A comparative study on indoor soundscape assessment via a mixed method: A case of the high school environment

Environments for learning-teaching activities require optimum acoustical conditions since students learning attitudes are directly related to verbal speaking. However, optimum acoustical conditions are not enough to provide acoustic comfort to students. To explore the acoustic requirements of educational spaces, there is a need to understand the role of sound and in which factors auditory perception of students changes. This study explores the relationship between auditory perception and the built environment in a high school. It aims to provide design guidelines for educational facilities using the systematic categorization that defines the comparison between classroom and computer laboratory spaces in I_hsan Dogramaci Foundation Bilkent High School. To understand the existing acoustic conditions in a selected educational facility, Equivalent Continuous A-Weighted Sound Level (L-Aeq), Reverberation Time (T30), and Speech Transmission Index (STI) were measured. This mixed method study includes quantitative and qualitative research methods. Data was collected through multiple instruments, including a questionnaire survey (n = 117) and semi-structured interviews (n = 50). The data analyses were conducted using SPSS v.20 statistical software and applying the method of Grounded Theory (GT). The results show that the auditory perception of students does not only depend on sound levels since the responses towards sound sources and sound levels changed depending on the context of the space (such as the lecture content or the students' task). The conceptual framework presented the relations between the built environment, acoustic environment, and auditory perception of students. The results of this research were interpreted for possible improvement directions, providing a guideline for designers to shape the auditory quality of future educational spaces. (c) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.