Research Publications
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Publication Open Access Factors Predicting Academic Procrastination with Special Reference to Self-esteem, Self-efficacy, and Stress Among Undergraduates in the Western Province of Sri Lanka(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2023-11-01) Puhulwella Hewage, K; Ponnamperuma, LAll universities enroll new students each year, however, not every enrolled student graduates from the University before completing the degree program. Academic procrastination is identified as one of the major reasons affecting academic performance and several factors such as stress, self-esteem, and self-efficacy may contribute to an individual engaging in procrastination. This study aimed to evaluate the factors associated with academic procrastination. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among conveniently selected 150 undergraduates (Using the Daniel and Cross formula). A pretested self-administered questionnaire was shared as a Google form link with the ethical approval obtained from the Ethics Review Committee of Kaatsu International University. The data were collected using validated scales such as the Rosenberg self-esteem scale, the Generalized Self-efficacy Scale, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, and the Academic Procrastination Scale. Most of the participants were females (n=93, 62%), and they were 18-24 years old. The results showed that self-efficacy and self-esteem are a positive significant predictor of academic procrastination (β=.280, P<0.001) and (β=.187, P<0.001) respectively, stress is a negative significant predictor (β=-.370, P<0.001) of Academic procrastination. The results highlighted that self-esteem, self-efficacy, and stress are predictors of academic procrastination. The study findings have a theoretical and practical contribution to academic institutions and policymakers for improving academic success.Publication Open Access Prevalence of Stress and Associated Factors among Field Midwives in Sri Lanka during the COVID-19 Pandemic(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2023-11-01) Pathirana, J. M. P; Edirisinghe, N. P; Amarasekara, T.D.The COVID-19 outbreak has had a significant impact on people’s physical and mental health. Globally, the stress faced by healthcare workers during COVID-19 has been investigated. The aim of the study was to describe the level of perceived stress, and associated factors, among field midwives (FMs). A descriptive crosssectional study of FMs in selected Medical Officer of Health (MOH) regions in the Matara district was carried out. FMs were among the subjects, while those on maternity leave and without at least six months of professional experience were not included. Data were collected using validated Perceived Stress Scale-10, and a pretested socio-demographic questionnaire. Data analysis was done using descriptive statistics, and a Chi-square test. The study participants had a mean age of 41.43±12.01. Results indicated that 27.6% of the FMs experienced low stress, 51% experienced moderate stress, and 21.4% reported high perceived stress levels. The presence of any chronic diseases (95% CI, 0.077-0.966, OR=0.274, p=0.034) and economic status (95% CI, 1.079- 1.261, OR=6.374, p=0.011) showed statistically significant associations with perceived stress. In conclusion, the majority of FMs were moderately 74 (51%) stressed during the COVID-19 pandemic.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 Open Access Factors affecting the level of stress among undergraduates in Sri Lanka with special reference to covid-19(Business Research Unit (BRU), 2021-12-03) Madhusanka, A. K. P; Jayasuriya, N. U; Ravishanka, M. K. U; Pothupitiya, S. N; Weerarathna, R. S; Dunuwila, V. RTo combat the rapid spread of COVID-19 infections universities and higher educational institutes in Sri Lanka had to suspend all on campus activities and had to tranfer into online learning. This resulted in a swift change in undergraduates’ life style and they had to face many new challenges in their academics which created severe mental pressure. Therefore, the objective of the research is ‘to assess the factors influencing the level of stress among undergraduates in Sri Lanka’. The study looks into this mental pressure in terms of the stress levels of undergraduates which is considered to be the dependent variable whereas their online learning experience and university workload are the independent variables. The study takes a quantitative research approach as its primary data is collected through an online questionnaire created from Google Forms and answered by 384 undergraduates. The questionnaire provided data on the online experience and university workload variables and it included the DASS-21 scale (Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale) which measured the stress level of the undergraduates. Descriptive statistics was conducted on the data through the Microsoft Excel. Based on the data analysis, it was found that the stress levels of undergraduates were; 3% normal, 20% mild, 36% moderate, 21% severe and 20% extremely severe. Therefore, it could be said that 41% of undergraduates faced high stress levels that were beyond what is regular and it negatively affected to the way how they could face challenges and carry out their day to day lives. It