Background noise in Chinese schools - Student and teacher perceptions

Abstract

A significant research study was conducted in 2011/2012 to evaluate the Acoustic Comfort in 10 primary/middle schools throughout China as a joint effort by the Green Campus workgroup (Tongji University, Shanghai), and Armstrong World Industries (R&D). In the fall of 2012 an entire grade school in Nanjing, China was involved in a combination of renovated and new construction with a focus on the requirements of Chinese Standard GB50118 for acoustic design/performance of classrooms. These research programs all included both objective measurements of acoustic performance, and subjective perception by students and teachers of both speech clarity (architecture) and distractions and comprehension (noise). The noise aspects of these measurements and surveys will be addressed in this paper. The primary noise sources in these schools are mainly from outside the classroom itself and involve student activities in corridors and other classrooms, and adjacent transportation noise. Effectiveness of in-room acoustic treatments on these noise perceptions is also reviewed. © 2013 Acoustical Society of America.