Effects of voice training and voice hygiene education on acoustic and perceptual speech parameters and self-reported vocal well-being in female teachers.

Irma Ilomäki, Anne-Maria Laukkanen, Kirsti Leppänen, Erkki Vilkman

This study compared the effects of voice training and voice hygiene education on acoustic and perceptual speech parameters and self-evaluation of voice in 60 Finnish female teachers. All teachers received a voice hygiene lecture (3 hours), and thirty of them were randomly assigned to a voice training group, which exercised their voices in five voice training lessons (each lesson 1 hour plus homework) during nine weeks. In the beginning and end of the autumn term, before and after a working day a text reading sample and a prolonged vowel [a:] were recorded at habitual loudness. The subjects also filled in a questionnaire about voice quality, ease or difficulty of phonation and tiredness of throat. Three voice trainers evaluated the text samples for voice quality and firmness of phonation. The samples were analyzed for average fundamental frequency (F0), sound pressure level (SPL) and the alpha ratio [SPL (1-5 kHz)- SPL (50Hz-1 kHz)], which describes the spectrum slope. The vowel samples were analyzed for jitter and shimmer. In the end of the term shimmer values were lower in the voice training group (p="0.013)," and during a working day jitter decreased ( p="0.035)," alpha ratio increased less, voice production was reported to become easier (p="0.036)" and perceived voice quality improved (p="0.025)" The results seem to indicate improved voice control in the training group.

Keywords: teacher, voice hygiene education, voice training, voice quality, tiredness of throat

Irma Ilomäki ⁽¹, Anne-Maria Laukkanen ⁽¹, Kirsti Leppänen ⁽¹, Erkki Vilkman ⁽²
1) Department of Speech Communication and Voice Research, University of Tampere
2) Phoniatric Department, ENT Clinic, Helsinki University Central Hospital Finland

Irma Ilomäki, Senior Lecturer
Department of Speech Communication and Voice Research
33014 University of Tampere, Finland
Telephone +358 3 3551 7244 Fax + 358 3 3551 6063
E-mail: irma.ilomaki@uta.fi