Acoustic Conditions and Student Perceptions in a Québec Classroom: A Case Study

Although several studies have reported negative impacts of classroom noise on learning, few have examined students' subjective perceptions of their acoustic environment. This cross-sectional observational case study of a single classroom explored how adolescents aged 12 to 13 years evaluated their classroom soundscape and related perceptions to objective noise measurements.

Over 11 school days, several groups of students completed a questionnaire at the end of each class period (N = 957), indicating whether they felt annoyed/distracted, indifferent, or content/focused in relation to the acoustic environment, and providing free-text comments. Simultaneously, acoustic indicators (LAeq, LA10, LA90, LAmax, LA10-LA90) were recorded using calibrated sound level meters.

Periods with higher LAeq, LA10, and LAmax values were significantly associated with fewer students feeling content/focused (r = -0.49 to -0.59; P < 0.05). At the individual level, correlations between acoustic measures and evaluations were weak (r = -0.14 to -0.19). Qualitative analysis of students' comments identified four perceptual modes of acoustic experience: intensity, soundscape, source, and autocentric impressions. Most students used only one mode and rarely made explicit connections between sound and learning.

Findings from this single-classroom case study suggest that while higher continuous and peak noise levels are modestly associated with increased annoyance and reduced focus, these effects are limited. Because some student groups visited the classroom repeatedly, the data are not fully independent; and results should be interpreted with caution. This study highlights the need for larger, multiclassroom investigations combining subjective and objective data, and for tools supporting teacher noise management and student awareness.