http://dr.lib.sjp.ac.lk/handle/123456789/6970 Wed, 07 Jan 2026 06:07:39 GMT 2026-01-07T06:07:39Z http://dr.lib.sjp.ac.lk/handle/123456789/8916 Leadership and School Performance in Central Colleges in the Western Province of Sri Lanka: An Exploratory Study Fernando, R.L.S.; Geethamali, H.D.M.K; Kularathna, A.I This study explores the most effective leadership style in school performances of Central Colleges in Sri Lanka and identifies problems and difficulties faced by the principles of the selected schools. This study revealed that the transformational leadership style is the most effective as it leads higher school performances. Some principals of the Central Colleges were not successful due to the lack of resources, negative attitudes of the stakeholders, inefficient government officers, unfavorable external environment and the unnecessary political interference. Policy measures are proposed towards better performance of the Central Colleges of Sri Lanka. Findings of this study will help the governing bodies to design and update policies for improving performance of the Central Colleges specifically, and school leadership of Sri Lanka in generally. Tue, 01 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMT http://dr.lib.sjp.ac.lk/handle/123456789/8916 2019-01-01T00:00:00Z http://dr.lib.sjp.ac.lk/handle/123456789/6971 Critical factors affecting students’ satisfaction with higher education in Sri Lanka Weerasinghe, I.M.S.; Fernando, R.L.S. Attached; Purpose – The purpose of this study is to explain critical factors affecting student satisfaction levels in selected state universities in Sri Lanka. Design/methodology/approach – The study has applied an quantitative survey design guided by six hypotheses. A conceptual framework has been developed to address the research questions on the basis of a literature review. The study is based on an undergraduate sample from four state universities, and it presents results of factor analytics and correlational and regression analyses. Findings – Evidence to support construct validity and reliability of all survey-based scales measuring the key variables has been found. The quality of the academic staff, university facilities, degree program, administrative staff, university location and university image have been correlated significantly with student satisfaction levels measured at 0.45, 0.47, 0.51, 0.31, 0.39 and 0.66, respectively. The statistically significant predictors are: the quality of university facilities, the quality of the degree program and the university image, with the image being the strongest predictor. Practical implications – The study offers a conceptual framework to guide future research and validated scales for measuring student satisfaction levels in a national higher education system in a developing region that is aspiring toward a knowledge-based economy where tertiary education is free. Five recommendations are provided for policymakers. Originality/value – Research shows high variabilities in the models used and the findings of studies on factors affecting student satisfaction levels in universities. The study is among the first large-scale studies of student satisfaction levels in the Sri Lankan state university system, where little data exist on why students are dissatisfied and fail to complete their degrees. Mon, 01 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT http://dr.lib.sjp.ac.lk/handle/123456789/6971 2018-01-01T00:00:00Z