Sound-field Amplification: Enhancing the Classroom Listening Environment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children

Abstract

Sound-field amplification is an educational tool that allows control of the acoustic environment in a classroom. Teachers wear small microphones that transmit sound to a receiver system attached to loudspeakers around the classroom. The goal of sound-field amplification is to amplify the teacher’s voice by a few decibels, and to provide uniform amplification throughout the classroom without making speech too loud for normal hearing children. This report discusses the major findings of a study which investigated the effects of sound-field amplification intervention on the communication naturally occurring in the classrooms of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. The audiological findings of the sample population of children are presented, as well as details of the classroom acoustic environment. Sixty-seven percent of the children began the field trials with a slight hearing loss. The results confirmed the extremely noisy and reverberant conditions in which teachers and children are operating on a daily basis. The findings indicated that sound-field amplification intervention encouraged the children to interact with teachers and peers in a proactive way. Teachers identified voice-related factors to be a major personal benefit of the systems.

Childhood disability in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples: a literature review

“…Use of classroom-wide sound field amplification has been found to encourage children’s interaction with teachers and peers [44]. Importantly, amplification may reduce stigma and negative attitudes of peers which have been found to inhibit hearing aide use [45,46].…”

Prevalence and remediation of spatial processing disorder (SPD) in Indigenous children in regional Australia

“…The presence of SPD would contribute to listening diffi culties in the classroom and may limit the educational progress of Aboriginal children with the disorder. Many of these children would have additional disadvantages arising from listening in their second language (Nicholls, 2005), poor acoustics in the classroom (Massie et al, 2004), and comorbid conductive hearing loss arising from current or past middle-ear disorders (Thorne, 2003). Despite the negative impact that SPD could have on educational outcomes for Indigenous Australian children there is currently no funding to cover services for children with CAPD.…”

The Impact of Sound-Field Amplification in Mainstream Cross-Cultural Classrooms: Part 2 Teacher and Child Opinions

“…Such interference can be the result of poor classroom acoustic environments or less than optimal speaker placement (Flexer, Crandell & Smaldino, 1995). In Australia, the effective management of sound-field amplification devices has been a concern for service providers since systems were first introduced to classrooms of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children living on remote communities in the early 1990s (Grauf, 1994;Massie, Theodoros, Byrne, McPherson, & Smaldino, 1999). As with all technology, teachers require ongoing support to meet any technical challenges.…”