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This paper argues that descriptions of Sri Lankan English (SLE) are influenced by ideologies of linguistic racism and coloniality through an examination of the possible reasons for their neglect of Burgher English -- an underprivileged variety of SLE spoken by a minority community. Although descriptions of SLE identify different categories of the variety, they neglect the language use of the Burghers, despite the fact that they are the only ethnic community for a large majority of whom English serves as a first language. The paper claims that descriptions of SLE are interested in elevating the language use of the elite and anglicized sections of the racially dominant Sinhalese instead of focusing on understanding and depicting how diverse people of the multiethnic and multicultural Sri Lankan speech community such as the Burghers of Sri Lanka adapt it to suit their needs and contexts. Demonstrating the possible influence of linguistic racism and colonial ideologies on descriptions of SLE, the paper posits that the unique structural features rendering Burgher English to be perceived as sub-standard could be understood through the theoretical lens of postcolonial performativity which would help appreciate the creativity and diversity of the variety instead of devaluing it as sub-standard.

The major analytical research question addressed in this paper is: What are Thailand's strengths and weaknesses as an international education hub for students from the Asian region? The key descriptive research question is: What is the nature of the educational experience of Asian students in Thailand? The two major research methodologies of the study are mixed research methods and comparative case studies, with the use of in-depth interviews of influential experts, surveys, and an autoethnography. In terms of major findings, there has been a dramatic growth of Asian students at Thai universities during the past two decades. Thailand's major advantages relate to low costs, location, quality campus facilities, and a welcoming attitude toward outsiders, while major disadvantages are the quality of many of Thailand's international programs often related to low English language capabilities. The paper concludes by presenting a creative new architecture for thinking about Asian study abroad in Thailand.

This paper investigates the potential influence of socioeconomic factors in the students' choice for tertiary education. The approach of this study combines an opinion survey, desk research and a case study. Shifting of a psychological paradigm is easier said than done. It may need social awareness about the existing problems, gaps, significance and negative/positive impact of different scenarios, and availability of potential solution. The data analysis and discussions have been done under identified key socioeconomic factors relevant to education. Parental levels of education, income, and financial status have been given priority in the discussion. Parents' involvements in education and material support have been recognized as influential factors in students' choice in university education. The language of instruction and peer group in school environment was considered finally. However, none of these factors are within the control of a person or an institute. The objective of the study is to explore factors required to establish favourable socioeconomic conditions providing students with right direction while implementing necessary policy changes to create suitable pathways in the tertiary education. The paper recommends vertical integration of teaching majors from school, to the university, to the industry which would provide many benefits.

An effective teaching contributes to the students' performance and this depends on qualified-trained teachers, school administration, parents and conducive environment for teaching and learning. It is proven that students are more successful in their academic achievements, in the societies where teachers perceive their profession as their job. This paper explores the impact of the society's perception on teachers' professionalism. The method employed in this paper is qualitative by using interview technique and used audio-recorded to ensure a complete transcript. The result indicated that in some developing countries including Cameroon, Kenya and Fiji has various reasons for their job. Teaching profession was affected by how the society considers teachers whereby they are perceived as disadvantaged population who cannot fully take part in the social and economic activities due to the fact that their salary is very low compared other public servants. This low salary and loss of respect of teachers by the society lead to the job dissatisfaction and made the teaching profession as a transitional job before waiting to move to another different professional field.

