Academic success in school is directly related to how well one is able to process and interpret information as well as how engaged one is with the learning process. As such, academic success can also be improved through a focus on classroom acoustics, the ambient noise level of the classroom, and mild hearing loss.
Recent studies have found that over a quarter of school children are at risk for academic failure due to the lack of effective classroom acoustics. This is a problem since it has been estimated that as many as half of all children with academic problems have some form of hearing loss.
You might be surprised to find out that hearing loss in children is more common than you think. In fact, 30% of all children K-3 have some form of mild hearing loss. That means that they're at risk for poor listening skills in school and an inability to participate fully in the class.
One of the major challenges for teachers is the acoustic properties of the classroom. A classroom is a unique space that has specific acoustic properties. The acoustics of a classroom depend on the number of people in the classroom, the number of windows in the classroom, the size of the room, the material used for the walls and the floor, and the position of the teacher’s desk.
These factors all play a role in speech intelligibility. The term intelligibility refers to 'speech clarity' or the proportion of a speaker's output that a listener can readily understand.
The speech intelligibility gap lives in every classroom. Physical factors cause students to hear selective words or parts of words. So consonants are quieter and get masked by background noise, making it harder to understand quickly, and leaving gaps in word recognition.
Our classroom audio systems provide a powerful tool to improve student outcomes. Research has validated classroom audio as a proven method of overcoming adverse classroom acoustic conditions. The solutions available can handle the acoustics in the classroom, regardless of design and provide effective amplification of teacher and students voices and improve the listening conditions for all students.
