How do classroom noise and a dysphonic voice affect children’s listening?

Details

Classroom listening often takes place in acoustically adverse conditions, where background noise and variation in teacher voice quality place substantial demands on children’s speech processing and learning. The study examined how classroom noise and a dysphonic teacher voice affect word recognition and sentence comprehension, including the cognitive factors supporting performance under adverse conditions.

Twenty-six children aged 8–12 years with normal hearing completed word recognition (WIPI) and sentence comprehension (TROG-2) tasks in a soundproof booth. Speech stimuli were presented in either a normal or dysphonic voice with classroom noise at signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) of −8 and −12 dB. The researchers measured accuracy, self-rated listening effort and response time. Working memory (WM) and inhibitory control (IC) were assessed once per child.

A dysphonic voice and lower SNR reduced accuracy and increased listening effort and response times. Word recognition was more vulnerable to poor SNR, whereas sentence comprehension was more affected by a dysphonic voice. Higher WM supported word recognition in degraded voice conditions, while stronger IC was associated with increased effort. Older children responded faster on comprehension tasks.

The researchers concluded that classroom noise and dysphonic voice increase cognitive demands that hinder listening. They said the differing contributions of WM and IC highlight the importance of addressing both classroom acoustics and teacher vocal health to support equitable learning.