Investigating classroom acoustic performance within the context of Malaysian public school classroom settings

Acoustic quality is an essential element for effective classroom environments, negatively impacting students' ability to listen, comprehend, and communicate through instructional material. Effective auditory communication is crucial for cognitive processing, language acquisition, and overall academic achievement. Most educational institutions globally encounter issues, including excessive reverberation time and background noise level, which may impair speech intelligibility. This study seeks to analyse the acoustic performance of nine (9) public school classrooms in Malaysia under typical classroom settings, considering environmental and climatic factors. Acoustic field measurements were conducted to assess key acoustic parameters, including reverberation time, background noise levels, and the speech transmission index, to evaluate their compliance with international acoustic standards for educational environments. Findings indicate that reverberation times and background noise levels exceed recommended guidelines, resulting in reduced speech intelligibility and challenging learning environments. These findings highlight the urgency of calling for specific acoustic treatments to address the distinctive setting of Malaysian public schools to enhance communication and improve educational outcomes.