Recent research published by Universitat Rovira i Virgili [1] presents a meta-analysis reviewing the impact of noise on the academic and cognitive performance of non-university students.
This meta-analysis compiles the most important and significant findings from numerous research studies conducted worldwide and confirms what much of the educational community and many parents had suspected: noise does affect learning and cognitive performance.
This article summarizes the conclusions of that study and introduces the topic of acoustics in educational spaces. Typically, noise in school environments (children
shouting, teachers raising their voices, traffic noise outside…) is associated with the nature of the activities and, therefore, is often assumed to have no simple acoustic
solution. But what are the consequences of noise on learning and teaching, and how can these problems be addressed?
Objectives and study method
Defined as any unwanted sound, noise is currently considered the third most urgent environmental concern, behind only water and air pollution [2, 3]. In the educational context, its impact becomes even more critical, as children and adolescents are especially vulnerable to its effects [4].
The innovative component of this meta-analysis is its focus on both environmental and classroom noise. The research brought together 21 international studies and, using meta-analytic techniques, synthesized the findings of multiple independent studies, providing a more complete and statistically robust estimate of the overall effect of noise.
To understand and analyze the effect of noise on learning in educational environments, the study seeks to answer two fundamental questions:
(a) What is the general effect of noise on learning in terms of students’ academic or cognitive performance?
(b) How do characteristics such as noise intensity, noise type, and student age influence this effect?
Who are the most affected?
The studies analyzed in the meta-analysis covered samples of all pre-university age groups, with studies focused on students aged 7 to 18 years.
One of the clearest findings is that children between 6 and 12 years old are the most vulnerable to noise. In this group, the negative effect was highly significant, which can be explained by the still-immature development of key cognitive functions and the difficulty in filtering out irrelevant auditory stimuli.
This reinforces the importance of acoustic treatment, especially in primary schools, where children’s ability to compensate for noise is limited, and where the acoustic environment plays a crucial role in language acquisition and early cognitive development.
How does noise affect learning?
The studies indicate that depending on the type of noise, various cognitive functions and academic outcomes are affected. The meta-analysis divided the affected cognitive areas as follows:
- Reading comprehension and language processing: [9] found that internally generated classroom noise significantly affects students’ reading fluency and comprehension. [10] showed that children with low selective attention exhibited significantly longer response times in noisy environments.
- Attention and action control: These cognitive areas are primarily affected by environmental noise [11]. Similarly, [12] analyzed students’ ability to perform calculations and found that performance was better under quiet conditions and worse with traffic noise.
- Verbal and working memory: [13] reported that verbal memory is also affected by noisy classroom environments, showing that proper acoustic conditions improve working memory. Study [14] found that a good signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) significantly enhances children’s auditory comprehension, and [15] demonstrated that sentence recognition and understanding also deteriorate with poor SNR.
- Visuospatial skills: This cognitive domain was not significantly affected, suggesting that not all cognitive functions are equally impacted by noise exposure. It is possible that tasks relying on visual processing and spatial reasoning are less dependent on auditory conditions, making them more resistant to external distractions.
Why acoustic design matters
In short, noise had a negative effect in academic settings, aligning with the expectation that high noise levels within the learning environment can impair students’ concentration and performance. Moreover, it has been shown that factors such as the source of noise (e.g., classroom-generated or environmental), classroom design (acoustics, size, layout), and task complexity may influence how noise affects learning.
Thanks to the findings of the meta-analysis, we can conclude that as noise levels increase, performance decreases, which highlights the importance of considering noise as a critical factor in educational environments. In particular, younger students experience significantly poorer performance under noisy conditions. Although this meta-analysis provides a general estimate of the effect of noise on learning, the heterogeneity among studies suggests that noise does not affect all students and cognitive functions in the same way.
Given this evidence, it is essential to take concrete steps to improve the acoustic quality of classrooms, regardless of academic level. This is precisely where sound-absorbing acoustic solutions play a key role, as they reduce both reverberation and sound pressure levels, as well as improve speech intelligibility in the classroom—thus mitigating the negative effects of noise on learning and teaching.
Students are not the only ones affected by noise
Although the meta-analysis has focused solely on the effects of noise on pre-university students, it is clear that teachers also benefit from a controlled acoustic environment.
Studies such as the one conducted at the University of Bremen in collaboration with Ecophon [16] show that the sound pressure level in the classroom is directly related to the teacher’s average heart rate (well-known stressor for our health) which increases when they have to raise their voice (due to classroom noise). Likewise, [17] shows that around 65% of teachers have or will have voice problems at some point in their careers.
In short, acoustics affect all users within the educational environment; therefore, acoustic design is the path to improving performance, learning, productivity, and the well-being of everyone involved.
Here is the link for the full paper: Fretes, G.; Palau, R. The Impact of Noise on Learning in Children and Adolescents: A Meta-Analysis. Appl. Sci. 2025, 15, 4128.
More about the University of Bremen study about teachers’ heart rate and noise levels here.
References
[1] Fretes, G.; Palau, R. The Impact of Noise on Learning in Children and Adolescents: A Meta-Analysis. Appl. Sci. 2025, 15, 4128.
[2] Goines, L.; Hagler, L. Noise pollution: A modern plague. South. Med. J. 2007, 100, 287–294.
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[11] Chere, B.; Kirkham, N. The Negative Impact of Noise on Adolescents’ Executive Function: An Online Study in the Context of Home-Learning During a Pandemic. Front. Psychol. 2021, 12, 715301.
[12] Caviola, S.; Visentin, C.; Borella, E.; Mammarella, I.C.; Prodi, N. Out of the noise: Effects of sound environment on maths performance in middle-school students. J. Environ. Psychol. 2021, 73, 101552.
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[14] Griffin, A.M.; Poissant, S.F.; Freyman, R.L. Auditory Comprehension in School-Aged Children with Normal Hearing and with Unilateral Hearing Loss. Lang. Speech Hear. Serv. Sch. 2020, 51, 29–41.
[15] Valente, D.L.; Plevinsky, H.M.; Franco, J.M.; Heinrichs-Graham, E.C.; Lewis, D.E. Experimental investigation of the effects of the acoustical conditions in a simulated classroom on speech recognition and learning in children. J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 2012, 131, 232–246.
[16] Tiesler G, Oberdörster M. Acoustic ergonomics in schools. Euroncise 2006, Tampere (Finland)
[17] Durup et. al: How classroom acoustics affect the vocal load of teachers, Energy Procedia, Volume 78, pp 3084-3089, 2015.
