D.M.R.Climate change has become a major driver of internal migration, especially in developing countries where agriculture-dependent populations are highly vulnerable to environmental shocks. This study presents an agent-based model (ABM) for simulating climate-induced internal migration in Sri Lanka. The model integrates seasonal climate variability, household economic conditions, crop failures, food insecurity, aid interventions, and return migration. Implemented in NetLogo, the simulation represents 300 heterogeneous household agents distributed across coastal, dry, and wet climatic zones. Results show that migration emerges through the interaction of climate stress, repeated crop failure, and economic hardship. Climate stress contributes 40% of migration pressure, crop failure 32%, and economic factors 28%. Aid interventions reduce displacement by 35% and increase return migration by 47%. The model offers a practical framework for understanding migration dynamics and evaluating climate adaptation policies in vulnerable regions.Item Open Access Spatial Modelling of Cyclone-Induced Flood Hazards for Disaster Risk Financing and Parametric Insurance in Sri Lanka(Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology, 2026-05-21) Pathiraja,S.; Wanniarachchi, S; Weerakoon, K.; Pramudi, L.; Wanigasooriya, D.; Pathirana, A.; Perera, T.; Hettiarachchi, E.; Sayakkara, A.; Goonetillake, J.Cyclone-induced compound hazards present a critical challenge for disaster risk financing (DRF) in South Asia, yet spatially-explicit and probabilistically-calibrated hazard models suitable for parametric insurance applications remain largely absent in Sri Lanka. This work-in-progress paper presents an integrated research protocol for developing and evaluating spatially-informed parametric insurance models for cyclone-related hazards. The framework combines GIS-based Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) multi-hazard mapping, coupled with HEC-RAS 1D/2D hydrological-hydraulic simulation, Monte Carlo Probabilistic Cyclone Hazard Analysis (PCHA), and spatial lag and spatial error econometric modeling. This study focuses on five cyclone-affected districts of Sri Lanka, with Kurunegala serving as the primary analytical case study, which collectively displaced more than 95,000 people during Cyclone Ditwa (Nov–Dec 2025). This study will produce Grama Niladhari (GN)-division-level flood inundation maps, probabilistic wind speed and rainfall exceedance surfaces for return-period pricing, empirical basis risk hotspot maps, and Willingness-to-Pay (WTP) estimates. Findings will directly inform parametric trigger design, actuarial premium calibration, and sovereign disaster risk financing strategies for climate-vulnerable developing countries.Publication Open Access Public Sector Role as a Key Stakeholder Towards the Circular Economy in the Built Environment in Sri Lanka(Faculty of Engineering, 2025-09-09) Gunasekara G. S. A.; Gunarathna K. A. N; Karunaratne B. C. T. M.The circular economy (CE) concept is a more appropriate approach to meet the sustainability challenges of today's construction industry, allowing construction activities to operate in a closed loop, away from the traditional linear economy model (LE). Although some CE principles are applied in Sri Lanka, they are not fully implemented. As a policy maker, the public sector should play a significant role in implementing CE in the built environment. However, limited attention has been paid to this, and no research has identified the public sector’s role in this regard. The primary aim of this research is to explore the role and potential contribution of the public sector as a key stakeholder in implementing CE in Sri Lanka’s built environment. To achieve this, global and local practices were examined to understand how CE principles are applied and to provide recommendations for improving CE adoption. The benefits and challenges to the public sector and private sector views on its role in CE implementation were also explored. A mixed approach was used for data collection. Expert interviews and questionnaires were developed after gaining a thorough understanding of CE principles through a comprehensive literature review. Ten expert interviews and thirty-eight questionnaire responses were analyzed. Although the public sector has initiated efforts such as green building standards and waste management, the study found a need for a stronger regulatory framework, institutional support, and collaboration with the private sector. Challenges such as limited awareness, high start-up costs, and regulatory gaps were identified. The research emphasized the importance of CE policies, financial incentives, and public-private partnerships. It also stressed the need for training and awareness programs to equip stakeholders with the knowledge required to implement CE.Publication Open Access Designing an Economic Scenario Generator for Financial Risk Management of Low-Income Households in Sri Lanka: A Review(Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2025-10-10) Peiris, K. G. H. S.; Premarathna, L. P. N. DLow-income households in Sri Lanka face increasing financial vulnerabilities driven by unstable income, high dependence on essential goods, and exposure to inflation and external shocks. Economic Scenario Generators (ESGs), widely