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Researchers who have experimented on schoolchildren in Auckland and Wellington say fitting teachers with a microphone and installing classroom speakers can dramatically improve pupils' test results.
The microphone enables pupils to hear more clearly, and teachers do not have to strain their voices.
Massey University researchers Stuart McLaren and Steve Humphries said tests given to pupils when the system was in use boosted the numbers of correct answers by up to 60 per cent.
Teachers also reported significant improvements in attention, co-operation and understanding of verbal instructions among pupils, major improvements in behaviour and quieter classrooms. They were less likely to strain their voices, and, less likely to become tired.
The research was paid for by a private education trust, which is considering investing in sound systems which cost between $1500 and $2000 a classroom.
In one classroom in the trial, pupils' ability to hear and interpret instructions from the teacher was tested with and without the system.
Dr McLaren said the research also tested systems when noise was introduced to the classroom to imitate heavy traffic and rain.
Even in quiet conditions, with pupils listening attentively, a significant improvement was noted with the number of correct scores with the system turned on. In a noisy classroom, results were more dramatic.
Principal Bernadette Murfitt of St Francis Xavier's School in Tawa, north of Wellington city, said the sound system installed nearly two years ago was easy to use.
"It's made a big difference for our children," he said
Dr McLaren, who researched noise levels in early childhood education centres for his PhD, is now keen to investigate the use of sound field systems in early childhood centres.
- NZPA
