William H. Farquhar Middle School, Olney, MD. Photo credit: Patrick Ross
School Health Research Library
We have curated a library of peer-reviewed scientific studies from around the world published since 2016, focusing on the school built environment and occupant health and performance. This research builds on the 2017 Schools for Health: Foundations for Student Success report released by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health that synthesizes foundational research about school indoor environmental quality impacts on students and staff.
To help translate this research into action in schools, we have compiled School Health Research Highlights to help school staff and leaders access key findings and actionable strategies on priority topics.
Displaying 101 - 110 of 355 | Export entire research library
Profiling Indian classroom listening conditions in schools for children with hearing impairment
Saravanan, Gomathi
The mean noise level and reverberation time in all classrooms exceeded recommended maximum levels. The measured SNRs were not optimal for children with hearing impairment. Observations of the classrooms revealed that acoustical treatments were…
Keywords: Acoustics, Classroom noise, Hearing loss, India, Reverberation, Schools for the deaf, Teacher voice
The effects of classroom noise on the reading comprehension of adolescents
Connolly, Daniel
The
results showed that the performance of all pupils was significantly negatively affected in the 70 dB condition, for the number of questions attempted and the accuracy of answers to factual and word learning questions. It was harder to…
Keywords:
A preliminary investigation of sound-field amplification as an inclusive classroom adjustment for children with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder
Wilson, Wayne
Potential proximate benefits were observed for all students with teachers rating student listening behaviours higher with SFA versus without SFA. Potential distant benefits were observed for students with ASD who showed greater improvements in one…
Keywords: Sound field amplification (sfa), Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Listening, Attention, Memory, Phonological processing, Educational achievement
Classroom acoustics as a consideration for inclusive education in South Africa
Reenen, Coralie
Noise is disadvantageous for learners, particularly those with sensory, language or
learning impairments. Research and international guidelines show that the ideal ambient level
is 30 dBA – 35 dBA, allowing the achievement of an ideal…
Keywords:
Children's effortful control skills, but not their prosocial skills, relate to their reactions to classroom noise
Jessica Massonie
Prosocial skills
were not related to children’s reactions to noise. However, children with lower effortful control skills
reported more negative reactions to classroom noise. Given the importance of effortful control skills
to…
Keywords: Noise, Noise sensitivity, Health, Children, Classrooms, Attention, Distraction, Annoyance, Temperament, Prosocial skills
Inverse relationship between urban green space and childhood autism in California elementary school districts
Wu, Jianyong
We observed inverse associations between several green space metrics and autism prevalence in school districts with high road density, the highly urbanized areas, but not in others. These results suggest that increases of 10% in forest, grassland,…
Keywords: Air pollution, Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Greenness, Near-road tree canopy, School children
A study evaluating noise levels at selected schools in the Czech Republic
Nedojedla, Petra
The mean equivalent A-weighted sound pressure level during lessons irrespective of age and subjects taught was 68.0
± 3.4 dB (uncertainty of measurement). The highest levels of noise were in physical education and arts; the lowest levels were…
Keywords: Equivalent sound pressure level, Primary schools, Noise, Teacher, Lessons
Investigating listening effort in classrooms for 5- to 7-year-old children
Prodi, Nicola
It was found that when background noise
was present, the pupils' performance decreased, and
greater RTs were required compared to the “quiet
classroom” condition. When the RTs were analyzed
over the course of the…
Keywords:
Social disparities in exposure to noise at public schools in the contiguous United States
Collins, Timothy
We found that those attending schools most highly exposed to road noise or aviation noise were significantly more likely to be eligible for free/reduced price meals (economically deprived), and to be Hispanic, black, or Asian/Pacific Islander (API…
Keywords: Noise pollution, Children, Public schools, Environmental justice
The effect of noise on attention and performance in reading and writing tasks
Fernandes, Renata
The higher the score on the Sustained Attention Test, the shorter the time spent reading
and fewer errors in the dictation task. There were no differences across the three grades within the GEA (lower
levels of noise) with regard to the…
Keywords: Attention, Handwriting, Learning, Noise, Reading