used in institutional risk management, offer a structured way to model uncertainty but have rarely been adapted for household-level applications. This review synthesizes literature on ESG methodologies, household financial risk in developing economies, and Sri Lanka’s socio-economic realities. It highlights the need for a household-oriented ESG framework that integrates macroeconomic shocks with micro-level financial behavior to support budgeting, debt avoidance, and policy interventions.Publication Open Access Predictive Model for Monthly Made Tea Production in Sri Lanka(Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2025-10-10) Subasinghe, C; Wattegedara, N; Silva, T; Balasooriya, S; Dassanayake, K; Guruge, M.LThis study forecasts monthly tea production in Sri Lanka by developing a suitable time series model to identify future trends in the national tea industry. The analysis is based on monthly made tea production data from January 2000 to June 2025, obtained from the Central Bank of Sri Lanka and the Sri Lanka Tea Board. After confirming the non-stationarity of the original series through the Augmented Dickey-Fuller test, both first-order and seasonal differencing were applied to achieve stationarity. The Autocorrelation Function (ACF) and Partial Autocorrelation Function (PACF) plotswere used to identify potential model structures.Publication Open Access Food Habits Changes and their Impact on Young Adults During COVID-19 Lockdown in Sri Lanka(School of Nursing, Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2025-10-10) Chamodini, H. W. T.; Mihirani, N. H. G. M.; Sandamali, P. G. S.; Dilrukshi, A. N.; Perera, A. C. H.; Sewwandi, K. P. A.Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about significant changes in many aspects of life. Nutrition is one important aspect that has been impacted both positively and negatively. Pandemic mitigation strategies restricted the movement of people, disrupting food production, distribution, and accessibility. On the other hand, the quantity and the quality of nutrition were also altered considerably. Young adults are vulnerable to multiple changes, including nutrition. It has been a timely requirement to study these changes during challenging situations, and the findings can be utilized to introduce nutritional guidelines during pandemic periods and nutritional recovery guidelines during post -pandemic periods. The study explores alterations in dietary habits and lifestyle patterns among Sri Lankan young adults during the COVID-19 lockdown period. Utilizing a descriptive cross-sectional design, data were collected from 118 participants aged 18-30 through an online questionnaire. The study revealed decreased consumption of vegetables, fruits, and chocolates, accompanied by higher levels of water intake and more frequent dinners. Physical activity levels declined significantly, while body weight and sleep duration increased. The research highlights the lockdown's multifaceted impact on young adults' health, emphasizing the need fortargeted nutritional and physical activity guidelines during such crises and even during post -pandemic periods.Publication Open Access Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Academic Integrity in Higher Education, Sri Lanka(School of Education, Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2025-10-10) Wijayasiri, K. D.S.NThe blistering pace of artificial intelligence (AI) adoption in the college and university sector has, in effect, revolutionized the academic sector, offering high potential while simultaneously encompassing numerous obstacles regarding academic integrity. This study examines the various ways in which artificial intelligence has impacted academic integrity in higher education institutions in Sri Lanka. Investigating the ever-developing field of AI through the prism of professional literature, this research addresses the issue of how the use of AI tools, mainly large language models, such as ChatGPT, is reinventing the familiar pattern of assessments, establishing new patterns of academic dishonesty, and causing the emergence of new solutions to the problem of preservingacademic integrity. The results indicate that although current AI-based technologies provide significant value to personalized learning and educational improvement, they also present significant risks to academic integrity,which must be addressed promptly by educators, policymakers, and institutional officials. The following paper proposes an approach to addressing these issues by redesigning policies, course and examination evaluation, and incorporating ethical AI strategies tailored to the specific context of Sri Lankan higher education.Publication Open Access The Effect of Emotional Well-being on Polite Behavior and Teaching Effectiveness of English Teachers in Government Schools of Badulla District in Sri Lanka(School of Education, Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2025-10-10) Gunawardana, K.P.; Priyanath, H.M.S.Many empirical studies agree that emotional well-being plays a critical role in influencing individual behavior, and the impact can directly affect work efficacy. However, the correlation between emotional well-being, behavior, and effectiveness has not been previously explored. Similarly, teachers’ emotional well-being can also influence their