Speech intelligibility in auralized classrooms when the talker is wearing a face mask

This study explored the effects of wearing face masks on classroom communication. We evaluated the effects of three different types of face masks (fabric, surgical and N95 masks) on speech intelligibility presented to college students in auralized classrooms. To simulate realistic classroom conditions, speech stimuli were presented in the presence of speech-shaped noise with a signal-to-noise ratio of + 3 dB under two different reverberation times (0.4 s and 3.1 s). The use fabric masks yielded significantly greater reduction in speech intelligibility compared to the other masks. Therefore, surgical masks or N95 masks are strongly recommended in teaching environments.