Abstract:
The prime objective of education in a country is to create multiple learning
opportunities for every child to enhance their inborn talents. The present teaching learning process applying in the classroom mainly focuses and prepares students to
sit for exam-oriented testing and evaluation routines, rather than shaping them up for
the world of work. Owing to these reasons majority of the Sri Lankan students
dropout from the education after G.C.E Ordinary Level examinations without
gaining adequate practical exposure and life skills which grooms them to be
professionals.
This dissertation aims to analyze these problems and to design, develop and evaluate
an information system that will encourage students to strengthen with life skills
while optimizing their school vacation time. The project mainly focuses on
identifying student‟s most preferred areas of learning.
The pilot study and the existing literature have supported identifying the feasibility
of the project. Moreover, a number of surveys and interviews have been conducted
with students, teachers, and educational experts to further validate and evaluate the
problem effectively. The results have been utilized to identify the issues related to
the current school education system faced by the students and to formulate an
accurate scoring mechanism to identify student‟s most preferred areas of learning
based on the Multiple Intelligence Theory. Further, these results showcased that
identifying student‟s preferred areas of learning while schooling is significantly
important for students in their future career lives.
To address these findings, a web application, “GuideMe” was designed and
developed for junior secondary level students based on a well-rounded criterion
under the guidance of education experts in the field. The application was
incorporated with a multiple intelligence questionnaire and marks of extra-curricular
activities to identify student‟s most preferred areas of learning. Based on the results
generated from the system, it will show available micro-internships at nearby
workplaces for each student to spend their school vacation effectively. The solution
was evaluated by experts and non-expert stakeholders, to determine the success of
the project. Recommendations and future implementations were also discussed. "
