Master's Theses

Document Type

Thesis - campus only access

Date of Award

Fall 2006

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Communication Sciences and Disorders

Advisor

Frederick Britton

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the sound intensity levels and frequency response measurements of selected unoccupied classrooms at Fort Hays State University to determine if class rooms met the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's recommendation of having unoccupied classroom noise levels of 35 dBA or less. Sound intensity level measurements were taken on both the A and C scale and frequency analysis measurements were taken of octave frequencies between 63Hz and 8000Hz. Measurements were recorded from five different points in 30 unoccupied classrooms and then averaged. The results revealed a mean intensity of 46.3 dBA (N=24) with a range of 40.5 to 54.9 dBA in classrooms with the HVAC system on. With the HVAC system off, the mean intensity was 40.7 dBA (N=26) with a range of 35.8 to 52.6 dBA. It may be concluded that more emphasis needs to be placed on the auditory environment of university classrooms to ensure a favorable educational setting that is conducive to learning.

Comments

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Rights

© 2006 Katherine Mergen

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