Date
7-22-2025
Department
School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD)
Chair
Philip Alsup
Keywords
Educational equity, instructional setting, My Class Inventory (MCI), predictive correlational study, school climate, special education, supplemental funding, teacher perception, teacher satisfaction, years of service
Disciplines
Education | Special Education and Teaching
Recommended Citation
Keller, Bailey D., "Predicting School Culture from Teacher Experience and Funding: A Predictive Correlational Study" (2025). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 7233.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/7233
Abstract
The purpose of this quantitative, predictive correlational study is to understand how accurately the perception of school climate can be predicted from a linear combination of special education teachers’ years of teaching experience and supplemental state and federal funding allocated to teachers in the special education setting. The participants were drawn from a convenience sample of public school special education teachers located in a large school district in a southern state of the United States during the 2024-2025 school year. The setting for this research is a collection of campuses representing the work environments of the participants sampled. The My Class Inventory questionnaire serves as the study’s instrument and was distributed to the special education teachers within the selected school district. Results from the multiple linear regression analysis indicated a significantly significant relationship between supplemental funding and teacher perception of school climate, while years of teaching experience show no significant predictive value. These findings suggest even modest financial investments can positively influence teacher perception of school climate, and future research should examine varied geographic settings, incorporate multiple data sources, explore additional predictors of satisfaction, analyze funding models, and include qualitative insights from teachers to better understand the lived impact of resource allocation. Findings from the study could help benefit the future of education by disclosing how state and federal funding is leveraged and serve as a guide for special education administrators for future effective decision making to improve teacher retention and campus culture. The results, conclusions, and recommendations for further use are included.
