The Study of Influential Environmental Factors on the Economics of Education

The aim of this study was to investigate the environmental factors affecting the economics of education.

The research is applied in terms of purpose and its method is descriptive-exploratory of correlation type. The method of collecting data was library and field studies through interview tools and questionnaires. The statistical population includes managers and experts of Semnan Education Organization in 2019-20 in the number of 384 that based on Cochran's formula, 192 people estimated the sample size and were selected by stratified random sampling.The method of data collection was a researcher-made questionnaire with 78 questions.  The validity of the questionnaire was assessed by content method by experts and senior managers of education. The total reliability of the questionnaire was obtained through Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.71. Exploratory factor analysis, Pearson correlation tests and multiple regressions with SPSS software were used to analyze the data in two sections: descriptive and inferential statistics.

Findings of exploratory factor analysis method showed that environmental factors were validated and categorized in the form of seven factors: political, economic, cultural, social, psychological, legal and technological factors, respectively. These factors, in total, accounted for 92.19% of the total variance of the questions, among which, political factors accounted for the highest percentage of variance (45.17) and is the most important. Based on the findings of the correlation test, environmental factors related to the economics of education have a positive and significant relationship. Regression findings showed that environmental factors (35.8%) explained the variable of education economy in Semnan province.

According to the findings of the study, political factors, economic factors, cultural factors, social factors, psychological factors, legal factors and technological factors improve the education economy. Ultimately, these factors lead to the training, motivation and effectiveness of human resources.