Influence of Noise Level and Reverberation on Children’s Performance and Effort in Primary Schools

Classroom acoustics and noise exposure significantly impact students' emotional, cognitive, and academic well-being. This study investigates how classroom noise and acoustics affect auditory and cognitive performance among 131 children in three primary schools in northeast Italy. Student performance was assessed using standardised tests evaluating working memory, verbal short and long-term memory, and visuospatial memory. Children were tested under two distinct acoustic conditions: ambient classroom noise and artificially induced noise (comprising a sequence of typical internal and external classroom sounds, intelligible speech, and unintelligible conversations). Prior to testing, hearing threshold was assessed, in order to reveal any existing impairments. Following each experimental session, children rated their perceived effort and fatigue in completing the tests. Acoustic characterisation of empty classrooms was performed using Reverberation Time (T20), Clarity (C50), and Speech Transmission Index (STI), while noise level was measured during all testing phases. Regression analysis was employed to correlate noise levels and reverberation times with class-average performance and perception scores. Results indicate that noise significantly impaired both verbal working memory and visual attention, increasing perceived effort and fatigue. Notably, both ambient and induced noise conditions exhibited comparable adverse effects on attentional and memory task performance. These findings underscore the critical importance of acoustic design in educational environments and provide empirical support for developing classroom acoustic standards.