The Impact of the School Learning Environment on Student Academic Achievement from the School Employees' Perspective

The purpose of this research was to examine the impact that school learning environment has on student achievement from the perspective of the school employees. The research was carried out using a mixed methods approach, evaluating historical data to determine relationships between school learning environment and student achievement in two rural schools in West Virginia. Current research indicates that a supportive school learning environment influences school success and effectiveness positively (Hattie, 2008). While school culture is identified in various ways throughout the research, the definitions repeatedly align and generally describe the school culture using a combination of the following terms: beliefs, norms, habits, customs, traditions, attitudes, relationships and behaviors within a school (Bayar, 2021) (Atasoy, 2020). While some research seems to indicate that a students' homelife and socioeconomic status contribute to their level of academic achievement (Bradley, 2022), additional research indicates that the schools hold the responsibility of student success in a variety of ways, including positive relationships and a supportive school learning environment (Sack-Min, 2018). The intentions of this study were to contribute to research in identifying the relationship between school learning environment and student achievement as well as to answer the question, "Does the perception of the school learning environment from the perspective of the school employees impact student achievement?" Identifying contributors to increased student achievement will be beneficial to school districts that are trying to improve student learning outcomes. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]