The Role of Distance Education in Economic Growth and Development: Developing a Model

In this is age of technology distance education serves individuals by enhancing their knowledge, attitude, skills, and behavior; it can also be a significant driver of economic development. The purpose of this research was to examine the role of distance education in economic development in Payame Noor University (PNU). Methods: From a total population of 1238 PNU students, a sample set of 184 was made randomly using Cochran’s formula. Data were collected using a 33-item Distance Education Questionnaire and a 23-item Economic Development Scale, both of which were developed by the researchers. Chronbach’s alpha determinations were 0.857 and 0.825 for these 2 instruments respectively. Data were analyzed using the Pearson correlation in SPSS vs. 20 structural equation modeling in LISREL vs. 8.53. Results: Results showed a significant positive correlation (0.438) between distance education and economic development. Distance education was also significantly correlated with average (0.218) and high (0.441) economic development. Goodness of fit indices showed that the model was a good fit to the data ( χ 2 /df = 0.764; RMSEA = 0.002; GFI = 0.97; AGFI = 0.93). Conclusion: Based on the present findings, optimal and culturally adjusted ICT application in education can increase efficiency in many important measures of economic development such as effectiveness, productivity and capital deepening.