Acceptance and Use of E-learning Technologies by Saudi Secondary Teachers

As in many developing countries, the Saudi government is seeking to introduce modern technology into its educational system. The Ministry of Education has provided computer labs and the National Education Portal, a digital resource available to all schools. However, as in other countries, digital technologies are not fully accepted and used in Saudi secondary schools (Lim and Khine, 2006). The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model (Venkatesh et al, 2003) has been widely used in the field of Information Systems to explain technology acceptance and use. A review of the literature suggests that a number of changes to the model would better fit developing countries. A proposed revised model was designed for the Saudi secondary context to support fuller analysis of the acceptance and use of new educational technologies by teachers, and of the influence of their perceptions and practical and affective experiences. In taking account of Saudi educational and cultural factors, the research explores this knowledge gap in the study of technology acceptance and also explores and addresses differences between teachers' stated intention to use these technologies and their actual use in practice. The paper reports on research design for an online survey and interviews to be conducted among teachers in the Jazan area of Saudi Arabia in a study, which will use mixed methods (Creswell, 2014) to investigate digital learning technology acceptance in secondary schools in a regional Saudi context. The investigative questionnaire was designed to produce both quantitative and qualitative data as a basis for subsequent phase of the study, highlighting areas that will be further explored by interviewing teachers. The study outcomes will both illuminate regional policy issues in digital technologies and, importantly advance the debate on conceptual understanding of technology acceptance in education by refining the UTAUT model.