Noise Exposure Impacts on Teachers’ Hearing and Hyperacusis

Over 80% of the 504 teachers surveyed reported heightened sensitivity to noise. This striking statistic comes from a new study examining how occupational noise in schools affects hearing health, specifically the risks for hyperacusis and difficulties with speech understanding.

Studying the Classroom Sound Environment

Researchers Almıla Avşar, Buşra Mazooğlu, and Sevda Nur Şenel sought to measure the auditory health of teachers exposed daily to classroom and playground noise. Their study, conducted between December 2024 and March 2025, included 504 healthy teachers aged 24 to 65 from various disciplines. Participants were grouped as elementary school teachers, quantitative field teachers (like math and science), and verbal field teachers (like language and literature).

Each teacher completed a detailed demographic form and two validated questionnaires. The Khalfa Hyperacusis Questionnaire assessed sensitivity to sound across emotional, attentional, and social dimensions. The Speech, Spatial, and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ) evaluated real-world hearing abilities, including understanding speech in noise and locating sounds.

Key Findings on Gender and Career Length

The data revealed clear patterns linked to gender and professional tenure. Female teachers reported significantly higher scores on the attention and emotional subscales of the hyperacusis questionnaire. This suggests women in the teaching profession may experience greater distress and concentration disruption from everyday classroom noise. Conversely, male teachers scored higher on the SSQ’s spatial perception subscale, indicating they found it easier to identify where sounds were coming from in their environment.

The number of years spent teaching also made a difference. Teachers with 15–20 years and over 20 years of service reported more social difficulties related to sound sensitivity compared to those in their first five years. Most notably, the group with 15–20 years of experience had significantly lower scores on speech perception. This points to a potential cumulative effect of noise exposure, where the ability to understand speech—a critical skill for any teacher—erodes over time.

These findings align with broader concerns about integrated auditory health, where damage to one auditory function, like cochlear hair cells from noise, can trigger wider conditions like tinnitus or hyperacusis.

What This Means for Educators and Schools

This study moves hyperacusis and noise sensitivity from a personal concern to a measurable occupational health consideration in education. The high prevalence of reported sensitivity suggests many teachers are working in a state of auditory stress, which could affect job performance, well-being, and even career longevity.

The gender differences highlight a need for personalized awareness and support. The cumulative effect seen with years of service argues for early intervention and consistent protection. Schools should consider this evidence when assessing classroom acoustics, providing quiet break spaces for staff, and establishing hearing conservation programs. Just as industrial workers have protocols for noise exposure, educational institutions may need to develop similar standards to protect their staff’s auditory health.

For teachers experiencing significant noise sensitivity, understanding it as a potential work-related issue is a first step. Seeking evaluation from an audiologist can lead to management strategies. Some approaches used for conditions like misophonia management, such as sound therapy and cognitive techniques, may also be applicable for hyperacusis.

A Call for Auditory Health in Education

This research provides clear data: the chronic noise of the classroom is more than a nuisance. It is an auditory hazard with measurable effects on teachers’ hearing function and sensitivity. Protecting educators’ hearing is not merely about preventing hearing loss; it is about preserving the precise auditory skills—speech understanding, sound localization, and tolerance for noise—that are fundamental to teaching effectively.

Future studies could track these effects longitudinally and examine the efficacy of interventions like acoustic modifications or hearing protection. For now, the work of Avşar and colleagues makes a strong case for including auditory health in occupational safety conversations within the education sector.

Source: Avşar, A., Mazooğlu, B., & Şenel, S.N. (2025). Evaluation of the Effects of Occupational Noise Exposure on Speech Perception, Spatial Perception, Hearing Quality and Hyperacusis in Teachers. DOI: 10.33715/inonusaglik.1898710.