Honors: All College Participants
Acoustics in Classrooms: Old, New, and Renovated
Academic Level at Time of Presentation
Senior
Major
Communication Disorders
Minor
N/A
List all Project Mentors & Advisor(s)
Susan Brown
Presentation Format
Oral Presentation
Abstract/Description
Acoustics in elementary school classrooms are an important factor in the learning process for children. Acoustical features such as reverberation time, ambient noise, background noise and signal-to-noise ratio can positively or negatively affect how well children can listen and learn during the school day. These features differ between classrooms as well as between schools based on materials and items in the classroom, the size of the room, location of the room in the building, and location of the school. The American National Standards Institute and the Acoustical Society of America have set recommendations for these acoustical features in elementary school classrooms, but these standards are not always adhered to. This thesis discusses the effects on learning due to poor acoustical features, as well as differences in the measurements of reverberation time and ambient noise in three different elementary schools: an older school, a recently-built school, and a school that is currently being renovated. Alterations and modifications for the classrooms are also discussed to help improve the ambient noise levels and reverberation times in classrooms that are outside of the recommendations by the ANSI and the ASA.
Location
Classroom 211, Waterfield Library
Start Date
November 2016
End Date
November 2016
Affiliations
Honors Thesis
Acoustics in Classrooms: Old, New, and Renovated
Classroom 211, Waterfield Library
Acoustics in elementary school classrooms are an important factor in the learning process for children. Acoustical features such as reverberation time, ambient noise, background noise and signal-to-noise ratio can positively or negatively affect how well children can listen and learn during the school day. These features differ between classrooms as well as between schools based on materials and items in the classroom, the size of the room, location of the room in the building, and location of the school. The American National Standards Institute and the Acoustical Society of America have set recommendations for these acoustical features in elementary school classrooms, but these standards are not always adhered to. This thesis discusses the effects on learning due to poor acoustical features, as well as differences in the measurements of reverberation time and ambient noise in three different elementary schools: an older school, a recently-built school, and a school that is currently being renovated. Alterations and modifications for the classrooms are also discussed to help improve the ambient noise levels and reverberation times in classrooms that are outside of the recommendations by the ANSI and the ASA.