The Impact of Noise on Learning in Children and Adolescents: A Meta-Analysis

Given the growing body of research on the impact of noise, synthesizing these findings is crucial to gaining a comprehensive understanding of the influence of noise on student performance. This meta-analysis investigates the effects of environmental and classroom noise on learning, with a focus on cognitive and academic performance in elementary and secondary school students. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted on 21 studies comprising 152 effect sizes. Different noise types were analyzed in relation to cognitive functions such as attention, memory, comprehension, and overall academic performance. The Restricted Maximum Likelihood (REML) method was used to estimate the overall effect size, resulting in a value of −0.46 (95% CI: −0.54 to −0.38), indicating the moderate negative impact of noise on performance. The negative effects were particularly significant in children aged 6 to 12. Despite high heterogeneity across the studies, likely due to variations in noise types and study designs, model fit measures confirmed the adequacy of the meta-analytic model. These findings underscore the importance of mitigating noise in educational settings to improve students’ cognitive and academic outcomes.