Background: It is believed that poor classroom acoustics leads to lower levels of student learning and exposes teachers vocal folds to greater physical wear and tear.
Objective: This study sought to compare the quality of life by World Health Organization (whoqol-bref) questionnaire of 61 teachers working at schools with different acoustic conditions.
Methods: This paper reports on a descriptive exploratory study aimed at ascertaining the following: (1) outdoor sound pressure levels in the immediate surroundings of two primary schools; (2) background noise levels inside classrooms; (3) reverberation times in classrooms; (4) the teacher's perception of noise in the work environment; (5) the teacher's vocal intensity in the classroom; and (6) the teacher's perceived quality of life.
Results: It was found that the quality of life of teachers, as well as the major causes of acoustic discomfort, do not stem from a source outside the classroom, halls, and physical education classes. Instead, they originate inside the classroom and are caused by students during school hours; the teachers' vocal intensity exceeds the limits of tolerability both in schools that provide acoustic comfort and in those that do not.
Conclusions: The basic conditions required to ensure the health of the participants in this study during their workday were found to be unsatisfactory.
Keywords: Quality of life; Reverberation time; Sound pressure levels; Teachers; Vocal intensity.
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