Research Publications
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Publication Embargo Drivers of Child Labour: Socio-Economic Insights from the 15 Worst-Affected Countries(Springer Science and Business Media, 2025-12-12) Magammana, T; Perera, A; Bandara, A; Muthugala, H; Jayathilaka, RChild labour remains a significant global challenge, particularly in low-income countries where socio-economic factors such as health, education, economic wealth, and globalisation play pivotal roles. This study investigates the interplay of these determinants in the 15 worst-affected countries, offering a nuanced understanding of the drivers of child labour. A secondary data analysis was conducted using panel data from 2010 to 2021 for the 15 countries with the highest child labour prevalence. The study employed Polynomial Simple Linear Regression to explore the relationships between child labour and key socio-economic variables: education, health, economic wealth, and globalisation. Descriptive statistics, scatter plots, and thematic maps were utilised to visualise trends and associations. The analysis revealed complex, non-linear relationships between socio-economic variables and child labour. Education and health demonstrated dual impacts, where improvements sometimes paradoxically increased child labour due to economic and cultural factors. Economic wealth reduced child labour in some contexts but exacerbated it in others, driven by unequal wealth distribution. Globalisation similarly showed mixed effects, depending on local regulatory and socio-economic conditions. Addressing child labour requires context-specific interventions. Education and healthcare investments must be paired with policies that tackle structural inequalities and ensure equitable economic wealth. Globalisation’s potential benefits in reducing child labour depend on robust regulatory frameworks and inclusive economic strategies.Publication Embargo Exploring the Usage of AI Tools in Education: Insights from Gen Z Undergraduates in Sri Lanka(University of Nigeria Department of Mass Communication, 2025-06-02) Nishshanka, N; Karunarathna, N; Dayapathirana, N; Karunarathna, R. V; Hewage, H. K; Anthony, PBackground: This study investigates the patterns of use and adoption of AI tools in Sri Lanka, with a special emphasis on Generation Z undergraduates who will enter the industry next. As AI is an emerging technology, how this generation interacts with and enriches knowledge through AI tools becomes a vital area of concern. Objective: To identify key subjective factors influencing the adoption and usage of AI tools in education among Gen Z undergraduates in Sri Lanka. Methodology: This study employs qualitative research methods, specifically semi-structured interviews, to gather insights from 18 university students across various disciplines. Thematic analysis was used to identify recurring themes related to undergraduates' subjective experiences, benefits received, and attitudes, for which MAXQDA is used as the analytical software. Results: The findings demonstrate four key subjective factors that influence adoption and usage, such as academic work, awareness and adoption, challenges and risk, and helpful and supportive factors. The frequently used AI tool in Sri Lanka was noted as ChatGPT, which showed a high usage pattern in the analysis. Conclusion: Understanding the usage patterns and adoption factors helps the community use AI tools effectively, as it makes them aware of the risks and helpful factors. Also, the facilities that aid in adopting these AI tools could elevate the efficiency of their usage by making many students, future undergraduates, AI developers, and educational institutions aware of its benefits. Unique Contribution: This research provides insights for future research by helping to understand the usage of emerging AI tools among Gen Z undergraduates in a developing country like Sri Lanka. The findings can be applied to understanding different generations and emerging generations, such as Generation Alpha.Publication Open Access Breaking the cycle: long-term socio economic determinants of child labour in SAARC countries(BioMed Central Ltd, 2025-11-19) Magammana, T; Muthugala, H; Bandara, A; Perera, A; Jayathilaka, RBackground: Child labour remains a critical issue in SAARC countries, driven by various socio-economic factors. While previous studies have explored individual determinants, limited research has been conducted on their collective long-term impact. Understanding how structural and economic conditions shape child labour trends is essential for designing effective policy interventions. Methods: This study engages panel cointegration techniques to examine the long-term relationship between child labour and key socio-economic drivers in SAARC countries. It assesses the impact of education, access to healthcare, economic conditions, labour market dynamics, foreign investment, and urbanisation on the prevalence of child labour. Results: The findings confirm a stable, long-term relationship between child labour and these determinants in each SAARC country. Improvements in education and health significantly