Purpose: The paper aims to clarify the relationship between perceived contextual issues and the self-efficacy beliefs of the employees with e-learning engagement for their competency development. It proposes a model for the banks to utilize their e-learning interventions more effectively by managing the identified contextual issues. Simultaneously, this study aims to expand the domain of self-efficacy beliefs and apply its principles to dilute the impact of the negative contextual issues which were not addressed through similar research. Design/methodology/approach: The paper focuses on an exploratory study using a deductive approach grounded on self-efficacy -- one of the main dimensions of Bandura's social cognitive theory. It adopted a mixed methodology, and primary data were collected through an online survey (792 responses analyzed through Statistical Package Social Science [SPSS]) and semi-structured interviews (20 respondents analyzed through thematic analysis). The population comprises employees of private commercial banks who have recently introduced e-learning. Findings: The paper provides empirical insights into the contextual issues influencing e-learning and how self-efficacy beliefs can be utilized to enhance the effective engagement of employees. Contextual issues related to technological, organizational, personal and time-intensive factors influence e-learning engagement. The strengthening of self-efficacy beliefs (learners' enthusiasm and gaining) can be utilized to manage personal and time-intensive factors. However, technological and organizational factors cannot be managed through a similar approach as they did not report a significant relationship with self-efficacy. Originality/value: This paper fulfills an identified need to study how e-learning can be utilized as an effective competency development tool in the banking sector.

This paper addresses the paradox of transition to online distance learning during COVID-19 pandemic in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in developing countries. The systematic review methodological procedures were employed to draw some limitations and possible opportunities that may inform future practices on online distance learning. The findings reveal several limitations such as digital inequalities, lack of reliable internet access, low readiness and technological competence among instructors and students, and limited availability of digital solutions. The findings also reveal that most students faced social emotional challenges due to rapid and blind transition to online distance learning. It was concluded that most limitations were due to lack of digital culture even before the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. It is recommended that deliberate investment should be made to promote digital culture and equity. Further possible areas for research recommended in this paper include exploration of digital inclusion among marginalized groups in developing countries.

Purpose: This paper aims to explore the relationship between religious and linguistic nationalism in Sri Lanka in the context of the controversy on singing the national anthem in Tamil during National Independence Day celebrations. It illuminates how language and religious policy work together to maintain Sinhala-Buddhist hegemony and exclude Tamil speakers as second-class citizens in postcolonial Sri Lanka. Design/methodology/approach: The examination of the anthem controversy includes language and religious policy documents, newspaper articles and YouTube videos. Findings: The national anthem as a site of struggle is a powerful case to explore how nation-states' actors mobilize affect, intertwining ideologies on language, religion, ethnicity, geography, and so on to maintain and reinforce dominance over minoritized groups. Therefore, the authors believe that (singing) the national anthem can be a site of study for language policy. Research limitations/implications: The authors acknowledge that the data used in this study are only in Sinhala and English and identify the need for further research using data sources in Tamil. Originality/value: While this paper generally contributes to the scholarly dialogues on religion and language, it also sheds light on understanding politics in Sri Lanka. Finally, the authors propose that any meaningful policy implementation efforts toward achieving linguistic justice in Sri Lanka need to include parallel policy changes that promote equality among religions.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of a study that investigated workplace learning activities and drivers that enhanced learning as experienced by employees in Sri Lanka. Design/methodology/approach: This study was conducted in the knowledge process outsourcing sector, where employees perform knowledge work in flatter team-based structures with information technology-enabled work environments. From the 17 firms that volunteered to participate in the study, 239 technical/professional employees volunteered for the survey. Multiple regression analysis was used to identify the association between drivers of workplace learning and learning activities experienced by employees and whether individual demographic characteristics and the number of employees in the firm are associated with workplace learning activities experienced by employees. Findings: This study found that organisation-related, individual-related and team-related drivers significantly influence workplace learning activities experienced by employees. In addition, employees' age, firm-specific experience and the number of employees in the firm significantly influence the same. Originality/value: This paper presents learning activities experienced by employees in the completion of work-related job tasks at hand and drivers experienced by employees in the new normal that has existed since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Purpose: This study aims to explore the differences between science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and non-STEM disciplines in terms of the changes to teaching and research practices caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: The paper analyses survey responses collected between July and November 2020 from 241 academics (excluding library staff) from the five oldest state universities in Sri Lanka. The analysis focuses on the differences between STEM and non-STEM faculty using multiple linear regression to control for demographic characteristics such as age, gender and designation as well as university-specific factors. Findings: The paper finds significant differences in the teaching practices of STEM and non-STEM academics, both in terms of preparation time for teaching and tools used for online delivery. Significant differences are also observed in research practices, with STEM faculty being significantly more likely to engage in research collaborations, obtain research funding and be involved in more research projects. The authors do not find any evidence of the pandemic having differential impacts on research productivity between the broad disciplines. Originality/value: This research provides insights into the differences between STEM and non-STEM disciplines in online teaching and research practices adopted since the onset of the pandemic, which are important for formulating appropriate policy responses to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on both students and staff. The contribution is particularly significant for developing countries where the creation of a skilled workforce is a key driver of the development process.

