Classroom noise and children learning through a second language: Double Jeopardy?

Purpose: Two studies were conducted to investigate the effects of classroom noise on attention and speech perception in native Spanish speaking second graders learning English as their second language (L2) as compared to English-only speaking (EO) peers. Method: Study 1 measured children's on-task behaviour during instructional activities with and without soundfield amplification. Study 2 measured the effects of noise (+10 dB signal-to-noise ratio) using an experimental English word recognition task. Results: Findings from Study 1 revealed no significant condition (pre/postamplification) or group differences in observations in on-task performance. Main findings from Study 2 were that word, recognition performance declined significantly for both L2 and EO groups in the noise condition; however, the impact was disproportionately greater for the L2 group. Clinical Implications: Children learning in their L2 appear to be at a distinct disadvantage when listening in rooms with typical noise and reverberation. Speech-language pathologists and audiologists should collaborate to inform teachers, help reduce classroom noise; increase signal levels, and improve access to spoken language for L2 learners.