GUIDEME: Introducing skill - based learning concept to junior secondary level students in sri lanka

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. "