reduce child labour. However, economic growth and urbanisation have complex, country-specific effects. Higher unemployment and increased FDI may also influence child labour, emphasising the need for targeted policy responses. Conclusions: The study highlights the significance of ongoing investments in education and healthcare. Labour market reforms are crucial to mitigate the impact of unemployment, while inclusive economic policies ensure that growth benefits vulnerable populations. Targeted strategies for FDI and urbanisation are necessary to prevent unintended consequences on child labour. Combating child labour in SAARC countries requires a multi-sectoral approach. Regional collaboration is crucial for sharing best practices, developing unified strategies, and enhancing cross-border initiatives. Holistic policies integrating education, health, and economic planning are key to reducing child labour.Publication Open Access Factors influencing migration intention of undergraduates in Sri Lanka: ‘About more than employment(Elsevier Ltd, 2026-01-26) Marawila, R; Weerarathna, R; Rathnayake, N; Guruge, R; Wehella, B; Udugahapattuwa, T; Weligodapola, MThe objective of this study is to examine the factors influencing Sri Lankan undergraduates' intention to migrate. Persistent economic, social, and political challenges have driven many youngsters and professionals to leave their Country of Origin (COO). The economic collapse triggered by COVID-19 further intensified this trend, leading to a sharp increase in outward migration. Recently, a growing number of Sri Lankan undergraduates and skilled professionals have expressed a strong desire to relocate abroad, often immediately after completing secondary education. For this study, a sample of 385 undergraduates from state and non-state universities across Sri Lanka was analysed. Given the national concerns of brain drain and shortages of trained and skilled workers, the study specifically focused on understanding undergraduates' aspirations to migrate. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was applied to identify and test the variables influencing migration intentions within the Sri Lankan context. The findings provide a holistic picture of the drivers of undergraduate migration. These carry important implications not only for students but also for policymakers and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), by informing policies and strategies that could encourage young people to realise their potential within Sri Lanka rather than abroad.Publication Embargo Revolutionalize Your Learning Experience with EQU ACCESS(IEEE, 2024-07-25) Raveenthiran, G; Sivarajah, K; Kugathasan, V; Chandrasiri, S; Mohamed Riyal, A. A; Rajendran, KThis paper introduces a novel approach aimed at enhancing online education by placing a central focus on students' emotional well-being and improving their learning experiences. The approach integrates four key machine learning technologies: behavioral expression analysis, a personalized chatbot for emotional support, voice stress detection, and visual content description. Through empirical findings, the study illustrates the effectiveness of these methods in bolstering students' emotional well-being and academic performance. By providing a roadmap for the advancement of online education and emotional support, this research holds promise for delivering substantial benefits to learners worldwide. The study showcases notable advancements in online education, reporting a 30% rise in perceived emotional support and a 25% increase in overall satisfaction. The personalized emotional support chatbot achieved an 85% accuracy in addressing students' emotional needs, while voice stress detection boasted a 90% accuracy in identifying anxiety. Additionally, visual content description led to a 20% improvement in comprehension. These findings highlight the approach's potential to elevate both emotional well-being and academic performance in online learners.Publication Embargo A Comprehensive Mobile Platform for Fostering Communication, Literacy, Numeracy, and Emotion Understanding in Children with ASD(IEEE, 2024-07-25) Bandara, T.W.M.I.P.S; Deshan, M.A.D.; Prasanth, P.; Nadeera, M.S.; Krishara, JThis study presents SIPNENA, a novel mobile application designed to aid the learning and communication development of Sinhala-speaking autistic children aged six, particularly in rural areas of Sri Lanka. It offers a unique approach to teaching challenging subjects like English and Mathematics, tailored to the specific needs of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The application integrates interactive methodologies and gamification elements to facilitate better communication, understanding, and engagement. Additionally, it incorporates real-time emotion recognition features to monitor and respond to children's emotional states during learning activities. This research evaluates SIPNENA's effectiveness in improving communication abilities, academic skills, and emotion understanding among autistic children. The findings indicate promising results in catering to the unique educational needs of this target