This paper examines the factors influencing preferences for undergraduate study using administrative data on applications to the state university system of Sri Lanka, which is characterized by centralized administration, rule-based admissions, and virtually costless applications. The feature of costless applications implies that students are unconstrained from listing out all the programs for which they wish to be considered, while the rule-based nature of admissions makes it possible to identify the exact program choice set available to each applicant. Using the constructed choice sets, I estimate a conditional logit model including measures of institutional and program quality and academic and social matching between the student and the programs to which they are eligible. The results suggest that applicants prefer programs that are more closely matched to their ability and demographic profile, though there is some heterogeneity across genders, socio-economic status, and ability. Among the measures of institutional quality, students prefer those related to the quality of teaching, such as faculty qualifications and student teacher ratios, over the quality of research. These findings have important implications for policymakers and managers aiming to propose and develop new programs or improve the quality of existing programs and institutions.

There is considerable rhetoric internationally around the need for national curricula to reflect the changes that are taking place in the world outside school. This raises questions about what a quality curriculum in a technological era should look like, and equally challenging issues about how to achieve the necessary changes in schooling in order for such a curriculum to be realised. This paper summarises the views of 11 experts from seven countries. It introduces a sociocultural framework that highlights the complexity of achieving alignment between policies and practice spanning the national to local school to classroom levels. Three key issues that underpin alignment are then explored, each of which link with the issue of trust: (1) stakeholders engagement; (2) teacher professionalism; (3) summative assessment. By exploring and exemplifying these three issues the paper indicates potential ways of addressing them and provides 'tools to think with' to enhance future curriculum development initiatives.

Formal education has all too often been portrayed as a means of achieving social and economic mobility, there is a need to address the unequal footing for adolescents in the Global South attempting to achieve social mobility through education. Drawing on ethnographic research conducted in Sri Lanka, this article considers the impact of upward mobility-driven discourses of the North on the type of aspirations formed by adolescents in the Global South, and the social implications that arise as a result. Through observation, interviews and focus groups carried out at a secondary school for girls and a private tuition centre in Sri Lanka, the paper considers the value given to private tuition compared to government-funded schooling. In doing so, it examines the implications of mobility-driven discourses on the schooling experiences of adolescents in the Global South, particularly the heightening of educational and social inequalities.

Establishing a reciprocal relationship between mentors and pre-service teachers is critical in pre-service teacher mentoring. Highlighting self-regulation as a means for managing emotions in the pursuit of meeting long-term goals, this study examined the constructive features that help develop a reciprocal relationship between pre-service teachers and mentors. The study has captured a range of qualitative data from the dyadic process of mentoring (two-way interaction between a mentor teacher and a pre-service teacher): within the pre- and post-lesson conferences between mentors and pre-service teachers and post mentoring interviews with mentors and pre-service teachers. The study highlighted the strengths of mentor facilitated THINK4 reflective thinking to enhance professional learning: think ahead (at the preparatory stage), think while (at the performing stage), think back, and think forward (at the appraisal stage). The paper highlights the critical role that the reciprocal relationship plays in each THINK stage of mentoring to foster preservice teachers' self-regulation.

