Research Publications
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Publication Open Access Assessing the influence of diverse skills on employability outcomes for IT undergraduates(Public Library of Science, 2026-04-10) Senadheera, D; Wisenthige, KRapid technological advancements have reshaped the global job market, emphasizing the importance of specialized competencies such as user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design, alongside technical and interpersonal skills.. This study examines how UI/UX skills (UIUX), soft skills (SS), and technical skills (TS) influence the employability (EP) of IT undergraduates in Sri Lanka, addressing a notable gap in existing literature that often examines these competencies in isolation and predominantly within Western contexts. The current study offers a detailed examination of employability determinants in Sri Lanka’s IT sector by incorporating gender as a moderating factor and investigating the mediating roles of self-efficacy (SE) and proficiency levels (LP). The collection of data involved 345 IT undergraduates participating in structured surveys, which were subsequently analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The results demonstrate that gender significantly affects the relationship between soft skills and technical skills with employability, underscoring differences in the assessment of these competencies among different genders. Moreover, the degree of proficiency influences the connection between technical skills and employability, yet it does not play a significant mediating role in the relationship between soft skills and UI/UX employability. Self-efficacy has proven to be a significant mediator across various skill categories UI/UX, soft, and technical highlighting its essential function in converting competencies into career success. This work seeks to add to existing knowledge by tackling the main significant gap of examining the combined effect of UI/UX, soft, and technical skills on employability. This study contributes to the theoretical understanding of employability by presenting an integrated model that elucidates the complex interactions among skills, mediators, and gender within the Sri Lankan IT sector. The results provide actionable insights for educators, policymakers, and industry leaders, advocating for curriculum alignment with industry needs and the promotion of self-efficacy through mentorship and experiential learning.Publication Open Access Evaluating the impact of Large Language Models on problem-solving skills in programming debugging of IT undergraduates(Taylor and Francis Ltd., 2026) Riztha, F; Wickramarachchi, R; Asanka, P P G D; Dissanayake, M. AThis study investigates the impact of Large Language Models (LLMs) on problem-solving skills in source code debugging among IT undergraduates. A pre-, mid-, and post-experimental design was employed, including pre-test, mid-test, post-test (Prior), and post-test (Recent) phases to assess debugging performance with and without LLM assistance. The sample consisted of 87 students from the Department of Industrial Management, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, stratified by gender, academic level, A/L stream, Z-score, and GPA. Results showed significant improvement in debugging accuracy, increasing from 46.53% in the pre-test to 69.51% in the post-test (Prior), indicating skill retention. Task efficiency also improved, with completion time reduced from 18 minutes to 10 minutes. However, transferability to new problems was moderate, with a post-test (Recent) accuracy of 58.40%. Higher academic levels, technical A/L streams, and mid-range GPAs were associated with better retention and adaptability. While LLMs enhanced immediate performance, the findings highlight the need to balance their use with independent practice to support long-term skill development. Limitations include resource constraints and short study duration, suggesting the need for longitudinal research. The study recommends structured integration of LLMs to optimize programming education outcomes.Publication Open Access An Analysis of Vocabulary Learning Strategies Used by Sri Lankan IT Undergraduates: Frequency, Technology Usage and Performance at a Formative Assessment(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2022-11-10) Kalinga, J. C.Learning vocabulary is an integral part in language acquisition and acquisition of academic vocabulary is a determinant for the success in an academic context. Therefore, many studies have been conducted to formulate academic vocabulary lists and identifying vocabulary learning strategies. This study seeks to explore the vocabulary learning strategies employed by IT undergraduates when studying academic vocabulary and to examine their performance on academic vocabulary related questions at the mid-term examination which is one of their formative assessments. The sample of the study includes 276 first year IT undergraduates who follow the module English for Academic Purposes in a Sri Lankan non-state university. A questionnaire is used as the research tool to obtain data from the sample and the result of the formative exam is used to examine the performance related to academic vocabulary. According to the data analysis, most of the students often use either monolingual or bilingual dictionary as a strategy for the discovery of a new word meaning. This is more emphasized as they have mentioned that they prefer using dictionary apps as a vocabulary strategy using online. A significant number of students study the spelling, meaning and form of a word and ask for help from their friends as strategies for consolidating a word once it has been encountered. When comparing the marks obtained for the vocabulary related questions at the exam, it is noted that the students have obtained less marks to the question in which they had to replace the underlined word/phrases with a more academic alternative. Thus, students need to adopt more effective strategies to acquire mastery of academic vocabulary. Moreover, they should reflect on the current strategies used by them.Publication Embargo Trajectory of Learning Academic Vocabulary: IT Undergraduates’ Vocabulary Learning Strategies and Performance at the Exam(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2022-09-15) Kalinga, JLearning vocabulary is an integral part in language acquisition and acquisition of academic vocabulary is crucial for the success in an academic context. Therefore, many studies have been conducted to formulate academic vocabulary lists and identify vocabulary learning strategies. This study seeks to explore the vocabulary learning strategies employed by IT undergraduates when studying academic vocabulary and to examine their performance on the academic vocabulary related questions at the formative exam. The sample of the study includes 276 first year IT undergraduates who follow the module English for Academic Purposes. A questionnaire is used as the research tool to obtain data from the sample and the result of the formative exam is used to examine the performance related to academic vocabulary. According to the data analysis, most of the students often use either monolingual or bilingual dictionary as a strategy to discover the meaning of a new word. This is more emphasized as they have mentioned that they prefer using dictionary apps as a strategy to learn vocabulary online. A significant number of students study the spelling, meaning and form of a word and ask for help from their friends as strategies for consolidating a new word they encounter. However, when comparing the marks obtained for the vocabulary related questions at the exam, it is noted that the students have obtained less marks to the question in which they had to replace the underlined word/phrases with a more academic alternative. Thus, students need to adapt more effective strategies to acquire mastery of academic vocabulary.