Abstract
This psychological research focuses on noise irritation and problems with voice, as well as learning facilities and location towards the lecturer shape a subjective experience of Southampton Solent University students. I wanted to explore the effects of noise and scanty classroom acoustics on lecturers’ state of health and well-being. The aim of this research is to investigate the effects of sensed noise exposure and classroom reaction on information insufficiency. According to significant associations researches it leads to low education process satisfaction as well as deficiency of energy after lectures, and interest in leaving the university. Noise subjection is generally also associated with insufficiency of motivation and sleepiness. The results of the research prove the idea of the importance of appropriate classroom acoustic conditions for lectures’ and students.
The other thing leading to loss of interest during the education process is in classrooms with fewer material resources, lack of good high-tech equipment. The process is being out-of-date and provokes loss of authority among students.
The major motivation of this research is to reveal the most essential parts of the of classroom environments on the subjective experience of Southampton Solent University and make an investigation of their effects.
Keywords: noise, classroom environments, investigation of the effects.
Introduction
This research is devoted to Southampton Solent University and its lecturers, students and the process of training itself. There is no doubt that there are books about students, lecturers and classroom environments, effects – positive and negative at the same time, and impact of such a type of studying and training. For executing this research the most appreciated books for me were the books revealing problems with the noise during lectures, acoustics and the ones about creating favorable environment during the lectures.
I respect the impact of scientists working in this field, especially when they find and solve a specific problem and give it in the most logical and argumentative way.
My major motivation is to adapt the scientific heritage for the educational process in Southampton Solent University.
I think that it is essential to create comfortable and favorable environment during the lectures, because we all want to improve our skills in a subject, in learning and teaching it. However sometimes it is connected with some obstacles – natural (e.g. ability to understand) and artificial (e.g. noise). They both can be the reason of misunderstanding and loss of interest in the subject. Fortunately they both can be resolved.
This research is made for the second – artificial reason, and we can resolve it naturally and artificially at the same time. When we recognize the problem we can solve it. For this reason we should find one or some appropriate method(s).
Method
We all know, that “A research project can never be considered to be successful without an appropriate method section”, so I decided to use the most popular and the most useful way among students – a test. All students know how to deal with this type of work, and I like it for its compactness and saving of time for respondents and for pollsters. And we can see statistics data immediately.
I wanted to receive the full information about the subject under consideration and I thought if students are able to see the clear picture of misunderstandings during the lectures and the most important thing that interested me if they can react adequately and give concrete answers to concrete questions. So firstly I thought about giving the possibility to respond by writing answers by themselves to avoid standard replies, and also it would give the way for their creativity, when students can give their own ideas. However I had some reasons to exercise standardization during the process. I tend to understand the system there, so firstly I should make a system for the inquiry.
Questions or test. Test, definitely. I have already learnt some typical difficulties in perception and comprehension during lectures. As for classroom acoustics, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association divides the problems into some categories such as speech understanding, reading and spelling ability, behavior in the classroom, attention, concentration, academic achievement. On the other hand, teachers are also affected by insufficient classroom acoustics. And finally a lecturer should not get their strain on the voice. If we have such as possibility to create a favorable environment in the classroom, we should ask people what disturbs them.
I divided my questions in some categories. They are as follows:
- atmosphere in the classroom;
- position and proximity to the lecturer;
- helping hand of the neighbors;
- strain on the voice by the lecturer;
- sufficiency of space for the teacher and students;
- ability to use of Internet during the classroom lessons;
- effect of noise interference;
- role of specific buildings for lecturers.
I chose this parts for minimizing the most common problems of comprehension according to American Speech-Language-Hearing Association hearing loss (including children with a hearing loss in one ear), temporary hearing loss in one or both ears (ear infection or build up of middle ear fluid), learning disabilities, auditory processing disorders, speakers of another language, speech and language delay, attention problems.
And for the last reason again I arrived at the conclusion that test as a form of questioning is perfect to minimize the risk of loss of attention during this procedure.
I know that this inquiry will be conducted on students, so I used the realities closed to students’ life – things, process, and opinions. Materials are very familiar – paper, pens, questions. And finally the procedure is perfectly known there – tick the appropriate answer for you and the pollster will collect it and will provide statistics data afterwards.
I hope that the results of my research can be used for improvement of different aspects in creating a good environmental in classrooms. I met some tips in American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. They are as follows:
Placing some rugs or carpet in the room if there none.
Hanging window treatments such as curtains or blinds.
Hanging soft materials such as felt or corkboard on the walls.
Placing tables at an angle around the room to interfere with the pathways of sound.
Hanging soft materials such as flags or student masterpieces on the walls and in the ceiling.
Turning off noisy equipment when it is not in use.
Trying to keep windows and doors closed when possible.
Replacing noisy light fixtures.
Avoiding open classrooms where many classes are taught in a large space.
Talking to the students about noise and demonstrate how it shall be difficult to listen, understand because of poor hearing when some people are talking at the same moment.
Avoiding making the class separated into some groups where one group is listening to audio track or watching DVD and the other group is listening to the lecturer or is discussing something.
Warning the visitors to the classroom that they are not allowed to talk when the lecturer is talking.
Placing latex-free soft tips on the bottoms of chairs and tables. Escape using tennis balls to dampen the sound! Tennis balls which are made of a material causing allergic reactions for example, latex are also not allowed in the classrooms. Also, mold arising from inside of the open tennis balls, causes a risk for the health. It is a big choice of latex-free sports balls and materials.