Tertiary education is a turning point in anybody's life. Students' choice of tertiary education is crucial for them, their family members, and the country. All parents would like to see their children reach the heights in education and develop many career prospects. In Sri Lanka, critical job profiles are limited to medical doctors, engineers, accountants, and lawyers. However, the fact remains that this type of lean job market is not realistic or sustainable. Firstly, a country needs not have many professionals from a handful of fields. Secondly, not all students have the capacity to complete the coursework of their respective programs. On the other hand, many vacancies in different fields must be filled consistently, and a country cannot be sustained otherwise. Making a shift in students' psychological paradigm is essential in this scenario. This paper introduces a new concept called vertical education integration (E.V.I.). E.V.I. provides a strategic solution to bridge various gaps in the current education system. This concept has been tested and proved for successful results in Sri Lanka.

With the pandemic, academic activities of education institutes such as teaching, learning, and assessment as well as programmes targeted for educators' personal and professional development have been transformed to online from physical mode. The use of online platforms has become an essential pedagogical tool. This study investigated educators' acceptance of online platforms for their personal and professional development during the COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka. One hundred and ninety-nine responses were received for the survey, and data were analysed using statistical methods. The study found the importance of belief structures- attitudinal, normative and control beliefs, and attitude toward the behaviour, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control in determining educators' acceptance of online platforms for their personal and professional development purposes. This paper concludes with a discussion on implications of the findings for theory and practice on educators' acceptance of new technologies for teaching and learning purposes.

This paper presents the findings of a study that intended to seek the content validity (CV) evidence of an instrument to measure the reading ability of university students in Sri Lanka. The reading passages and items were adapted from CEFR aligned Learning Resource Network (LRN) materials. The items were designed based on the cognitive processing involved in completing each reading task as prescribed by Khalifa and Weir (2009). As a part of collecting evidence for content validation of the instrumentation, Item Objective Congruence (IOC) analysis is used in this study. In IOC, the congruence between the cognitive processing of reading and the test items were studied providing quantified data for CV. A pool of twelve experts examined a total of 41 test items against eight cognitive processing effectively. As the experts had chosen more than one objective for an item, the IOC formula simplified by Crocker and Aligna (1986) for multi-dimensional assessment of multiple combinations of skills was applied in the present study. The findings of the IOC indicate the experts' varying degrees of agreement in terms of what some of the items were designed to assess. 38 items had acceptable IOC indices, one item was removed from the study and two items were modified. Items having high congruence show that they test only one skill and those indicating low congruence notify that, items assess more than one cognitive processing skill. The study demonstrates the utility of the IOC method in gathering evidence for CV. Test development and validation are crucial in assessment which is the first and foremost process to evaluate educational management.

During the COVID-19 pandemic period, all the Sri Lankan universities delivered lectures in fully online mode using Virtual Learning Environments. In fully online mode, students cannot track their performance level, their progress in the course, and their performances compared to the rest of the class. This paper presents research work conducted at the University of Colombo School of Computing (UCSC), Sri Lanka, to solve the above problems and facilitate students learning in fully online and blended learning environments using Learning Analytics. The research objective is to design and create a Technology Enhanced Learning Analytics (TELA) dashboard for improving students' motivation, engagement, and grades. The Design Science research strategy was followed to achieve the objectives of the research. Initially, a literature survey was conducted analyzing features and limitations in current Learning Analytic dashboards. Then, current Learning Analytic plugins for Moodle were studied to identify their drawbacks. Two surveys with 136 undergraduate students and interviews with 12 lecturers were conducted to determine required features of the TELA system. The system was designed as a Moodle Plugin. Finally, an evaluation of the system was done with third-year undergraduate students of the UCSC. The results showed that the TELA dashboard can improve students' motivation, engagement, and grades. As a result of the system, students could track their current progress and performance compared to the peers, which helps to improve their motivation to engage more in the course. Also, the increased engagement in the course enhances the student's self-confidence since the student can see continuous improvement of his/her progress and performance which in turn improves the student's grades.

