Listening efficiency during lessons under various types of noise

Abstract

Pupils inside primary school classrooms can be exposed to extraneous noise, impairing their performance in the speech reception process. The different noises show a peculiar impact, depending on their level, spectral content and temporal fine structure. In order to understand how the disturbance is built up over time, in this work a large data set was analyzed, detailing the changes of pupils' performance as the lesson progresses from the start to the end. Several types of noise are considered (traffic, tapping and activity noise) and the analysis concerns III to V graders of the Italian primary school (8 to 10 year old pupils). By using as indicators the intelligibility scores, the response time and their ratio, the so-called "listening efficiency," several findings are achieved. Pupils respond differently to each noise during the course of the lesson. In the better listening conditions, the performance in the speech reception worsens under traffic and babble noise whereas an opposite trend is found under tapping noise. On the contrary adaptation is observed in the worse listening conditions for the traffic noise alone. Moreover, indications are achieved that the age proficiency may affect differently babble noise compared to traffic and tapping noise.

Classroom acoustics: Listening problems in children

“…34,36 Studies shows, in particular, that background noise and reverberation have a significantly negative effect. In general, the background noise made children's performance worse, 31,32,36 and younger children appear to be having more trouble in managing the noise intrusion compared to the older kids. 31 There are specific recommended acoustic conditions of primary school classrooms, based on National Standards from different countries.8-10 However, cases of classrooms with poor acoustics are very common, and in many cases, the acoustic levels were found to be non-compliant with the recommended classroom acoustic guidelines of the respective countries.…”

“…In general, the background noise made children's performance worse, 31,32,36 and younger children appear to be having more trouble in managing the noise intrusion compared to the older kids. 31 There are specific recommended acoustic conditions of primary school classrooms, based on National Standards from different countries.8-10 However, cases of classrooms with poor acoustics are very common, and in many cases, the acoustic levels were found to be non-compliant with the recommended classroom acoustic guidelines of the respective countries. 11,12,15 It is crucial that construction and renovation projects of classrooms are designed to reduce the unoccupied noise levels and RTs, as this is a key prerequisite for achieving adequate conditions also during teaching and learning activities.…”

“…Children can be exposed to extraneous noise in the school environment, and the different types of noise may have a peculiar impact, depending on their level, spectral content and temporal fine structure. 31 A previous study 31 analysed the effect of different types of noise on primary school children's listening performance during the course of a lesson. Three kinds of noises were used to interfere with the speech signal: a continuously fluctuating signal, with the same spectral characteristics as the natural speech but without any semantic meaning, a noise recorded in a silent room while noise was generated on the upper level, and the traffic noise, recorded along a busy road.…”

“…The evaluation of speech transmission quality through the use of measures such as the STI is therefore not sufficient to ensure a complete description of the phenomenon, and for this reason, new methods to predict speech intelligibility are being developed. 24,31 It is important not only to consider energetic masking or RT limits but also to assess the subjective listening performance under various noise conditions and to ensure an adequate level of performance in the classroom. 24,31 Other aspects that should be considered are the room volume, the number of children, and the distance of the loudspeakers from each child.…”

“…24,31 It is important not only to consider energetic masking or RT limits but also to assess the subjective listening performance under various noise conditions and to ensure an adequate level of performance in the classroom. 24,31 Other aspects that should be considered are the room volume, the number of children, and the distance of the loudspeakers from each child. An Australian study 32 The noise levels were higher the larger the classroom, and children's performance accuracy and response speed found during the test decreased with increased noise level.…”