However I was lost because of the idea what if students don’t want all these innovations and will be afraid to participate in any kind of research. What if students want some changes more than changes in other things! Well, the other thing we should deal with is in values of different things during the procedure of education. For that reason I find the most useful way to implement something like “grades of importance” and it looks like that:
1 - Extremely important
2 - Very important
3 - Somewhat important
4 - Not very important
5 - Not at all important.
That demonstrates us all importance of different things for the students in the university. So now we have a new instrument of creating a clear picture in the classroom. However what should we do with the students’ opinion? Should it be taken into consideration during the questioning? And if YES, how shall it be conducted?
We should take into consideration the students’ opinion during the questioning. The only thing is organizing it into a test format. I decided to use a habitual form for of 5 grades. They are as follows:
1 - Strongly agree
2 - Agree
3 - Neither Agree or disagree
4 - Disagree
5 - Strongly Disagree
I could not skip this essential part in research as ethics.
What makes a test “ethical”?
I completely agree with Iliescu and all that being “ethical” is a characteristic of a “behavior” and “not of a product of behavior”. Thus it is inappropriate to consider a test as “ethical” or “unethical”. In exchange for that, this characteristic can only be applied to the way of use of a test. Even a test with the most specific attributes, for example a test which does not include the whole intended field appropriately or which has some kinds of an error of measurement shall be used in an ethical way. For example, a new test, which still needs a proof of validity, can be used in an ethical way if it is given advance notice about test experimental nature. So we concern the ethics of testing meaning the value of psychological or educational ethics.
However there is no a special code for “ethical” or “unethical”, but as for me it should include some integral parts such as:
- Compliance of the testing process with the general principles of the scientific method.
So it should be conducted in accordance with the scientific method and shall be carried out with the specific aim of generating the essential data for making a decision.
- Objectivity shall become the main purpose of the test and of the research. We can not include any accidental subjectivity conducting the test. We only can collect opinions to have the objective vision of the situation.
- Reliability is essential for the questioning by testing, because reliability concerns the mistake associated with the measurement.
For this last reason I used some system as score (tick from 5 to 1).
- Validity. Validity is “the most fundamental consideration in developing and evaluating tests” (AERA, APA, NCME, 1999, p. 9). Validity demonstrates us what a test measures and allows us to understand the test results, to arrive to appropriate conclusions and predictions based on test results.
I think that students shall be real participants of the University life, so I think that this procedure as passing the test is obligatory for them. And we respect their opinions and the participants should be over 18. It may be done anonymous not to make hard it for the students that can be offended somehow there.
We think that APA’s (2000) “Report of the Task Force on Test User Qualifications” is an important document which delight the changes in of national guidelines and which can also show the limits of good practice in this field. Another document considered important is the EFPA (European Federation of Psychologists’ Associations)-EAWOP (European Association of Work and Organizational Psychologists) also entitled “European Test User Standards for test use in Work and Organizational settings” (2005). We completely agree with Iliescu and all that nevertheless limitation of the field in test usage of I/O Psychology, this first step is essential for cross-national impact.
Considering all abovementioned, we will recognize a good practice in this case when all necessary qualifications are in a clear, understandable and well-structured manner, with an evident theoretically-based rationale of the breakdown in steps of research and a clear description of knowledge and skills for every level.
The design is taken after learning the most common tests. So it looks like there – 1 statement, 5 options. The respondents should only tick their answers.
The audience consists of the university students. Maybe I should also include the teachers’ part into the test, but I decided to learn the students’ opinion.
The procedure is quite simple. Tick the answer – receive the result. Very common for the students.
After that we can conduct analyses and arrive at the conclusion what needs improvement in the environment in the classrooms.
In conclusion, I want to express my gratitude to all people enabled in this research. I hope that it is just beginning of a new way of comprehension between students and lecturers and creating a good environmental in classrooms.
References
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Classroom Acoustics. ASHA. Retrieved from http://www.asha.org/public/hearing/Classroom-Acoustics/.
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Tips for Creating a Good Listening Environment in the Classroom. ASHA. Retrieved from http://www.asha.org.
- American Sociological Association (2011, March 10). Negative classroom environment adversely affects children's mental health. ScienceDaily. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2011/03/110309073717.htm
- AERA (2000). Position Statement on High-Stakes Testing in Pre-K–12 Education. Adopted July 2000.
- AERA, APA, NCME (1999). Standards for educational and psychological testing. Washington, DC: AERA.
- Guardino C. A., Fullerton E. (2010). Changing Behaviors by Changing the Classroom Environment: Teach Except Child. CEC, 42, no Jl/Ag. Retrieved from http://www.cec.sped.org/.
- Iliescu D., Ispas D., Harris M. (2009). Social implications and ethics of testing. International Test Commission. Retrieved from http://www.intestcom.org/Publications/ORTA/Social%20implications%20and%20ethics%20of%20testing.php .
- Jessica L. Bucholz Ed.D., Julie L. Sheffler. (2009). Creating a Warm and Inclusive Classroom Environment: Planning for All Children to Feel Welcome. Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education, Vol. 2, No. 4. Retrieved from http://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu.
- Kristiansen J., Persson R., Lund S. P., Shibuya H., & Nielsen P. M. (February 2013). Effects of Classroom Acoustics and Self-Reported Noise Exposure on Teachers’ Well-Being [Abstract]. Environment and Behavior, 45, 2. Retrieved from http://eab.sagepub.com.