Higher educational institutions are exposed to various types of risks what other entities face naming strategic, operational, financial, compliance, technological and reputational risk owing to terrifying competition, rapid technological advancements and unpredictable environmental tremors. Implementation of enterprise risk management is the best strategic tool to identify, assess and mitigate the overall risks faced by entities. The implementation of enterprise risk management is however hindered by the high cost for ERM systems implementation and the inability of justification of increasing performances. Many research studies conducted by academicians and practitioners to ascertain the significant positive relationship of Enterprise Risk Management implementation and firm performance concluded with contradictory deductions. This study is an investigation of the reliability of the indicators measuring the impact of ERM implementation on the performance of non-state higher education institutions in Sri Lanka. The sample of hundred and seventy senior professionals was selected from the study population of seven hundred and seven senior persons attached to non-state institutions in Sri Lanka using stratified random sampling technique. This paper presents the outcomes of the quantitative investigation conducted to test the reliability of the indicators that were used to measure the latent variables in the survey instrument. As the Cronbach's alpha value of each latent variable was well above the threshold of 0.70, the items used in each variable were fitting to the construct and therefore accepted as reliable indicators to measure the constructs.

Providing access to higher education for people in marginalized communities, in particular for refugees, requires to re-think the traditional ways of teaching and learning in higher education institutions. The challenges of these circumstances both in terms of access to learning materials and the opportunity to collaboratively learn with others require specific support via appropriate didactical settings. Blended learning arrangements, i.e., settings that bring together online learning activities with synchronous, co-located settings show potential for addressing these requirements. In the present study, we examine the success factors in the design of blended learning settings for supporting higher education in marginalized communities. Based on an established model of blended learning success, we explore the specific challenges of the target group via a survey which was distributed to students of different subject areas and of the higher education programs of Jesuit Worldwide Learning. The 80 survey participants analyzed in this paper live in refugee camps, or marginalized areas located in rural and remote areas in Afghanistan, Guyana, India, Iraq, Kenya, Malawi, Myanmar, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand. While we could confirm the success factors that also apply for blended learning scenarios in traditional settings, we also found evidence for the crucial role of facilitation in both, online and co-located learning phases, and challenges regarding the access to suitable infrastructure. Both need to be considered during design of blended learning programs for this target group.

This paper concerns the pedagogical work affect does in an Australian Year 11 literature classroom. Thinking with Ahmed's framing of affect from the viewpoint of cultural politics, I consider how affect aligns some bodies within particular social groups and situates some outside. Three key moments of affective charge are drawn from observations: students' written responses, group discussions, and interviews. Analysing these moments from the perspective of Ahmed's affective economy foregrounds the value of detecting students' orientations towards or away from the classroom space, discourses, and practices. It indicates the potential for constructing the classroom as an inclusive and relational space allowing room for the different knowledges implicit in students' experiences. It shows that students often find themselves interpellated by conflicting discourses that emphasise how they read themselves and their texts. Allowing opportunities to name, share, and process these conflicts can expand the efficacy of reading practices.

Purpose: The rapid adoption of social media has resulted in a fundamental shift in the way communication and collaboration take place. While social media is recognized as an important marketing communication tool, it has become overlooked how social media marketing activities (user-generated and firm-generated content) influence brand equity creation in the higher education sector. Drawing from social identity theory, this study identifies how higher education institutions develop customer-based brand equity using social media marketing and social brand engagement, taking cross-comparison between high and low subjective norms. Design/methodology/approach: A survey was used to collect data from a sample of 936 undergraduates of private higher education institutions in Sri Lanka and Vietnam. These data were gathered using purposive sampling, and in testing the hypothesis and structure among the variables, structural equation modeling was used to determine the relationship between the study variables. Findings: For the conceptual framework, the authors found that the structural equation model complies with the empirical data. The structural equation model shows that social brand engagement mediates the relationship between user-generated content, firm-generated content and brand equity. Further, the subjective norms were found to moderate the relationship between user-generated content, firm-generated content and social brand engagement, highlighting that the lower the subjective norms the higher the influence on social brand engagement as students receive low pressure and influence from external parties. Research limitations/implications: The study was conducted at private higher education institutes in Sri Lanka and Vietnam. Future research could benefit from the perceptions of undergraduates in public higher education institutes. Future researchers could widen the diversity of service settings in the sample and replicate this investigation to discover if the results are consistent across the whole services sector. Originality/value: The current research contributes to the services marketing and branding literature in the higher education context. The paper presents the crucial elements in building brand equity for higher education institutes to fill the existing gaps in higher education branding literature. The findings of the current study provide strategies to improve the higher education sector.

