School

Goldenberg and colleagues link learning indoors and outside to soundscapes.  The team found via physiological data collected from 4 – 5 year olds in urban schools that “children’s resting heart rates while seated and listening to a teacher were significantly lower when outside compared to indoors. . . . Children also moved more while seated during indoor sessions. . . . outdoor learning sessions were significantly quieter than indoor ones, both when children were seated, listening to a teacher . . . and when actively engaged in play and learning activities. . . .

Gomez-Sirvent and teammates’ research confirms the value of nearby windows to spaces outside a structure, with this team particularly probing their presence in music practice spaces.  The investigators report “a virtual replica of a real conservatoire classroom was used to investigate the effect of window size and views through windows on the perception of the built environment. . . . participants’ responses to environmental changes while playing their instruments were studied.

You and colleagues evaluated the experiences of young adults in classrooms with biophilic elements. They report, after a virtual reality-based study, that “the addition of biophilic elements in the Metaverse could benefit students’ health due to significantly decreased perceived stress levels and increased connections with nature. . . . Intervention 1 is Indoor Green where the classroom is decorated with green plants and natural materials. Intervention 2, named Outdoor Green incorporates outdoor natural view and daylight into indoor space through windows.

Gyllensten and teammates studied, via interviews, employee perceptions of soundscapes in communication-intense workplaces, those in healthcare environments and at preschools.  They learned that “The dependence on vocal communication and social interaction poses a challenge using hearing protection in these working environments. . . . Workers in communication-intense workplaces in preschools, obstetrics care and intensive care reported that there was a relationship between the sound environment and negative health effects. . .

Mohamed and Almaz identified features of classrooms that can support autistic children.  They report that “Design features can create an autism-friendly environment, with general best practices including avoiding vibrant, highly saturated colors and minimizing dramatic contrast. Research suggests blue to green is preferred, with yellow being aversion due to potential over-stimulating effects. Gradual transitions of color and complementary colors in soft gradients are preferred, with contrast limited to functional purposes like boundary definition.”

Gheller and colleagues evaluated how various soundscapes influence learning.  They determined via a literature review that “speech noise significantly impairs children’s verbal working memory. Meanwhile, non-speech environmental noise appears to notably affect academic performance, particularly in reading. Other types of non-speech noise may, instead, even improve the cognitive performance of children, although only for children with low attentional skills.”

Harris and Whiting evaluated online learning experiences and their findings can likely be extended to other contexts.  The investigators found that “Participants in online classrooms struggle to make sense of emotional interactions. This is due to the separation of physical place between persons and the inability to see the reaction of bodies in online classrooms. . . . This study uses a microethnographic approach to observe two online multicultural education courses over a 7-week term to explore the normative and socially organized practices of affect and emotion. . . .