should be noted that undergraduates appeared to have much higher stress levels as a result of the pandemic.Publication Open Access Factors affecting the level of stress among undergraduates in Sri Lanka with special reference to covid-19(Business Research Unit (BRU), 2021) Madhusanka, A. K. P; Jayasuriya, N. U; Ravishanka, M. K. U; Pothupitiya, S. N; Weerarathna, R. S; Dunuwila, V. RTo combat the rapid spread of COVID-19 infections universities and higher educational institutes in Sri Lanka had to suspend all on campus activities and had to tranfer into online learning. This resulted in a swift change in undergraduates’ life style and they had to face many new challenges in their academics which created severe mental pressure. Therefore, the objective of the research is ‘to assess the factors influencing the level of stress among undergraduates in Sri Lanka’. The study looks into this mental pressure in terms of the stress levels of undergraduates which is considered to be the dependent variable whereas their online learning experience and university workload are the independent variables. The study takes a quantitative research approach as its primary data is collected through an online questionnaire created from Google Forms and answered by 384 undergraduates. The questionnaire provided data on the online experience and university workload variables and it included the DASS-21 scale (Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale) which measured the stress level of the undergraduates. Descriptive statistics was conducted on the data through the Microsoft Excel. Based on the data analysis, it was found that the stress levels of undergraduates were; 3% normal, 20% mild, 36% moderate, 21% severe and 20% extremely severe. Therefore, it could be said that 41% of undergraduates faced high stress levels that were beyond what is regular and it negatively affected to the way how they could face challenges and carry out their day to day lives. It should be noted that undergraduates appeared to have much higher stress levels as a result of the pandemic.Publication Open Access Impact of Stressors on Academic Performance among Female Students’ in Saudi Arabia(DP Publications, 2017-04-04) Rajapakshe, WThis study examines the impact of stressors on academic performance among female students’ in Saudi Arabia. The problem was interpreted through the female students who are currently studying in a private colleges. The main objectives of this study were; to develop a causal model to identify the relationship between causes of stressors and its impact on academic performance among Saudi female students; to identify the type of stressors on undergraduate students’ academic performance and to test the develop model empirically to determine whether there is a relationship between stresses among undergraduate students with their academic performance. This study is a survey research, mainly relying on the collection and analysis of primary data through a questionnaire. Descriptive statistics especially mean and standard deviation used to identify level of the stressors and multiple regression model has used to analyze effects of stressors on academic performance. This study has fulfilled all these objectives as specified. The developed model has statistically tested and modified. Two hypotheses among three were accepted and third hypothesis was rejected. However, some variables have been eliminated from the models as a result of the lack of significance with the dependent variable, the students’ performancePublication Embargo Smartphone-based approach to enhance mindfulness among undergraduates with stress(IEEE, 2019-12-18) Edirisooriya, Y. L; Rathnayake, N. A; Ariyasena, T. D; Thelijjagoda, S; Jayawickrama, N. D; Chamindi, D. IOver the last decade, creating awareness among people has become a common part of the curriculum around the world. To date, researchers have predominately used outcome-based trial designs to understand the efficacy of mindfulness for improving wellness in people. Less research has been directed towards understanding how undergraduates perceive mindfulness experiences. Findings suggest that mindfulness enhances human wellbeing and helps people to develop a greater awareness of their body, mind, and emotions. The main objective of the research was to develop an application, an undergraduate could use to release their stress in tough situations using mindfulness practices. The conducted research project includes VR technologies, Reinforcement learning, Wearable Arduino components together with mindfulness-based stress reduction methods to support the features of the designed application. It may, therefore, provide a key to understanding one of the mechanisms that underlie the observed benefits of mindfulness approaches for mental health and wellbeing. Drawing on a sample of 25 questionnaire-based responses from the users, the generated results indicate the developed algorithm has an accuracy of 96.153%. The conducted research Evidently shows the use of reinforcements learning is a better way of predicting user interests. Implications of these findings are discussed further throughout the study. Moreover, mindfulness stress reduction practices for university undergraduates offer systematic relaxation methods and concrete ways to get rid of recurrent worries, reducing stress and its physical effects.