Sound Levels in Classrooms and Effects on Self-Reported Mood Among School Children

Lundquist, Pär

doi:10.2466/pms.96.3.1289-1299

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…For example, noise from external sources such as aircraft and road traffic have been found to be associated with annoyance, speech interference, and vocal efforts among teachers (Crook & Langdon, 1974;Ko, 1979;Sargent, Gidman, Humphreys, & Utley, 1980). Similarly, some studies have reported increased vocal efforts (Åhlander et al, 2011;Pekkarinen, Himberg, & Pentti, 1992;Pekkarinen & Viljanen, 1991) and distraction and annoyance (Enmarker & Boman, 2004;Kristiansen, Lund, Nielsen, Persson, & Shibuya, 2011;Lundquist, Holmberg, Burström, & Landström, 2003;Lundquist, Holmberg, & Landström, 2000;Skarlatos & Manatakis, 2003) related to internal noise sources and high RT. Thus, the available evidence suggests that poor acoustical working conditions have several negative effects on teachers, and although none of the studies provide direct evidence, there are reasons to believe that poor acoustical working conditions may have consequences for their job commitment and job satisfaction.…”

mentioning

confidence: 92%

Effects of Classroom Acoustics and Self-Reported Noise Exposure on Teachers’ Well-Being

Kristiansen

Persson

Lund

et al. 2011

Environment and Behavior

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Beyond noise annoyance and voice problems, little is known about the effects that noise and poor classroom acoustics have on teachers' health and wellbeing. The aim of this field study was therefore to investigate the effects of perceived noise exposure and classroom reverberation on measures of wellbeing. Data on self-reported noise exposure, job satisfaction, fatigue after work, and interest in leaving the job were obtained from 283 teachers at 10 schools in Copenhagen, Denmark. In addition, the schools' acoustical working environment was classified as "low reverberation time (RT)" (3 schools, RT = 0.41-0.47 s), "medium RT" (3 schools, RT = 0.50-0.53 s), or "high RT" (4 schools, RT = 0.59-0.73 s). Significant associations were found between high RT and noise exposure, and, respectively, low job satisfaction, lack of energy after work, and interest in leaving the job. Noise exposure was also associated with lack of motivation and sleepiness. The results demonstrate the importance of good classroom acoustic conditions for teachers' well-being.

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mentioning

confidence: 92%

Effects of Classroom Acoustics and Self-Reported Noise Exposure on Teachers’ Well-Being

Kristiansen

Persson

Lund

et al. 2011

Environment and Behavior

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“…However, two measurements above 80 dBA are doubtful as they seem unrealistically high, in particular one measurement of an equivalent daily sound level of 87 dBA. The measurement is much higher than equivalent levels obtained in occupied classrooms in other studies [29][30][31]. The sound levels were recorded by stationary unsupervised monitors placed in the classrooms, and it cannot be ruled out that one or two high measurements are due to deliberate acts from some children.…”

Section: Symptomsmentioning

confidence: 56%

Is Noise Exposure in Non-Industrial Work Environments Associated with Increased Sickness Absence?

Kristiansen

2010

Noise & Vibration Worldwide

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Noise in non-industrial workplaces is an increasing problem. Annoyance and complaints over noise are frequently reported in these workplaces, whereas the risk of hearing damage is usually not the major concern. An important question arises for this type of noise of low to moderate intensity; that is, if it could be a cause of increased sickness absence, for example, via a mechanism starting with job dissatisfaction or via health problems caused by the noise exposure. This paper discusses this question starting from epidemiological studies on sickness absence, and supplemented with field and laboratory studies that address intermediate steps on the path to sickness absence, such as job dissatisfaction, symptoms, and physiological stress reactions. Only 3 epidemiological studies have investigated the effect of occupational noise on sickness absence. In the one study most pertinent to the question raised above, noise was associated with increased sickness absence in women holding jobs with complex work tasks. No firm conclusions can be made based on the studies that have illuminated possible intermediate steps to sickness absence. One reason is the wide variety of scopes and contexts addressed in these studies; the workplace exposures that have been investigated spans noise in schools, open-plan offices, hospitals and noise from ventilation systems, etc. Another reason is the presence of major weaknesses in many of the studies, such as confounding effects and problematic exposure assessments. It is concluded that based on the level of the current evidence an association between occupational noise exposure of low to moderate level and sickness absence is possible, but to settle the question more high quality studies are needed.

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“…It has been observed that pausing by teachers during bursts of external noise produces an effective reduction in teaching time (Weinstein, 1979), which has been put as high as 11% (Rivlin & Weinstein, 1984). Although there is interest in noise annoyance (Kjellberg et al, 1996;Boman & Enmarker, 2004) and links to mood (Lundquist et al, 2002(Lundquist et al, , 2003, it seems there is also a more direct cognitive mechanism (Haines et al, 2001a). Hygge (2003) reported that various noises (recordings of aeroplanes, road traffic and trains) appear to interfere with the encoding stage of memory and that this is not mediated by distraction or mood.…”

Section: Noisementioning

confidence: 97%

A sound foundation? What we know about the impact of environments on learning and the implications for Building Schools for the Future

Woolner

Hall

Higgins

et al. 2007

Oxford Review of Education

139

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A sound foundation? What we know about the impact of environments on learning and the implications for Building Schools for the Future, Oxford Review of Education, 33:1, 47-70, This paper reports on a literature review conducted in the UK for the Design Council and CfBT which looked at the evidence of the impact of environments on learning in schools. We have reviewed the available evidence regarding different facets of the physical environment and provided an analysis based on different areas of effect, including the extent to which different facets interact (positively and negatively) with one another. Our conclusions suggest that, although the research often indicates the parameters of an effective environment, there is an overall lack of empirical evidence about the impact of individual elements of the physical environment which might inform school design at a practical level to support student achievement. However, at a secondary level of analysis, there are indications that environmental change can be part of a catalytic process of school development and improvement. The implications of these findings for Building Schools for the Future will be discussed.

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Sound Levels in Classrooms and Effects on Self-Reported Mood Among School Children

Cited by 7 publications

References 19 publications

Effects of Classroom Acoustics and Self-Reported Noise Exposure on Teachers’ Well-Being

Effects of Classroom Acoustics and Self-Reported Noise Exposure on Teachers’ Well-Being

Is Noise Exposure in Non-Industrial Work Environments Associated with Increased Sickness Absence?

A sound foundation? What we know about the impact of environments on learning and the implications for Building Schools for the Future

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