The role of person-related factors and acoustic parameters on students' perception: a pilot study

Classrooms are dynamic spaces where the sound environment not only influences the comprehension of the teacher's message but also shapes the social and emotional atmosphere within the class. This pilot study investigates the sound perception of students within classrooms, considering both person-related and acoustic objective factors as predictors. Thirty-four students from two grade-four classes of a primary school in Pavia, Italy, participated in this study, completing a questionnaire assessing the perceived pleasantness, arousal and loudness within the classroom. Person-related factors such as noise sensitivity, working memory, theory of mind, and language skills were also evaluated separately. Sound levels in occupied conditions were monitored and processed using Gaussian Mixture Models to separate teacher speech levels from students' activity. Additionally, acoustic parameters including reverberation time and clarity were measured in unoccupied conditions. Person-related factors were analysed in relation to subjective evaluations, considering the potential mediating effect of the classroom sound environment. The results of this study will offer insights into the complex interplay between person-related characteristics and the sound environment, shedding light on factors beyond noise interferences that impact students' subjective perception in educational settings.