The Role of Cultural Industries of the Arts in Promoting Saudi Projects as an Approach to Enhancing a Sense of Belonging among Taif University students

Abstract

The research aims to identify the effectiveness of cultural industries for visual information design content in educating on Saudi Arabia’s mega projects as an approach to enhancing a sense of belonging among Saudi university students in general and Taif University students in particular. The research assums that there are statistically significant differences at (0.05) between the average Grades of the experimental group for students participating in the Cultural Arts Industries Workshop (Visual Information Design). The average scores of the control group for students who did not participate in the workshop (receiving information in the usual way) in the (post) measurement of the homeland belonging scale; this is for a sample of Saudi university students represented by a sample of 26 students from the Arts Department at the College of Design and Applied Arts at Taif University. The research relies on the descriptive approach, including diagnosis, analysis, and awareness of the dimensions and axes of the problem. The research also follows the quasi-experimental approach in dealing with the practical framework, with the aim of studying the causal relationship between the independent variable (visual design of information) and the dependent variable (national affiliation) by examining the theoretical literature on the role of visual arts as a visual communication medium, and the concept of cultural and creative industries (education through art) as a cognitive mediator. In addition to learning about the Kingdom’s mega projects as an entry point to strengthening students’ national identity and values of belonging, the results of the research leads to benefiting from the applications of visual communication processes and expressing them in the form of activating visual design trends in supporting studies and literature in specialized cultural and cognitive fields. The result of the research also proves that studying the cognitive content of visual design concepts and investing in the use of communication media have added cultural and social value to the role of visual arts in serving the cognitive and social environment of society. The research recommends studying the relationship of design to national identity by paying attention to the field of visual design with a national character. And its impact on the recipient as one of the cultural industries aimed at enriching national awareness and enhancing the spirit of identity and values of belonging.