The Role of Distance Education in Activating Digital Citizenship in Social Studies in University Education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from the Teaching Staff Members’ Point of View

This study aimed at revealing the role of distance education in activating digital citizenship in social studies in university education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in addition to recognizing the dimensions of digital citizenship that can be activated through distance education. Also, this study aimed at identifying the challenges confronting distance education in activating digital citizenship and identifying the differences of statistical significance that are attributed to variables of: (gender, general specialization, academic qualification, and years of experience)
A descriptive survey approach has been used to monitor the participants’ estimates in this study. A sample of 96 male and female teaching staff members specialized in social studies was included in the study.
To fulfill the objectives of the study, a questionnaire that consists of a digital citizenship list, has been designed with the aim of determining the role of distance education in the activation of digital citizenship. This tool has been relied on after obtaining an accepted level of honesty and constancy in this study.
 The results of the study have reached the establishment of a list consists of 40 phrases related to the role of digital citizenship, its dimensions and the most prominent challenges in distance education for university education. From the   study sample individuals’ point of view, the study has obtained a high level of importance.
The study results also revealed the prominent role of distance education in the activation of digital citizenship despite the existence of some challenges facing distance education in activating digital citizenship. There are no differences of statistical significance at (0.05) significance level among social studies teaching staff members’ point of view regarding the three axes which can be attributed to the variables of gender or general specialization while there are differences of statistical significance among those who have an academic qualification (PhD) and those who have more than ten years of experience.
Accordingly, the study has come to a conclusion of a set of relevant recommendations, the most important of which is to find a skilled, moral and conceptual structure to activate the dimensions of digital citizenship in distance education by those in charge of planning and preparing social studies curricula for university education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and to afford solutions and suitable alternatives in order to face challenges of distance education in the activation of digital citizenship .