population, particularly in under-resourced rural regions, where specialized interventions are often scarce.Publication Open Access Keynote 01: Forensics - A New Direction for Engineering Education(SLIIT, Faculty of Engineering, 2024-10) Jones, Karl O.The number of students wishing to study engineering topics at University is on the decline, thus engineering departments need to consider ways of making engineering more attractive and hence increase student recruitment. While there are many approaches that could be taken, one that we have found has some merit is to include engineering forensics within the curriculum, or even as a complete programme.Publication Embargo E-tutor: Comprehensive Student Productivity Management System for Education(IEEE, 2022-12-09) Silva, K; Induwara, R; Wimukthi, M; Poornika, S; Samaratunge Arachchillage, U.S.S; Jayalath, TWith the advancement of technology, e-learning has emerged as predominant in the education sector. As students, parents, and educators acknowledged, adopting e-learning can offer several benefits over traditional learning techniques. Since more individuals are becoming acclimated to online learning platforms, these online platforms can provide a simple, instructive, and efficient mode of delivery. This novel approach could be improved with the aid of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to comprehend consumers more thoroughly and provide valuable and better-suited services. Most sectors in education, including universities, swiftly adapted to new educational methodologies because of their flexibility and productivity. Nevertheless, there are some downsides that young demography experiences, such as less instructiveness, distraction due to the absence of teachers, and poor IT literacy. Consequently, these drawbacks would recede the capability of students to assimilate content during the lecture. Therefore, the main objective of this research is to implement an E-learning platform with AI learning analytics to enhance students’ performance regularly while reducing the significant drawbacks of the E-learning platforms. This research consists of students’ focus detection, essay-based answer evaluation, note summarization, mind map generation, and personalized guidance facilities.Publication Embargo Science Zone : An Augmented Reality based Mobile Application for Science(2020 2nd International Conference on Advancements in Computing (ICAC), SLIIT, 2020-12-10) De Silva, W.; Naranpanawa, P.; Hettihewa, U.; Liyanage, P.; Samarakoon, U.; Amarasena, N.In recent years, technology has rapidly developed, and it has provided many technological advancements for the field of education with an attempt to improve and overcome its limitations. Augmented Reality is among these latest technologies which support to improve learning environment around the world. It can bring education to a new level which can help students in many significant ways. In Sri Lanka, augmented reality is rarely been used for the purpose of educational enhancements. Therefore, it was decided to develop an augmented reality embedded mobile application for the G.C.E Ordinary Level Students in order to make it easy for them to learn Science with more enthusiasm and interest. This research has been used marker-based approach to transmit images or objects in the text book into the real-world scenes in order to create a more productive learning environment for the students. The first version of the application covers four main areas in the Science curriculum, such as; Preparation of Acids, Human Anatomy, Organization of Plants and Biosphere Cycles. Feedback for the application was taken from randomly selected ten science teachers and twenty grade eleven students and accordingly the application was further developed. Their feedback proves that the application would satisfy the common requirements of students, and it would be an immense support in scoring good results for science.Publication Embargo IELTF: An ICT-based Framework to Leverage English Language Education in Sri Lanka(IEEE, 2018-08-08) Weerakoon, U; Manage, R; Wijekoon, JThis paper aims to develop an ICT based English Language Teaching Framework (IELTF) for the students of Sri Lanka to overcome the complications of learning English language in secondary education. The English language is an international language and proper English education is essential for the betterment of the students lives. According to a survey (using both students and English teachers) and several research findings, we observed that there are several issues in the English education in Sri Lanka for the students who are following their secondary education. Such phenomenon make the most students struggle learning and understanding the English language, and hence, the teachers struggle teaching the English Language effectively. Recently Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is gaining momentum upgrading societies to the smart societies. To this end, this paper proposes a novel notion of using ICT for effective English education and thereby improve the teaching and learning quality of the English language in Sri Lankan secondary education.