Saudi Cultural Missions Theses & Dissertations
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Item Restricted Blended Learning: Exploring the Benefits and Challenges for EFL Undergraduate Students(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) Alsulami, Meshari; Inostroza, MariaBlended learning (BL), which combines face-to-face instruction with online components, has become increasingly popular in tertiary education institutions worldwide. This study aims to raise awareness of recent developments in the effectiveness of BL for teaching English as a second language. It seeks to evaluate both the benefits and the challenges associated with using BL to teach English as a foreign language to undergraduate students. A literature-based methodology was adopted, incorporating a systematic literature review. From an initial pool of 740 studies, 25 met the PRISMA criteria and were included in the final analysis. To address the research questions, both inductive and deductive coding methods were applied. The findings suggest that BL enhances student motivation, interaction, autonomy, and language development. Additionally, BL supports individualised learning, increases teacher–student interaction, and enhances students’ academic performance and language proficiency. However, several challenges were identified, including inadequate technological infrastructure, limited digital competencies, insufficient professional development for teachers, and increased workloads for lecturers. The findings of this research may be valuable for students, educators, and universities, as they can provide a foundation for the successful implementation of BL practices. The results indicate that blended education can be an effective approach to promoting language learning and improving the overall learning environment. It also plays a significant role in motivating students and fostering their interest in language acquisition. Nonetheless, further research is needed to address existing barriers and to develop a sustainable BL model that aligns with the needs of both language learners and teachers.11 0Item Restricted Perceptions of Marketing Students Using Smartphone Applications (Apps) in Distance Education in the College of Business Administration at Umm-Al-Qura University, Saudi Arabia(Niagara University, 2024-08-23) Alazwari, Maha Abbas; Polka, WalterOur world is a rapidly changing society, surrounded by local and global challenges, the most important of which are technological and technical developments, and global openness represented by the spread of communication networks, the Internet, and others. Perhaps the most important of these technologies is what is known as smartphone applications (apps), through which millions of people participate, each according to his/ her interest and inclinations. Digital technology in general and smartphone apps on the network in particular are among the new innovations in human society that have changed human communication patterns. Considering that distance education is one of the components of this society, and one of its basic elements in the process of promotion and development. The educational system must know how to benefit from the use of smartphone apps in education in order to raise the level of knowledge and promote sustainable development. According to the Saudi government's Vision 2030, digital transformation is a crucial, conclusive, and practical approach that intends to facilitate and hasten the government's transformation in an efficient manner. One of the key goals of this vision is to enhance the quality of higher education in Saudi Arabia by adopting innovative technologies and approaches, including the use of digital platforms in education. KSA is planning on ranking at least 5 Saudi universities among the top 200 universities in the world by 2030. In the past, Saudi Arabia's education policy was entirely based on traditional education, with no consideration for digital platforms. There are specific previous studies looking at the use of educational smartphone apps in distance education by marketing students. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to explore. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to explore the impact of using smartphone apps as an educational tool on learning goals and learning outcomes of Marketing students' in the College of Business Administration at Umm Al-Qura University. Also, this study was to explore the impact the usefulness and ease of use of smartphone apps on the adoption of smartphone apps in distance education within the College of Business Administration at UQU Saudi Arabia. There were 240 responses from marketing students in the quantitative part, and 8 faculty members participated in the qualitative part of the study. Overall, the results showed strong support for the hypotheses especially when isolating ease of use and usefulness: learning goals and learning outcomes are indeed significantly mediated by ease of use and usefulness thereby driving adoption and learning outcomes. Direct effects of gender as a moderating variable were found for learning goals and adoption: females were less inclined to feel that apps were well integrated into learning goals but nevertheless were inclined to engage in greater adoption of the app. Future studies could delve deeper into individual motivations, attitudes, and contextual factors to provide a more comprehensive understanding of gender differences in technology acceptance within educational settings.34 0