THE EFFECTS OF NOISE ON PRE-SCHOOL CHILDREN'S PRE-READING SKILLS

By Lorraine E. Maxwell, G. W. Evans. 2000

213 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Abstract Previous research has shown a link between chronic noise exposure and reading skills. Elementary school-age children are thought to be negatively affected by such exposure. A limited amount of work has been done on the effects of chronic noise on pre-school children, and such work has primarily focused on attentional skills. A cohort model was used in this study to examine the effects of chronic noise on pre-school children's pre-reading skills. All of the children attended the same child care center. Ninety 4 and 5-year-old children were tested on cognitive measures of pre-reading skills and were rated by classroom teachers on their understanding and use of language. Children were tested in year one, before sound attenuation work in the classrooms, and in year two, after the installation of sound absorbent panels. In the quieter condition, children scored higher than their noisier cohort on the letter–number–word recognition measure and were rated higher by their teachers on the language scale. In addition, children in the quieter classrooms were less susceptible than those in the noisy classrooms to induced helplessness.

Subfields: Cognitive Neuroscience, Sensory Systems, Speech and Hearing

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/c9dae79e1cf118fcc5df94abc0b55093094658df

How researchers see this paper

The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.

In Cognitive Neuroscience

1. P. Woolner
2. E. Hall
3. Kate Wall
4. Steven I. Higgins
5. C. McCaughey
6. J. Dockrell
7. B. Shield
8. G. W. Evans

In Sensory Systems

1. J. Dockrell
2. B. Shield
3. G. W. Evans

In Speech and Hearing

1. P. Woolner
2. Kate Wall
3. E. Hall
4. Steven I. Higgins
5. C. McCaughey
6. J. Dockrell
7. B. Shield
8. G. W. Evans

Citations in the corpus

• The walls speak: the interplay of quality facilities, school climate, and student achievement (2008, unknown): “Acoustical control matters such as chronic noise exposure have been shown to hinder cognitive functioning and to impair pre-reading and reading skills (Haines et al., 2001; Evans and Maxwell, 1997, Maxwell and Evans, 2000).”
• The Impact of School Environments : A literature review Produced for the Design Council (2005, background): “In relation to education facilities, Maxwell (2000) found that children thought colour was important and that they thought the colour of the walls in their school was uninviting and boring.”
• Effects of Classroom Acoustics on Performance and Well-Being in Elementary School Children: A Field Study (2010, background): “With respect to performance, there is evidence that permanent exposure to unfavorable acoustical conditions in the learning environment affect children ́s language and reading acquisition [9,12,13].”
• A sound foundation? What we know about the impact of environments on learning and the implications for Building Schools for the Future (2007, background): “…to these problems of inadequate acoustics (Addison et al., 1999; Lundquist et al., 2002) and proposed various solutions such as increased carpeting (Tanner & Langford, 2002), sound amplification systems (McSporran et al., 1997) and ceiling hangings to dampen reverberation (Maxwell & Evans, 2000).”
• The Effects of Noise on Children at School: A Review (2003, background): “However, research in this area is increasing, several recent studies having investigated the effects of internal noise on children’s reading, numeracy and overall academic performance [11, 75-77].”
• Child development and the physical environment. (2006, background): “Interagency Comm. Aviation Noise 2004, Maxwell & Evans 2000), and linear dose-response functions between noise exposure and reading deficits (Green et al. 1982, Lukas et al. 1981, Stansfeld 2005).”