Effectiveness of E-Learning on the Z-Score of A/L Students in Sri Lanka

Abstract

With the influence of technology in the modern context, computer based learning methods have been introduced to the learning process as a means of presenting and sharing views and knowledge among communities. This is where the E-learning concept emerged in the scenario as an accepted instrument to enhance and support traditional teaching methods. After the rapid spread of the internet in the 1990s, E-learning has been spreading tremendously and has gained much popularity over the last decade in Sri Lanka. Nowadays it has become an important part of advanced learning. The majority of the students in urban areas have developed their skills better in computer literacy and the usage of Elearning facilities than the students in rural areas in Sri Lanka. Despite the norms of E-learning, it has been shown that a significant number of excellent A/L results have been achieved by the students in rural areas where there is a minimum usage of E-learning facilities available. Therefore, this research intends to find out the effectiveness of E-learning on the Z-score of A/L students in Sri Lanka. The questionnaire method and structured interview method were utilized to collect primary data. The sample consists of 50 first year undergraduate students from the KDU. These students were from Mathematics, Biology and Commerce streams. The number of hours Elearning facilities used per week, the number of private tuition hours per week and the number of self learning hours other than E-learning per week were identified as the independent variables, and the Z-score of the students was the dependent variable of the Multiple Regression model. Statistical measurements with the help of SPSS were utilized for the purpose of analysing the collected data. The R2 test was utilized for testing the goodness of fit. The P value and F statistics were utilized to test the significance of the parameters and for testing the overall significance of the models. In addition, the Jarque-Bera (JB) test was used for testing the normal distribution of residuals. The study concludes that E-learning facilities used per week is having a strong significant impact for Zscore of the students than the number of private tuition hours per week and the number of self learning hours other than E-learning per week.