Mobility restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic raised mental health consequences. This paper examines the triangulation of Digital Literacy (DL), psychological well-being, and effectiveness of remote teaching and learning during the pandemic. Survey responses collected from 518 schoolteachers in Sri Lanka are analyzed with Partial Least Squares -- Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) method. Results indicate that Remote Education (RE) has twisted a stressful life for educators. DL negatively affects the psychological well-being of the teacher. The effectiveness of teaching and learning and teacher engagement depends upon their DL level. Educators' stress and depression status mediate the outcome of remote teaching and learning mode. Moreover, digital skills count more than the accumulated teaching experience. We emphasize the "adaptive role" of the teacher for sustainable digital education. The results indicate that augmented education success could be obtained by investing in digital competence. It suggests that upgrading DL is an urgent role and alarms the policymakers and education managers to mitigate the potential mental health and social capital crisis.

This paper examines digital inclusion and equity in international higher education with particular focus on Global South-North Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL). Practice examples, bringing together students and academics in Brazil, South Africa, and the UK, are used to consider how COIL is being integrated into higher education curricula to interrupt western hegemony and open up spaces in which "otherwise" ways of knowing, being, relating and expressing can thrive. We consider COIL as a Third Space within which academics can help facilitate the different intellectual, emotional, and socio-cultural positionings of Global South-North students and reflect on how meaning-making and engagement can be transformed as a result of this dialogue. We also recognize how the digital environment as a Third Space can be experienced as inaccessible and troublesome and make suggestions on how South-North digitalization practices can be designed to address access and inclusion needs of students and academics.

Schools provide an ideal setting for early, accessible intervention according to research conducted in developed countries for adolescents experiencing adverse mental health (MH). Many schools in South Asia, however, lack structured and standardized school counselling services. Research indicates that where services do exist, students are reluctant to access them due to perceived high risks and low benefits in MH help seeking. This paper explores the challenges experienced in MH provision from the perspective of school counsellors. A qualitative approach was chosen, and three main themes emerged from the data using the thematic analysis: negative perceptions of MH and counselling, the unwillingness to invest in MH services, and the challenges inherent in the system itself. The findings reveal cultural implications behind these challenges and suggest grassroots level initiatives that can be implemented within schools to reduce the barriers to service provision without the need for legislative changes at a national level.

This study is located in a lesser-known educational context and investigates aspects of migration, religion and multilingualism. Focusing on the discourse of second-generation adolescent migrants in a Tamil Hindu temple school in urban Australia, I discuss how flexible language practices manifest in this migrant faith setting. I argue that the use of the heritage language is not always at the forefront, despite a monolingual Tamil language policy, because religious transmission is given priority over language transmission. At the same time, there are certain motivations that influence the use of Tamil: to index the close relationship between language and religious culture and to index one's membership of the ethnoreligious community. This paper draws on ethnographic data to provide both a macro and micro view of these motivations -- what drives adolescents to use their heritage language, how it is deployed from their linguistic repertoires, and how it contrasts with the use of the students' dominant language, English. The analysis takes a whole of conversation approach to understanding the relationship between religion and heritage language use for second-generation migrant students.

This paper explores the institutional pressures and responses associated with introducing integrated reporting into university-level accounting education in Sri Lanka. In particular, we are looking to see whether those responses lead to deep or surface learning in students. Drawing on the theory of new institutional sociology, the institutional pressures framework, and the model of constructive alignment, the analysis spans data on Sri Lanka's ten universities that offer accounting degrees. We find that most universities have incorporated integrated reporting into their accounting degrees by following either a 'compromise' or 'acquiescence' strategy. This comes in response to numerous isomorphic pressures at the institutional level. These pressures are brought to bear through the extent to which teaching, learning and assessment activities follow constructive alignment. In this context, the institutions themselves can be categorised into four response groups: beginners, followers, impressionists, and prospectors.

