UNDERSTANDING UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ E-LEARNING ADOPTION IN THE MIDDLE EAST: AN APPLICATION OF THE UTAUT MODEL

Rebean Al-Silefanee; Ramazan Uctu; Sinbl Hawro Yakoob

doi:10.31435/ijite.1(53).2026.4355

Authors

Rebean Al-Silefanee Department of Economics, College of Administration and Economics, University of Duhok, Iraq https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3251-3674
Ramazan Uctu Department of Business Administration, American University of Iraq-Sulaimani (AUIS), Iraq and Department of Economics, Stellenbosch University, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5189-5762
Sinbl Hawro Yakoob PhD Candidate, International Entrepreneurship and Innovation Department, Horizons University, Paris, France https://orcid.org/0009-0006-5553-7202

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31435/ijite.1(53).2026.4355

Keywords:

E-learning Adoption, UTAUT, Behavioral Intention, Higher Education, Middle East

Abstract

In many developing contexts, including the Middle East, the adoption of e-learning remains limited compared to developed countries. This study explores the factors influencing students' behavioral intentions to use e-learning systems at two American universities in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) framework. A total of 463 student responses were collected and analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to evaluate the impact of four core constructs: Performance Expectancy (PE), Effort Expectancy (EE), Social Influence (SI), and Facilitating Conditions (FC).

The results indicate that PE and FC significantly and positively affect Behavioral Intention (BI) (p < 0.001), suggesting that perceived academic benefits and available technical support are critical drivers of adoption. In contrast, EE (p = 0.055) and SI (p = 0.529) did not show significant effects, pointing to challenges in user interface design and limited peer influence. The model explained 82.6% of the variance in BI (R² = 0.826), demonstrating strong predictive power.

These findings highlight the need for institutions to prioritize infrastructure, usability, and communication of e-learning benefits. The study also underscores the value of contextualized digital readiness strategies, particularly in regions with infrastructural and language diversity.

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