Open Educational Resources in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Countries: An Integrated Systematic Review

Le résumé fourni par la source

This integrated systematic review investigates the current state of Open Educational Resources (OER) across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, combining evidence from academic and grey literature to provide a comprehensive regional overview. While prior studies have mapped OER across the broader Arab region, no dedicated GCC-level synthesis currently exists. Using an integrated review design, the study combines a PRISMA-guided synthesis of 31 peer-reviewed studies with a structured grey-literature analysis of 27 retained sources, including official policy and strategy documents, OER platform documentation, program reports, and institutional portals. Findings indicate that OER adoption and creation across the GCC are expanding but remain uneven in scale and maturity. Saudi Arabia demonstrates the most mature and state-coordinated OER ecosystem, whereas Bahrain, Oman, and Qatar illustrate policy-aligned or accessibility-driven approaches. The United Arab Emirates and Kuwait display high digital readiness yet lack unified OER policy frameworks. Common enablers include government-led digital transformation, institutional initiatives, and collaboration through UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) and ALECSO (Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization). Persistent barriers relate to policy fragmentation, limited open-licensing literacy, insufficient systemic professional-development mechanisms for educators, and the limited availability of quality Arabic-language and accessible openly licensed resources. The review underscores the need for coherent policy frameworks, sustained capacity-building strategies, interoperable OER infrastructures, and the integration of AI and accessibility in OER production in alignment with the UNESCO OER Recommendation and the Dubai OER Declaration. Overall, this study offers the first region-specific synthesis of OER development in the GCC, providing actionable insights for advancing open, inclusive, and sustainable education ecosystems.

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