The Importance of Acoustic Quality in Classroom

Abstract

An effective learning process in a classroom with good speech intelligibility requires good acoustic quality. Low acoustic quality may cause frequent speech repetition and consequently leads to several emotional disorders among the students. The purpose of this study is to improve the acoustic quality of the classroom for a better learning process. Two classrooms at Faculty of Civil Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia have been selected for this study. Reverberation time is the most important factor in acoustics, which was determined using theoretical calculations and simulations. A Dass-21 of self-report questionnaires was used to measure the levels of depression, anxiety, and stress among the students. The results showed that reverberation times of the classrooms were more than 1 second and 34% of the students have suffered from severe and extreme anxiety. The acoustic quality can be improved through the replacement of a painted concrete wall with high sound absorption material made of kenaf fiber in order to ensure reverberation time does not exceed the limit.

How classroom acoustics influence students and teachers: A systematic literature review

“…Reverberation time is the most important factor in the acoustic quality of the classroom environment (Sarlati, Haron, Yahya, Darus, Dimon & Athari, 2014). There is no universal, perfect reverberation for classroom performance.…”

“…Some differences can be found in relation to stress, anxiety, and health. Studies showed that students felt more anxious than stressed or depressed when the level of noise pollution was extreme (Sarlati et al, 2014). According to the children's opinions, well-being is not something influenced by the noise in school or in the classroom (Simion, 2018).…”

Acoustical Evaluation and Comparison Between Two Classroom Types in Erbil

“…The length of reverberation time can cause a person to feel angry or uncomfortable, thereby possibly affecting the emotional status of the students and lecturer, creating an inherently negative experience for space users, and undermining the learning process (Evans et al, 1995;Hagen et al, 2004). Furthermore, the noise in the classroom can even lead to or exacerbate disorders such as depression, anxiety, and stress (Sarlati et al, 2014).…”

Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy-based Vibration Approach for Structural Fault Diagnosis

“…Classroom is a space in the school that used for students to acquire knowledge from teachers. Good acoustical performance inside the classroom is vital for enhancing the learning process of the students [1]. Classroom with good acoustic performance provide comfortable teaching and learning environment for teachers and students.…”