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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Educ.
Sec. Digital Education
Volume 9 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/feduc.2024.1494487

Enhancing Digital Citizenship Education in Saudi Arabian Elementary Schools: Designing Effective Activities for Curriculum Integration

Provisionally accepted
Naji Alenezi Naji Alenezi 1,2Maha Alfaleh Maha Alfaleh 3,4*
  • 1 Majmaah University, Al Majma'ah, Saudi Arabia
  • 2 College of Education, Majmaah University, Al Majma'ah, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  • 3 Northern Border University, Arar, Northern Borders, Saudi Arabia
  • 4 College of Humanities and social Sciences\ Curriculum and Instructional Techniques,, Arar, Saudi Arabia

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    In an era where digital technologies significantly influence children's lives globally, promoting responsible digital citizenship is crucial to equip them with the skills to navigate the digital world safely and responsibly. This study examines the integration and current state of Digital Citizenship Education (DCE) in Saudi Arabian elementary schools, assessing its alignment with international standards and identifying local challenges faced by educators, and pedagogical strategies used. Employing a mixed-methods approach, quantitative data was collected through surveys from 398 teachers and qualitative insight gained from semi-structured interviews with 15 teachers. Quantitative analysis employed descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) to explore demographic influences on DCE practices. The findings reveal a strong emphasis on Digital Emotional Intelligence and Digital Security, Privacy, and Health and Wellness; however, significant gaps exist in Digital Participation and Agency, and Digital Footprint and Identity. These gaps are attributed to factors such as insufficient teacher training, lack of effective structured guidelines, and insufficient resources. Significant interaction effects between teachers' demographics and DCE perceptions highlight the need for targeted professional development. The study concludes with actionable recommendations for enhancing curriculum integration, teacher training, and policy development to promote digital citizenship among elementary school students aligned with global standards.

    Keywords: Digital Citizenship Education (DCE)1, Digital Literacy2, Cyber Safety and Privacy3, elementary schools4, teacher professional development5, Digital Emotional Intelligence6, curriculum integration7, Pedagogical Strategies8

    Received: 10 Sep 2024; Accepted: 17 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Alenezi and Alfaleh. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Maha Alfaleh, Northern Border University, Arar, Northern Borders, Saudi Arabia

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.