Participation of women in distance learning was directly related to political and social changes in women's position within the family and society, technological changes in the work place, and the economic necessity of participation, and the job market and new job opportunities. The research activities of Britain's Open University provided new directions and emphasis for more research in this field. Publication of Research in Distance Education in 1989 provided great opportunity to collect information about ongoing research projects and the results of current research in the field of distance education. Educational researchers are rarely present during the design of distance learning systems. There is no clear paradigm for research in distance learning, and it is difficult to attract funds to develop one.
Some institutions are averse to defining boundaries and variables clearly.
Educational researchers often ask questions of no practical or even theoretical relevance. Technology makes the process of research, collection of data, analysis of data, and generation of reports easier and faster. The input and outcome variables can be divided into student or system variables, and process variables are divided as either development or delivery variables. With the increase in demand for distance education, the growing concerns were knowledge about effectiveness of distance education and changes in pedagogy enabled and required by the advancement of technology. Clark believes that it is not media, but variables such as instructional method that foster distance learning.