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 c...

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Main Authors: Gabriela Fretes, Ramon Palau
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-04-01
Series:Applied Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/8/4128
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author Gabriela Fretes
Ramon Palau
author_facet Gabriela Fretes
Ramon Palau
author_sort Gabriela Fretes
collection DOAJ
description 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.
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spelling doaj-art-af2080cfdc7744bb806343311db1e4752025-08-20T02:17:21ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-04-01158412810.3390/app15084128The Impact of Noise on Learning in Children and Adolescents: A Meta-AnalysisGabriela Fretes0Ramon Palau1Department of Pedagogy, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 43007 Tarragona, SpainDepartment of Pedagogy, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 43007 Tarragona, SpainGiven 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.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/8/4128noise impactstudent performancemeta-analysiscognitive functionseducational environment
spellingShingle Gabriela Fretes
Ramon Palau
The Impact of Noise on Learning in Children and Adolescents: A Meta-Analysis
Applied Sciences
noise impact
student performance
meta-analysis
cognitive functions
educational environment
title The Impact of Noise on Learning in Children and Adolescents: A Meta-Analysis
title_full The Impact of Noise on Learning in Children and Adolescents: A Meta-Analysis
title_fullStr The Impact of Noise on Learning in Children and Adolescents: A Meta-Analysis
title_full_unstemmed The Impact of Noise on Learning in Children and Adolescents: A Meta-Analysis
title_short The Impact of Noise on Learning in Children and Adolescents: A Meta-Analysis
title_sort impact of noise on learning in children and adolescents a meta analysis
topic noise impact
student performance
meta-analysis
cognitive functions
educational environment
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/8/4128
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