Aural reception and possible thermal effects on speech intelligibility inside UOS classrooms

الملخص EN

The principles of physics of sound in architectural acoustics are applied in this study to reveal the distortion of sound levels and thermal effects on aural reception inside classrooms at the University of Sharjah (UOS) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Aural perception involves the ability of the human ear to distinguish between sounds with close frequency and loudness, which is directly related to speech intelligibility.

Estimations of the sound levels and reverberation times for different sizes of classrooms revealed the importance of building interiors to reduce noise levels and improve the aural perception inside such premises.

The importance of background noise, temperature effect and thermal comfort on cognitive performance in the classrooms are herein highlighted.

Furthermore, suggestions are given for some acoustic materials that can be used to reduce this problem in classrooms with various architectural acoustic designs to provide satisfaction or noise-free classrooms.

Recommendations for improving air conditioning and ventilation systems for enhancement of speech intelligibility are also recommended.