‘I think that's what I heard? I'm not sure’: Speech and language therapists’ views of, and practices in, phonetic transcription

Abstract

Background: Phonetic transcription is recognized in regulatory standards as an essential skill for Speech and Language Therapists (SLTs) in the assessment, diagnosis and management of clients with speech difficulties. Previous research has identified that approaches to phonetic transcription vary, and that SLTs often lack confidence in transcribing. However, SLTs' views and working practices have not been investigated in detail, particularly in terms of whole service approaches and following the recent increase in telehealth. Aims:To investigate SLTs' views about phonetic transcription, their working practices at both individual and service levels, and the factors that influence these. Methods & Procedures:A total of 19 SLTs from the UK were recruited to online focus groups via social media and local networks. Participants discussed their views of, and practices in, phonetic transcription. Themes were identified using reflexive thematic analysis.Outcomes & Results: Three broad themes were generated division and unity; one small part of a big job; and fit for purpose. SLTs were uniformly proud of their ability to phonetically transcribe and viewed this as a unique skill, but clear differences existed between different groups of SLTs in their views and practices. Investing in phonetic transcription was not always a priority for SLTs or services, and although many felt under-confident in their skills they considered these to be adequate for the populations they usually encounter. SLTs make an early judgement about possible therapy targets, which influences the level of detail used in their phonetic transcription. Practical barriers are often not addressed at service level, and assessment via telehealth poses some specific challenges. Conclusions & Implications: SLTs and services would benefit from increased investment in phonetic transcription in terms of time, opportunities forThis is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.