Integrated Effects of Environmental and Classroom Noise on Attention and Learning in School-age Children

Objectives: This review investigated the effects of external and classroom noise on school-aged children’s cognitive performance. The analysis identified exposure patterns across studies; quantified effects on attention, memory, and reading processes; and developed a conceptual model connecting acoustic input, processing effort, and academic performance. Methods: A structured search was conducted to identify observational and experimental studies on noise exposure and cognitive outcomes in school environments. Eligible studies quantified noise using the equivalent continuous sound level, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and reverberation time (RT) and included outcomes in attention, memory, and reading tasks. Data were mapped across environmental noise and classroom acoustic conditions. Results: Classroom exposure levels commonly ranged between 65 and 77 dB(A), and external exposure from aircraft and road-traffic sources often exceeded 60 dB(A) during teaching periods. Lower SNRs and longer RTs reduced speech clarity and increased the processing effort needed to follow spoken information across the study design. Performance decreased in tasks involving attention, verbal memory, and reading accuracy. Children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, bilingual learners, and pupils with weaker attention control exhibited larger performance reductions under identical acoustic conditions. Integrating these results produced a conceptual model in which external noise at school entry and classroom noise during instruction form a continuous exposure sequence that increases processing effort and reduces the learning capacity. Conclusions: Noise affects children by increasing processing load and reducing the cognitive resources available for learning. The model outlines this mechanism. The findings indicate acoustic improvements in classrooms and systematic noise monitoring in school environments.