Assessment of Acoustic performance of classrooms in Ireland

Abstract

In recent years the relationship between the quality of the acoustic characteristics of a learning space and the learning process has received increasing attention internationally. It is clear that poor acoustics in school classrooms make them unsuitable for learning tasks that involve listening. While we now know appropriate values for reverberation time and background noise in classrooms, limited studies have been conducted to assess the performance of Irish classrooms. This paper presents the results of a survey of the acoustic characteristics in primary school classrooms in Ireland, one of the first of its kind in Ireland. Reverberation times and background noise levels were measured in 30 classrooms, with the data collected used to assess compliance with standards set by the Irish Department of Education. Preliminary results suggest that approximately two-thirds of Irish classrooms fail to meet the required standard. The results of this survey highlight the need for improvements in the acoustic characteristics of primary school classrooms in Ireland.