Environmental Facilities and Service Quality Its Impact of on Learner Engagement in Higher Education Institute: Case Study of Guizhou, China

This study aims to explore the influencing mechanism of environmental facilities, perceived service quality, and learner engagement in private universities located in underdeveloped western China. It seeks to fill the existing research gap regarding the specific action path of the 'environmental facilities-service quality-learner engagement' paradigm within western private higher education institutions. Taking Private University G in Guizhou Province as an empirical case study, this research adopts a comprehensive mixed-methods design that combines both quantitative and qualitative research approaches. The study conducts structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis based on data collected from 384 valid questionnaires, and subsequently carries out qualitative verification through in-depth semi-structured interviews with nine teachers and students. The analytical results demonstrate that environmental facilities have a significant positive driving effect on perceived service quality. Furthermore, perceived service quality significantly and positively predicts learner engagement, while environmental facilities exhibit a significant but relatively weak direct positive impact on learner engagement. Notably, perceived service quality plays a crucial partial mediating role between environmental facilities and learner engagement, accounting for 85.492% of the total effect. The study indicates that under the background of severe resource constraints, prioritizing the improvement of facility maintenance efficiency and overall service management is substantially more effective in enhancing students' learning engagement than relying solely on large-scale infrastructure investment. Ultimately, the findings of this study provide robust empirical evidence and practical references for private universities in western China to optimize facility allocation, improve service quality, and sustainably enhance learner engagement.