An Overview of Saudi Arabia's Education System and Contextual Factors Shaping the Adoption of E-Textbooks

Abstract

An overview of factors influencing e-textbook adoption in Saudi Arabia's education system is the main focus of this paper. It outlines the cultural context, including the importance of religion and tribal traditions in shaping Saudi society. The discovery of oil enabled rapid development and the establishing of a formal education system, with the Ministry of Education (MoE), founded in 1953. The education system remains grounded in religious principles and is separated by gender. This paper focuses on public education. In the 1980s, Saudi Arabia implemented information and communication technologies (ICT) across sectors, including significant integration efforts by the MoE. Projects have aimed to transition towards e-learning including replace printed textbooks with e-textbooks. Although printed books are still used, e-textbooks enabled by QR codes were introduced in 2017 to provide online interactive content. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated e-learning and e-textbook adoption as virtual learning replaced classrooms during lockdowns. By 2020, the Madrasati platform will have facilitated over 850,000 virtual classrooms. Though e-textbook use remains optional, factors like the high cost of printed textbooks increase motivation to transition. However, issues like limited student hardware access and digital literacy pose challenges. Overall, Saudi Arabia's education system has been shaped by its culture and is now transitioning digitally, driven by economic incentives and technology, especially following COVID-19 impacts. This overview provides helpful background on Saudi Arabia's unique education environment to inform e-textbook adoption research.