What difference do acoustic panels make in the classroom?

According to research undertaken at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, evidence demonstrates the benefits of acoustic panels in schools.

The study

The thesis by Sebastian Holm and Petra Lagerberg studied behaviour in the classroom to measure how the installation of acoustic ceiling panels affected time efficiency and speech intelligibility. They looked at the amount of time it took for a class to settle down when they entered the classroom before the teacher could start lessons. They also measured the speech transmission index and reverberation time among other tests. The study was carried out in a classroom of junior school children. There were no other changes to the acoustic environment during the experiment other than the new suspended ceiling panels.

The result

There was a one-minute difference between the time it took for the class to settle down before and after the installation of the acoustic ceiling panels. Without acoustic panels, the class needed 2 minutes and 18 seconds on average to settle down whereas it took only 1 minute and 17 seconds once the panels were in place. Over a week, students enter the classroom 15 times (3 times a day, 5 days a week), meaning that 15 minutes of learning time is gained every week!

The class also scored higher on listening tests after the panels were installed, showing that their understanding improved and indicating that the reduced noise levels make it easier for students to concentrate. A survey of the pupils’ reaction to the acoustic environment showed that they perceived the classroom as a more pleasant place to be after the panels were installed.

BEFORE