45 The Scientific Journal of King Faisal University Humanities and Management Sciences 00966553735355, almufarreh@jazanu.edu.sa Corresponding Author: Ahmad Almufarreh Online Learning Apps Adoption in the Saudi Context: A Perspective on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology Ahmad Almufarreh Department of Educational Technology, College of Education, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia ASSIGNED TO AN ISSUE 01/03/2023 PUBLISHED ONLINE 22/11/2022 ACCEPTED 22/11/2022 RECEIVED 06/09/2022 LINK https://doi.org/10.37575/h/edu/220027 ISSUE 1 VOLUME 24 YEAR 2023 NO. OF PAGES 7 NO. OF WORDS 7298 ABSTRACT The aim of this study is to determine the behavioural intentions and actual usage of online learning apps through the lens of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology, which is a synthesis of numerous theories and models and is most commonly used to examine technology adoption behaviours. The study has utilised an exploratory research design, and data were collected using a questionnaire survey. The items used for establishing the questionnaire to measure the study constructs are adopted from different valid studies conducted previously. The current study examines the role of various factors, including performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, hedonic motivations, price value, and habits on the behavioural intentions of Saudi students using online learning apps. The data were collected from 245 Saudi university students and then analysed using structural equational modelling. The results highlight that an emphasis on all the theory elements, including performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, hedonic motivations, price value, and habits, can positively lead to behavioural intention to use online learning apps, leading in turn to actual usage. Although these results can be put into the context of future studies, the study encourages practitioners, policymakers, and educational designers to focus on performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, habit, price value, and hedonic motivation when designing and adopting online learning apps for Saudi university students. KEYWORDS educational technology, m-learning, higher education, technology acceptance, Saudi Arabia CITATION Almufarreh, A. (2023). Online learning apps adoption in the Saudi context: A perspective on the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology. The Scientific Journal of King Faisal University: Humanities and Management Sciences, 24(1), 45–51. DOI: 10.37575/h/edu/220027 1. Introduction Currently, the term ‘information technology’ (IT) is used to describe the digital processing and transfer of data. IT requires infrastructure design, installation, configuration, training, and maintenance. IT enhances the efficiency and effectiveness of information management and is increasingly acknowledged as a significant enabler of economic and technological advancement, as well as a force and driver of modern technological development and globalisation (Ejiaku, 2014). Adoption of IT has been proven to increase national economic output and generate new jobs (Macharia and Gituru, 2006). The infrastructure of IT and telecommunications, which currently acts as a foundation for regional and global development, is the foundation of the modern global economy. IT has enormous potential to enhance business operations, education, technology, and economic growth. If utilised to meet domestic and national needs, this technology has the potential to contribute to the reduction of poverty in developing economies; however, developed and developing countries have unequal access to information and communication technologies (Macharia and Gituru, 2006). The emergence of innovative technologies in any sector can improve the quality of outputs, as in the case of the education sector, where the adoption of new or advanced technologies can not only improve the quality of educational products but also help students get better knowledge (Ansari and Tripathi, 2017). Many studies have highlighted the educational impacts of information technologies and particularly their adoption, such as computers (Brusilovsky et al., 2014), internet availability/access, computer-aided instructions, and mobile devices (Sung et al., 2016). Now, however, researchers are keen to know more about online learning apps and their adoption among students (Pugalendhi and Mary, 2022). Numerous educational institutions have made substantial investments to improve the quality of teaching and learning procedures; however, if students do not utilise the learning system, the investment of substantial resources is ineffective (Pituch and Lee, 2006). As a result, understanding the factors that influence students’ intentions towards online learning apps and their actual use is critical for their successful adoption. In 2014, smartphone learning apps became the fastest- growing app category, while in 2019, about 6.3 billion smartphone users downloaded learning apps, making it a billion-dollar industry (Khalil et al., 2021). Even though the adoption of online learning apps is increasing, there is still a need to study the behaviour of people adopting these apps (Ansari and Tripathi, 2017). To learn about adoption behaviour and usage intention, there are many theories and models; among them, the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) and its advanced version (UTAUT 2) are the most detailed (Tseng et al., 2022). Theoretical models for understanding online learning app adoption include the technological acceptance model (TAM), UTAUT (Venkatesh et al ., 2003), TAM2 (Venkatesh and Davis, 2000), and UTAUT 2 (Venkatesh et al ., 2012). Venkatesh et al. (2003) incorporated eight IT acceptance models into UTAUT. The original UTAUT has four key constructs, namely performance expectancy, social influence, effort expectancy, and facilitating conditions, which impact behavioural intention to adopt a technology and user behaviour. According to UTAUT, performance expectations, effort expectations, and social influence are key aspects that drive behavioural intention to use technology; however, behavioural intention and facilitating conditions help in determining technology use. Additionally, individual variations such as gender, age, and experience are regarded as moderators of the UTAUT model’s four constructs. Based on their findings, Venkatesh et al. (2012) recently improved the UTAUT model, adding three new constructs to it. The first construct is hedonic motivation (intrinsic motivation). The second construct is price, which is an essential consideration when consumers face the cost of purchasing devices as well as services but will be disregarded in this paper, as no direct cost is imposed (and thus is less significant). The third construct is habit. The researchers Venkatesh et al. (2012) asserted that the proposed additions to UTAUT 2 contribute to major changes in the variance discussed in behavioural intention and technology usage. This model is