The Effect of Noise in Educational Institutions on Learning and Academic Achievement of Elementary Students in Ahvaz, South-West of Iran

Background The learning environment dramatically affects the learning outcomes of students. Noise, inappropriate temperature, insufficient light, overcrowded classes, misplaced boards and inappropriate classroom layout all make up factors that could be confounding variables distracting students in class. This study was conducted to examine the effect of noise in educational institutions on the academic achievement of elementary school students in the academic year 2015-2016 in Ahvaz. Materials and Methods This study is applied and it is survey in terms of the nature of study. The population of the study included all male elementary school students in Ahvaz, of whom 210 students were selected randomly as the sample of the study. Cluster sampling was done by appropriate allocation. Questionnaires were randomly distributed among students. Data collection tools included Hermance's achievement motivation questionnaire and the researcher-constructed questionnaire (observation checklist to examine the physical parameters of noise in educational institutions) and interviews with students. Validity of questionnaires was confirmed by content and construct validity, and the reliability of study was confirmed by Cronbach's alpha. The data of the study were analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation) and inferential statistics (factor analysis, t-test, Kolmogorov - Smirnov test and one-way ANOVA analysis) in SPSS21. Results The results showed that noise in educational institutions has a negative impact on learning and academic achievement of elementary school students in Ahvaz (P<0.05). Conclusion Educational managers are recommended to reduce or remove the educational environment noises.