Preschool Children's Experience and Understanding of Their Soundscape
Noise may be a serious health problem in preschools. This article explores how preschool-aged children experience, understand, and cope with the soundscape at their preschools. Using a qualitative approach, 36 children (4–6 years old) were interviewed in 11 focus groups. The children
related their experience of sound to the consequences the sound had for themselves, their understanding of its source, and their bodily and emotional experience of it. Their perceived trustfulness, comprehensibility, sound descriptions, and manageability of given sounds were interpreted in
the model as an expression of uncontrollability. The degree of uncontrollability of sounds accounted for whether children were nondisturbed, disturbed, or distressed by their experience of it. Distressing noise was experienced as both physically and emotionally painful. The children handled
such distress by flight, attempting to reduce the hearing sensation, turning to their teachers, and using cognitive strategies. It is important to increase our understanding of how children cope with distressing sounds at preschools.
Keywords: adverse effects; child; focus groups; grounded theory; noise; preschool; stress
Document Type: Research Article
Affiliations: 1: Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Gothenburg, Sweden 2: Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
Publication date: 01 January 2013
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