Purpose: It is still unclear how Asian universities incorporate the theory or practice of sustainable development (SD) in their research and education programmes. To address this gap, the purpose of this paper is to report on a study that has examined how universities in Asian countries handle and address matters related to SD. Design/methodology/approach: The study used a bibliometric analysis and an online survey-method. The online survey data were analysed through descriptive analysis and one-sample student's "t"-test. Findings: The study indicates that there is considerable variation among the Asian countries regarding sustainability practices in higher education institutions (HEIs). The HEIs in far eastern countries, such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand are perceived to demonstrate more sustainability practices. Research limitations/implications: Even though a substantial number of participants participated in the survey, it did not cover all Asian countries. The online survey was carried out over a limited period of time, and not all HEIs in the field may have received information about the study. Practical implications: Asia is the largest continent facing a number of sustainability challenges. In this context, the contribution of HEIs is very important. The findings of the current study may serve as a baseline for Asian HEIs to take more initiatives towards SD goals, as HEIs are responsible for the education and training of hundreds of thousands of students who will be occupying key positions in industry, government or education in the coming years. Originality/value: The study contributes to the existing literature in two distinct ways. First, it was possible to develop a comprehensive instrument to measure sustainability practices in HEIs. Second, this study has filled the gap of the scarcity of studies regarding sustainability practices in HEIs in Asia.

The widespread popularity of social media facilitates many changes in the higher education sector including the branding activities of Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) in developing countries. Drawing from the uses and gratifications theory, this paper examines the influence of social brand engagement among prospective students on brand positioning of HEIs taking into consideration brand co-creation, and brand trust as mediators and brand usage experience as a moderator. The quantitative findings from 384 undergraduates from Sri Lanka indicated that undergraduates' social engagement with HEIs via social media develops a distinctive HEI brand positioning among the students. Brand co-creation and brand trust were found to mediate the effect of social brand engagement on brand positioning. In addition, brand usage experience mediates the effect of brand co-creation and brand trust on brand positioning.

Purpose: The application of technology to higher education is contributing in many ways to create a highly adaptable, inclusive learning environment for all. This study intends to analyze the role of technology facilitation in creating an inclusive learning environment in the higher education institutions (HEIs), which would connect multi-ethnic students and academics effectively in the Sri Lankan context. Therefore, the primary aim of this study is to explore how technology facilitates inclusive learning in HEIs. Design/methodology/approach: Based on the qualitative research approach, this study generated data from 30 undergraduates and 10 academics from 5 national universities in Sri Lanka to evaluate the effectiveness of technological facilitation in promoting inclusive learning. The data were then thematically analyzed using NVivo 10. Findings: The nature of technology facilitation in HEIs and influencing factors such as the internet, search engines, mobile apps and software, cost involved, upgraded knowledge, time efficiency and technological devices. Further, the factors contribute to the HEIs and the benefits realized, such as information gathering, time-saving, cost reduction, information sharing, connective communication, easy learning and online services. On the other hand, challenges such as the involved parties' resistance to technological change, inadequate infrastructure facilities, lack of technical knowledge, negative perceptions and behaviors, technical failures and health issues will also be assessed. Research limitations/implications: Implications for policy and practice include a thorough understanding of the nature of technology facilitation in an inclusive environment. The researcher has recommended some strategies and mechanisms to the policymakers that will guide them to use technology as a tool to enhance the inclusive learning practices within HEIs. Originality/value: This paper presents an original review and it contextualizes the technology facilitations in respect of the inclusive learning environment in HEIs.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to identify the factors affecting learners' perception of e-learning during the Coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Furthermore, it investigates mechanisms that enhance students' engagement in e-learning, especially under the constraints created by the pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: Quantitative research approach was used, and data were collected using a structured questionnaire. The sample consisted of 163 undergraduates registered at the Faculty of Management Studies of the Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL). The structured questionnaire was designed taking into consideration learners attached to different regional centers and study centers of the OUSL. Findings: As per the findings, performance expectancy, social influence, effort expectancy and service quality are the factors which have significant effects on students' "intention to use" e-learning as a method of pursuing education. Furthermore, it was observed that 65.6% of the students had access to technology through mobile phones, while 53.4% of the students had engaged in e-learning for the first time. This was mainly due to restrictions that were imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Practical implications: The study will help in formulating policies and introducing procedures in relation to online teaching-learning models to be used by both teachers and learners, especially in similar pandemic situations in the future. Originality/value: This study will assist to determine the effectiveness of the e-learning system used by the OUSL. The findings highlighted the importance of improving information technology (IT) facilities available at all the regional and study centers across Sri Lanka.

