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 331 - 340 of 585 | Export entire research library
Perceived listening difficulty in the classroom, not measured noise levels, is associated with fatigue in children with and without hearing loss
Gustafson, Samatha
In 79 U.S. children aged 6–12, perceived listening difficulty—but not measured classroom noise—predicted self-reported fatigue. Supports need for subjective listening supports in school policy.
Keywords:
Traffic-related air pollution, noise at school, and behavioral problems in Barcelona Schoolchildren: A cross-sectional study
Forns, Joan
Increases in indoor and outdoor EC, BC, and NO2 concentrations were positively associated with SDQ (behavioral development) total difficulties scores (suggesting more frequent
behavioral problems) in adjusted multivariate models, whereas noise…
Keywords:
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
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
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
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:
A preliminary investigation of sound-field amplification as an inclusive classroom adjustment for children with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder
Wilson, Wayne
A randomized controlled trial in 10 Australian schools tested sound-field amplification in Year 3 classrooms. Teachers rated listening higher with SFA; phonological benefit seen in ASD students. Supports inclusive acoustic policy.
Keywords: Sound field amplification (sfa), Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Listening, Attention, Memory, Phonological processing, Educational achievement
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
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:
Impact of noise-attenuating headphones on participation in the home, community, and school for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Pfieffer, Beth
Participants identified that the use of noise-attenuat-
ing headphones increased participation in home, community, and
school settings. Barriers and benefits were identified for both around-
ear and in-ear headphones.…
Keywords: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Barriers, Benefits, Headphones, Noise attenuation, Participation