Sound Field Amplification in the Classroom - Research Paper Example

? Sound Field Amplification in the room: Not Just for the Hearing Impaired Nicole Megale A research paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership Siena Heights University Adrian, MI May 2011 Table of Contents Introduction 3 Statement of the Problem 5 Definitions 5 Review of Literature 7 Statement of the Hypothesis 10 Introduction Sound field amplification is being used all over the country in classrooms to enrich the learning experience. The use of this equipment has been used to provide students with hearing loss a better learning environment. However, it has been found that all students can and do benefit from the use of sound field amplification equipment. The sound field amplification system consists of the teacher wearing a FM microphone system that amplifies sound, making every student in the classroom has a similar experience with learning. Sound field amplification is beneficial toward every child that is placed in a National Diffusion Network (NDN) equipped-classrooms. (www.classroomhearing.org, 2011) An estimated 33 babies are born daily with significant hearing loss in the U.S. This puts them significantly behind in auditory learning skills. Children who have this setback need all the help they can get when they get into the classroom setting. Teachers that are using this FM microphone system have reported that it improves the amount of attention each student has, and also that they better understand the directions when they are given. This system also lowers the number of times the teachers need to repeat themselves which give them more time to move on and learn more material. Along with these benefits there are fewer discipline problems and students that have a better attitude toward learning. There are many distractions and interfering noise that come with teaching in a child’s classroom. This system helps to make them less noticeable. Students who had NDN equipped classrooms had better read and language scores after just one years. Fewer employees are needed to achieve the same or even a superior education, making the system more cost effectively. The classrooms that have NDN radios help make the children with disabilities seem more “like” everyone else, while they are achieving academic success at the same rate. These classroom amplification systems should not only be used in classrooms where there are hearing-impaired children present. Many children have perceptual difficulties while listening, without actually having any hearing loss. This would mean that a child hears perfectly well, but has difficulty grasping and interpreting the message that is being given. These types of children are present in every normal sized classroom. Sound field amplification cannot only help them to interpret the lessons better, but also help them realize that they do have what it takes to be at the same level as their peers. This also helps with self confidence levels of children, making them all feels like they are equal in the class. Since most teachers are not taught how to tell whether or not a child is suffering from an auditory problem, they can sometimes mistake the children for having a disciplinary problem. Having these systems in every adolescent classroom would help to diminish the amount of disciplinary action that is taken upon children that have an underlying disability. Problem Statement Teachers and school often have a hard time projecting their voice so that all students can hear what is said at the front of the classroom, even in the back of the classroom. List of Definitions Sound Amplification System: a sound amplification system is a set of speakers inside the walls, or ceiling of a classroom and the teacher was a microphone around the teacher’s neck so that all students can hear even those in the back of the classroom. ANSI: American National Standard Institute Microphone: a microphone is a device worn around the teacher’s neck that is connected with the speakers and the classroom, and works together with the speakers. What is said in the microphone is relayed out over the speakers. Speakers: a speaker is an audio device that allows noise to come out. The speaker is connected to a FM radio, and allows audio to be relayed out of the speakers. MARRS: Mainstream Amplification Resource Room Study dB: decibel Review of Literature For many years the United States, and many of the boards of education in the United States have been studying students in the natural learning environment. Based on observation, and test scores school boards throughout the United States have determined that some of the students may not be able to hear what the teachers saying it’s part of the classroom. There are many studies conducted on how students hear in the classroom and how it affects the learning the students do. Studies have found that many students with normal hearing have a difficult time hearing the teacher in the classroom. The sound coming out of the teachers, mouths will decrease in volume the further the sound has to travel. The studies have found that students who sit in the back of the classroom only hear a small percentage of what the teacher says. The problem is not simply a matter of the teacher being unable to project the teacher’s voice. The studies have concluded there is too much background noise in many classrooms. This background noise interferes with the student’s ability to hear what the teacher says. When students’ abilities to hear what the teacher says are infringed upon due to excessive background noise this will inhibit the learning of the student. The noise level caused by the background noise can be as high as 35 dBA (Harvey, & Massie, 2006). School administrators have decided it is almost impossible to attempt to soundproof a classroom. The classroom would need to be carpeted, and the walls would need to be made of something other than cement blocks. These things will help to soundproof a classroom a little better than the classroom is today. However, administrators, and