Dr. Areej ElSayary

Societal Question 2: How Is Digital Transformation Reshaping Education and Society?

My publications under this question trace a progressive understanding of digital transformation, from mapping immersive and interactive technologies as emerging educational tools to interrogating how institutions adopt and adapt to AI-driven change. The early work establishes what digital tools can offer learners and educators; the later work asks what conditions make that transformation meaningful, sustained, and equitable. Together, these contributions document digital transformation not as a single technological event but as a continuous, pedagogically mediated process that demands new conceptual models, leadership responses, and policy frameworks.

Research Areas: Digital Transformation | Educational Technology | Human-Computer Interaction | Digital Innovation | Learning Technologies | AI Integration in Education | Institutional Change

Milestone 1 (2021-2023)
Milestone 2 (2024-2026)

Milestone 1 (2021-2023)

Exploring Digital Tools, Immersive Technologies, and Online Learning Environments

This phase surveyed the emerging landscape of digital technologies in education, with particular attention to immersive tools such as VR, AR, and gamification, synthesizing evidence on their affordances and limitations for learning. It also examined how digital mental health applications could address cyber-behavioral needs among young people, positioning technology as a catalyst for pedagogical and societal transformation rather than merely a delivery mechanism.

Journal Articles

Conference Paper

  • ElSayary, A. (2023). Codesign a Digital Mental Health Application to Promote Young People’s Cyber-Behavioral Competence and Sustain Their Wellbeing: A Literature Review. Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Society and Information Technologies: ICSIT 2023. Orlando Florida, USA.

Milestone 2 (2024-2026)

AI-Driven Institutional Transformation and Digital Innovation in Education

Shifting from exploration to evidence, this milestone investigated AI as a structural driver of institutional change in education. Studies developed and validated an integrated TAM-TPACK-GenAI framework, examined how AI reshapes teachers’ roles and self-efficacy, and argued that meaningful digital transformation requires coordinated policy responses, targeted professional development, and new conceptual models of digital competence.

Journal Articles
  • ElSayary, A. (2024). Integrating generative AI in active learning environments: enhancing metacognition and technological skills. Journal of Systemics, Cybernetics, and Informatics, 22(3), 34-37. https://doi.org/10.54808/jsci.22.03.34
  • Al Murshidi, G., ElSayary, A., Ragab, K., & Al Zaabi, A. (2025). Understanding teachers’ adoption of AI: Insights from innovation diffusion and social cognitive theories. Journal of Information Technology Education: Research, 24, Article 35. https://doi.org/10.28945/5643
  • Yehya, F., ElSayary, A., Al Murshidi, G., & Al Zaabi, A. (2025). Artificial intelligence integration and teachers’ self-efficacy in physics classrooms. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 21(8), em2679. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/16660
  • ElSayary, A., Al Murshidi, G., Ragab, K., & Al Zaabi, A. (2026). AI transformation in education: Examining teachers’ perceptions using an integrated TAM-TPACK-GenAI framework. Contemporary Educational Technology, 18(1), Article ep636. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/17983
  • Mohebi L. & ElSayary A. (2026). From Proficiency to Pedagogy: A Mixed-Methods Study of In-Service Teachers’ TPACK-GenAI and the Mediating Role of Pedagogical Knowledge, Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2026.100599

Conference Paper

  • ElSayary, A. (2024). Integrating Generative AI in Active Learning Environments: Enhancing Metacognition and Technological Skills. Proceedings of the 15th International Multi-Conference on Complexity, Informatics and Cybernetics (IMCIC 2024). Orlando Florida, USA.

Book Chapters