Purpose: There is a significant decrease in students' attendance in Zoom classes compared to traditional classes. This paper investigates the factors that affect students' attitudes, behavioral intentions and actual use of Zoom for online classes at higher educational institutions (HEIs) in Sri Lanka. Design/methodology/approach: This research uses the technology acceptance model (TAM) as a theoretical model. The data are collected from HEI students via an online survey form. The hypotheses between constructs in the model are tested using partial least squared-structural equation model. Findings: The analysis shows that computer self-efficacy (CSE) affects perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease of use (PEU), which affects attitude (ATT) and behavioral intention (BI) and actual use (AU) of Zoom in a chain reaction. Further, PEU affects PU, which, in turn, affects BI. Furthermore, the effect size of PU to BI is larger than ATT to BI. Practical implications: Students' attendance for Zoom classes mainly depends on CSE, PU and PEU. Therefore, HEIs should promote Zoom with interactive training before teaching online. Further, officials should revise the curriculum in schools to upsurge the CSE of students. Originality/value: During coronavirus-19, no research was published on students' use of Zoom for online classes in the Sri Lankan context. Moreover, the TAM model has been modified by including CSE as an external variable.

Transplanting non-Western religions to Western nations results in first-generation migrant attempts to transmit faith in vastly different contexts. Especially as adolescents, second-generation migrants tackle mediating their personal religious beliefs in a society with diverse religions and ideologies as well as negotiating membership of their ethnoreligious community. This paper draws from an ethnography in a Tamil Hindu temple in Australia. I present Sri Lankan teenage migrants' discourse from their faith classroom to elucidate processes of belief positioning. In working out their emergent, and provisional, faith identities, the students deploy mainly Tamil and English linguistic features in their belief narratives. Flexible languaging complements their "syncretic acts" -- the practice of drawing on diverse ideologies and experiences (outside the boundaries of a particular religion) to form personalized beliefs. Translanguaging thus facilitates the expression of circumspect, nuanced, and non-traditional interpretations of their heritage religion. Understanding such processes of belief positioning can help societies and institutions to work towards migrant youth inclusion.

Collaboration between universities and industry is currently seen as a vehicle to improve innovation throughout the economy by means of knowledge and technology transfer. This paper examines the contributions of university staff to the promotion of knowledge exchange between universities and industry in Sri Lanka. In this quantitative explanatory study the authors apply a deductive research method and develop a conceptual framework that incorporates demographic and institutional factors as moderators. Academics of state universities constituted the survey population and 178 responses were received. SPSS and AMOS statistical packages assisted in the data analysis and a structural equation model was employed to explore the moderating effects. The findings revealed that the engagement of academic staff in joint research, contract research, human resource mobility and training was very low, and that the participation of males was greater than that of females. The impact of age on knowledge exchange was not linear in Sri Lanka. Further, the study ascertained that only joint research and training were important in knowledge exchange and that the university-industry relationship was significantly moderated by institutional factors. Other than the quality of academic work, other individual factors did not significantly moderate the relationship. The authors provide policy recommendations based on the findings.