A scoping review of the effects of classroom acoustic conditions on primary school children’s mental wellbeing

Abstract

The aim of this scoping review was to systematically map research on the effect of classroom acoustic conditions on children’s mental wellbeing and identify existing gaps in knowledge to inform future research. This scoping review followed the PRISMA-ScR protocol. A comprehensive search of four online databases (ERIC, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science) was conducted using the search term classroom AND (acoustic* OR noise OR reverb*) AND (“mental health” OR emotion OR wellbeing OR “quality of life” OR anxiety OR depression). Peer-reviewed papers were included if they were written in English, included children in the primary school age range (i.e. 5–12 years), and included a measure of children’s mental wellbeing. Six papers met the criteria to be included in the review. Overall, this review suggests that poor classroom acoustic conditions can negatively affect children’s mental wellbeing. Given the small number of studies, future research suggestions are proposed to fill current gaps in knowledge.

The effect of classroom acoustics and noise on high school students’ listening, learning and well-being: a scoping review

“…Recent reviews have shown that poor classrooms acoustic conditions can have a negative effect on primary school children’s speech intelligibility, listening comprehension, literacy, numeracy, cognition, behaviour, physical health and mental well-being (Lamotte et al , 2021; Mealings, 2022e, 2022d, 2022c, 2022b, 2022a, 2023a; Minelli et al , 2022). Additionally, poor classrooms acoustic conditions affect speech intelligibility and are a barrier for primary school children who have hearing loss or are non-native speakers being able to engage in listening and learning (Crandell and Smaldino, 2000; Nelson et al , 2005; Todorov et al , 2021; Todorov, Galvin, Punch, et al , 2021).…”

The Effect of Classroom Acoustic Treatment on Listening, Learning, and Well-being: A Scoping Review

“…Classrooms are vital learning spaces, whether it be for preschool children, primary school children, high school students, or university/adult students. Recent reviews on the effect of classroom acoustic conditions on primary school children's listening, learning, and well-being have shown that poor acoustic conditions can negatively affect their speech perception, listening comprehension, literacy skills, numeracy performance, cognition, behaviour, physical health, and mental well-being [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. Therefore, it is important that the acoustic environment provides support for learning.…”

Methodological approaches and main factors considered in school soundscape studies: A scoping review

“…10 Mealings evaluated the effects of primary school acoustic conditions on children's attention and memory. 11 Findings determined that potentially, there are adverse effects of noise on children's cognition. In parallel with this review, Shield and Dockrell stressed that students are exposed to a variety of noise sources which impact them negatively.…”

“…26 Besides, occupants' own ratings and judgments can add valuable knowledge to current school acoustics literature. Although there are reviews available dealing with school acoustics, 3,[10][11][12]14 there is no review in the literature specifically for school soundscape studies. However, it is pertinent to consider two relevant reviews in this context, which, while not explicitly concentrating on the broader school soundscape, delve into related topics.…”