Does student satisfaction with school facilities affect exam results?

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between student satisfaction with school facilities and exam results. Design/methodology/approach – The authors combined exam results in Norwegian lower secondary schools with results from a nationwide, mandatory and annual survey that measures student satisfaction over a five-year period. The data were analyzed using regression methods (ordinary least squares and fixed-effects estimation). Findings – The authors found a modest, yet significant, relationship between satisfaction with school facilities and exam results. This is in contrast to earlier studies using Norwegian data, which indicate no such relationship. The authors argue that the difference is probably due to the fact that they have richer data than what were available to the earlier studies of Norwegian schools, and that they used a direct measure of student satisfaction rather than formal and technical measures of facility conditions. Originality/value – This paper offers new evidence of the relationship between school facilities and student achievement and should be of great interest to academics, school leaders and policy makers.