Barriers to Distance Education in Rural Schools

The primary purpose of the current study was to examine barriers to the use of distance education and explore related factors in small and low-income rural schools. Data were collected via a telephone survey with administrators or other qualified personnel. The sample involved 417 randomly selected small and low-income rural school districts because these districts are more likely to need distance education to overcome various challenges. Barriers were related to several factors that may need to be considered in the use of distance education. Limitations, policy, and other implications, and suggestions for future research are discussed.