Objective and subjective sound environment in university student dormitories

University students in China often spend more than half a day every day in their dormitories. Therefore, the sound environment plays an important role in their physiological and mental health, as well as the quality of their learning experience. In the present study, sound pressure level measurements and subjective surveys were undertaken in a typical university student dormitory at Harbin Institute of Technology, China, to examine the sound levels and sound perception of students and the effects according to their daily schedule, grade, gender, and education level. The results show that the sound level is highest (68.5 dBA) at 7:30 am to 8:30 am, in the hallway. The students mainly complained about speech sounds in the dormitory, while they are not significantly influenced by music. Female students usually focused on more types of sound sources than male students. The sound pressure level can also be affected by different behaviours.