behavior, leading to varying levels of teaching effectiveness. This study attempted to examine empirically how emotional well-being affects polite behavior and teaching effectiveness among English teachers in government schools of the Badulla District in Sri Lanka. Primary data collection was conducted using a quantitative method, involving a structured questionnaire administered to 297 randomly selected government English teachers. The study used Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) to analyze data. The results revealed that emotional well-being has a significant effect on polite behavior, which in turn has a substantial influence onteaching effectiveness. Supported by empirical evidence, this study concluded that the emotional well-being of English teachers directly influences polite behavior and teaching effectiveness. Furthermore, polite behavior plays a partial mediating role, implying that emotional well-being improves teaching effectiveness by fostering polite behavior. The findings of this study provide important insights for policymakers to enhance teachers' emotional well-being to improve the teaching effectiveness of English teachers by focusing on their polite behavior.Publication Open Access The Role of Content and Language Integrated Learning (Soft CLIL) in Developing Academic Language Functions in Tertiary Education(School of Education, Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2025-10-10) Jayarathna, G.A.R.C.; Wijesekera, H. DThis paper explores the role of Soft Content and Language Integrated Learning (Soft CLIL) in developing academic language functions (ALFs) among tertiary level learners, focusing on speaking skills. Soft CLIL integrates language with subject-related content, prioritizing language development while introducing subject concepts lightly. ALFsrefer to the specific language required for academic tasks such as describing, explaining, comparing, and arguing. This qualitative action research was conducted in a Sri Lankan state university, involving fourth-year students following the Bachelor of Arts (Honors) degree in Pali and Buddhist Studies, and their English language teachers. It employed a single-cycle action research design of planning, acting, observing, and reflecting, to examine learner and teacher perceptions of Soft CLIL and its impact on developing ALFs. Multiple data sets were gathered for corroboration. To probe into learner perceptions, focus group discussions, reflective diary entries, and guided essays were utilized. Teacher perceptions were elicited through self-reflections and peer classroom observations. The analysis followed a deductive approach, and the interpretation was supported by Krashen’s Theory of Second Language Acquisition. Though more demanding to plan than general English for Academic Purposes (EAP) lessons, the approach proved effective. The findings show that Soft CLIL positively impacted learner comprehension, interaction, confidence, and the development of ALFs. Learners showed progress in using key ALFs needed for their degree. Thus, this study highlights the need to promote Soft CLIL among curriculum developers and English Language Teaching (ELT) practitioners. The findings offer insights for stakeholders, advocating for the wider adoption of the approach within the faculty and beyond to enhance ALFs among tertiarylevel learners.Publication Open Access Is epilepsy solely a medical condition? A Review of “Fit Thamai” (2019), a Sri Lankan Autobiographical Short Film Representing Epilepsy(Department of Linguistics, Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2025-10-10) Dissanayake, A.KThis study explores the representation of epilepsy in Channa Bawantha’s autobiographical Sri Lankan short film titled Fit Thamai: Channa’s Untold True Story (2019). Employing content analysis and a discussion of the medical, personal tragedy and social models of disability, the study highlights the importance of well-roundedrepresentations of epilepsy in the attempt to challenge misinformation and stigma that surrounds epilepsy. The strengths identified in this short film are both its autobiographical narration and its emphasis on the importance of people with epilepsy sharing their epilepsy experiences with each other, as this creates friendship and camaraderie among people with epilepsy. Also, the short film shows different reactions to epilepsy as well as different treatment approaches towards epilepsy in Sri Lanka. Furthermore, it creatively contributes a uniquely Sri Lankan meaning to the word ‘fit’ (a word used interchangeably with seizures) alongside the range of other meanings conveyed via this word. However, the short film also posits people with epilepsy as ‘sick’ persons, or as patients, and equates epilepsy to a personal tragedy. It also treats epilepsy as exclusively medical in nature and ignores the socio-cultural factors in Sri Lanka which lead to the stigmatisation and misinformation surrounding epilepsy. Furthermore, the short film seems to unwittingly generalise Bawantha’s experience with epilepsy treatment as well as his symptoms to the wider population of Sri Lankanswith epilepsy. Therefore, this paper emphasises the need for representations of epilepsy in Sri Lanka which are backed by more in-depth understanding, reflection and analysis of epilepsy lived experiences.