educators have decided it is more cost efficient to begin installing sound amplification systems in the classrooms. There have been many studies conducted on the effectiveness of a sound amplification system in the classroom. When a school installs a sound amplification system the school installs eight to ten speakers in the ceiling and in the walls around the classroom. The speakers are connected to a FM radio. There is a microphone that the teacher wears around the teacher’s neck. The teacher speaks into the microphone as the teacher would normally speak to the class. The teacher need not attempt to project the teacher’s voice. The teacher speaks into the microphone as the teacher is having a conversation with someone. A sound amplification system will bring a teacher’s voice up to 65 decibels (Sound Enhancement Systems, N. D.). There have been studies conducted on the sound amplification system in the classroom. One of those studies was the MARRS study conducted in the middle of the 1980s. The MARRS study was first conducted on the basis of assisting those students whose hearing was inhibited in some way (The MARRS Project, N. D.). The study was conducted to attempt not to remove students who had trouble hearing from the classroom, the students who are removed from the normal classroom because of difficulty in hearing what is being said in the classroom tend to become emotionally ill. These students will develop emotional problems because of the isolation felt when the students were separated from class. “Even students with normal hearing can have difficulty listening effectively in noisy classrooms” (Millet, N. D.). The MARRS study revealed that many students were assisted in hearing better when the sound amplification system was implemented in the classroom. The students who do not normally have a problem with hearing were hearing better when the sound amplification system was implemented. These students who at times during the course of the school year might develop an ear infection that inhibits the students hearing were being more responsive to the instructions being said during class. These students began to participate in the class discussion, as did the students in the back of the classroom. When deciding what type of radio transmitter to use when building a sound amplification system the FM radio was chosen because it can be used outside (Kollie, N. D.). The sound amplification system it appears works more effectively if there is also a handheld microphone. The teacher gives the handheld microphone to the students. During the discussion the teacher will start by asking the question to be discussed. When the students begin discussing the various answers to the questions, the students will pass around the handheld microphone. Studies have found this system works effectively because students are able to hear each other clearer. When teachers are heard by all students, the students will learn better. Students, who can hear the teacher clearly, will be able to effectively learn. School districts that have implemented the use of a sound amplification system in the classroom have seen the student’s test scores on standardized tests improve significantly. Many administrators, and educators will give credit for the improved test scores to the sound amplification system. Standardized test scores are not the only improvements students make when students can hear effectively in the classroom. Students who can hear effectively in the classroom will begin to make better grades on classroom work. These students will begin to develop better self esteem because of the achievements being made in the classroom. When schools implemented the use of some sound amplification system teachers, began to immediately notice the improvements made by students in the back of the classroom. Oftentimes students who sit in the back of the classroom will be labeled troublemakers. These students are known not to participate during class discussions. These students always do poorly on classroom assignments, and standardized tests. However, once the sound amplification system was installed in classrooms these students began to make improvements. Students who sit in the back of the classroom in a classroom equipped with a sound amplification system will participate in classroom discussions more often than students who sit in the back of the classroom in a classroom not equipped with a sound amplification system. Students in the back of the classroom who can hear effectively with the assistance of a sound amplification system will perform better with classroom work. These students will also perform better on standardized tests. The students who sit in the back of the classroom that is equipped with a sound amplification system are no longer labeled the way students who sit in the back of the classrooms who do not hear effectively with the assistance of a sound amplification system. Hypotheses Do students who learn in a classroom equipped with a sound amplification system really hear, listen, and learn more effectively than students who are in classrooms that are not equipped with sound amplification systems? References Harvey, & Massie, (2006), The impact of sound-field amplification, Australian Journal of Education, 50(1)62-77, http://www.panasonic.com/business/systemsintegration/K-12/images/Impact_Sound.pdf, May, 2011 Kollie, (N. D.), Classroom amplification systems allow teachers to be heard, http://www.peterli.com/spm/resources/articles/archive.php?article_id=1230, May, 2011 MARRS project: mainstream amplification resource room study, (N. D.), http://www.classroomhearing.org/research/marrsStudy.html, May, 2011 Millet, Dr., (N. D.), Using classroom amplification in a universal design model to enhance hearing and listening, http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/research/WW_Classroom_Amplification.pdf, May, 2011 Sound enhancement systems: description & rationale, (N. D.), The Institute of Enhanced Classroom Learning, http://classroomhearing.com/ses_Descript.html, May, 2011 Read More