The social shaping of educational technologies in Saudi Arabia: An examination of how the social fabric shapes the construction and use of technologies

This article is organised around the research question: To what extent has the social fabric shaped the way in which educational technologies are constructed at the institutional level in a specific social context? This question is addressed through a naturalistic study of a state university in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Guided by the grounded theory approach, the data analysis demonstrated that Saudi society was committed to many established relationships, structures and identities, a commitment that has resulted in the social shaping of educational technologies. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.