The Relationship Between Learning Organization Principles and Student Achievement in Catholic Schools

The purpose of this study was to determine if Catholic schools in the state of
Florida were using learning organization principles, and if they were, what effect did it
have on student learning. The study was framed by three concepts: learning organization
principles, student achievement, and contextual factors. The study employed a nonexperimental
design and the school was the unit of study. The study's instrument, called
the Learning Organization Survey for Schools (LOSS), was distributed to fifty Catholic
schools in the state of Florida in the summer of 2006. Each school was asked to distribute
the surveys to ten full-time teachers working at the schools. Thirty-four of the schools
responded for a 7 5. 7 % rate of return.
The study showed that Catholic schools are using learning organization
principles. A reliable instrument was established and achieved face validity through the
use of an expert panel. Mental models were significantly negatively related. Shared
vision was significantly positively related to student achievement. Three statistically significant moderating relationships between the contextual factors, mental models,
shared vision and systems thinking and student achievement were found.
Two major conclusions were drawn from this study. Catholic schools are using
learning organization principles, and shared vision has an impact on the success of a
school. The second conclusion is that schools should work diligently to develop shared
vision if they desire to improve student achievement.