Teacher Candidates: Vocal Health

Classroom teachers are at high risk for developing voice problems and may experience positive benefits from vocal health education. Less is known about the experiences of student teachers. The objective of the study was to determine if vocal hygiene education affects the student teachers’ vocal knowledge, vocal habits, voice quality, and their self-perception of their voice. Eight female education students, who were student teaching the semester of the study, were randomized into either the Experimental Group (who received vocal health information before their student teaching semester) or the Control Group. Both groups were assessed using a battery of qualitative and quantitative instruments at the beginning, middle, and end of the semester. There were no statistically significant differences between the Experimental Group and the Control Group on vocal hygiene knowledge, vocal hygiene habits, VHI-10 score, and all CAPE-V ratings. Analysis of the individual differences, however, indicates that knowledge of vocal health may influence other variables related to vocal health. Analysis of the qualitative data indicates that seven of the eight student teachers experienced problems with their voice and that all four members of the Control Group wanted information about vocal health. Due to potential limitations of the study, the researchers were not able to determine whether educational information resulted in fewer incidences of voice problems, but the data suggest, similar to classroom teachers, that student teachers are at high risk for developing voice problems during their student teaching practicum and they too may benefit from information on prevention of voice problems