Purpose: Listening is the gateway to learning in the mainstream classroom; however, classrooms are noisy environments, making listening challenging. Therefore, speech-in-noise tests that realistically incorporate the complexity of the classroom listening environment are needed. The aim of this article was to review the speech stimuli, noise…

This study aims to investigate the interaction between acoustical and psychological features in the perception of soundscape to improve the learning attitude. Sound measurements were performed in nine classrooms in three Hong Kong's higher education institutions and questionnaires were used to collect responses from 209 students who attended…

Classroom noise impairs students' cognition and learning. At a first glance, it seems useful to prevent the negative effects of noise on academic learning by wearing noise-cancelling (NC) headphones during class. The literature and guidelines emphasize the academic benefits of wearing NC headphones (decreased auditory distraction, increased…

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the listening effort made by young children in real classrooms during a prolonged speech reception task in the presence of background noise. Method: The experiment was proposed to 117 typically developing kindergarten and primary school pupils, aged 5-7 years old. An ecological experimental approach was…

Purpose: Open-plan classroom styles are increasingly being adopted in Australia despite evidence that their high intrusive noise levels adversely affect learning. The aim of this study was to develop a new Australian speech perception task (the Mealings, Demuth, Dillon, and Buchholz Classroom Speech Perception Test) and use it in an open-plan…

It is imperative that teachers have the knowledge and resources to support children who are deaf and use a cochlear implant in general education classrooms. The recommendations presented in this article provide teachers with the information necessary to promote a child's academic progress, communication needs, and social development. In order to…

Recent research has shown that speakers are sensitive to non-contrastive phonetic detail present in nonnative speech (e.g. Escudero et al. 2012; Wilson et al. 2014). Difficulties in interpreting and implementing unfamiliar phonetic variation can lead nonnative speakers to modify second language forms by vowel epenthesis and other changes. These…

The ability to verbalize--and therefore think and learn abstractly--has conditioned people to see the world in logical patterns. People are trained to do so by the wiring of the neurologically typical (neurotypical) brain and the increasing complexity of the environment that shapes it. Public schools are also designed for students with…

Within a variationist approach for data collection and analysis, this study investigates the acquisition in perception of post-vocalic word-final stops (codas) by speakers of Brazilian Portuguese learning English as a foreign language in a classroom environment. Because codas are illicit in this variety of Portuguese, the hypothesis holds that…

This study was designed to address the result using sound enhancement technology in classrooms as a method of enhancing the auditory experience for students seated in the rear sections of classrooms. Previous research demonstrated the efficacy of using sound distribution systems (SDS) in real time to enhance speech perception (Anderson &…

This paper aims to explain effects of acoustical environments in sound perception of hearing impaired people. Important aspects of sound and hearing impairment are explained. Detrimental factors in acoustic conditions for speech perception are mentioned. Necessary acoustic treatment in classrooms and use of FM systems to eliminate these factors…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine children's head orientation relative to the arrival angle of competing signals and the sound source of interest in actual school settings. These data were gathered to provide information relative to the potential for directional benefit. Method: Forty children, 4-17 years of age, with and without…

Recent research has demonstrated that students with normal hearing ability benefit from the use of classroom amplification systems. Amplification systems allow teachers to control, stabilize, and equalize the classroom acoustical environment so their voices are clearly audible over background noise at all locations within the classroom. Studies…

The role of hearing, although invisible, is critical to the development of language and literacy skills across key stage 1. Yet, Foundation stage and key stage 1 pupils are the most likely of all children to experience reduced hearing sensitivity, under developed listening skills and a less than ideal acoustic learning environment. The paper…

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of sound-field amplification intervention on the acquisition of specific educational goals for children in mainstream cross-cultural classrooms. Twelve classes of Year 2 children participated in the project. For classes 1 to 8, the listening environments were alternated between amplified and…