Influence of Classroom Acoustics on the Voice Levels of Teachers With and Without Voice Problems: A Field Study

Pelegrín-García, David; Åhlander, Viveka Lyberg; Rydell, Roland; Brunskog, Jonas; Löfqvist, Anders

doi:10.1121/1.3533839

Cited by 10 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…[22] Finally, one must also realize that the RT is a crude acoustical parameter, and that other parameters such as clarity or the ratio between early and late sound reflections may turn out to be more relevant in characterizing and optimizing school teachers' acoustical working environment. Yet, since the RT often is correlated with other acoustical parameters it represents a feasible choice, as for example, verified by its use in a contemporary building regulations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Classroom acoustics and hearing ability as determinants for perceived social climate and intentions to stay at work

et al. 2013

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Background noise and room acoustics may impede social interactions by interfering with oral communication and other cognitive processes. Accordingly, recent research in school environments has showed that social relationships with peers and teachers are described more negatively in rooms with long reverberation times (RT). The purpose of this study was to investigate how RT and hearing ability (i.e., hearing thresholds [HT] and distortion product oto-acoustic emissions) were associated with school teachers' perceptions of the social climate at work and their intentions to stay on the job. School teachers (n = 107) from 10 schools that worked in classrooms classified by acoustical experts as "short RT" (3 schools, mean RT 0.41-0.47 s), "medium RT" (3 schools, mean RT 0.50-0.53 s), and "long RT" (4 schools, mean RT 0.59-0.73 s) were examined. Teachers who worked in classrooms with long RT perceived their social climate to be more competitive, conflict laden, and less relaxed and comfortable. They were more doubtful about staying on the job. Even if the teachers were generally satisfied with their work the results suggest that the comfort at work may have been further improved by acoustical interventions that focus on reducing sound reflections in the classrooms. Yet, due the study design and the novelty of the findings the potential practical significance of our observations remains to be evaluated.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Classroom acoustics and hearing ability as determinants for perceived social climate and intentions to stay at work

et al. 2013

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“…In a previous investigation, the same teachers were studied in a real teaching scenario. 21 Although the results of that study were problematic from the methodological perspective, because most of the individuals talked in just one environment, the group-wise differences were statistically significant. It is possible that teachers perceived the laboratory scenario as non-demanding and did not stress their voices as if it was a real teaching situation.…”

Section: B Effect Of Voice Healthmentioning

confidence: 90%

Speakers’ comfort and voice level variation in classrooms: Laboratory research

Pelegrín-García

Brunskog

2012

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America

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Teachers adjust their voice levels under different classroom acoustics conditions, even in the absence of background noise. Laboratory experiments have been conducted in order to understand further this relationship and to determine optimum room acoustic conditions for speaking. Under simulated acoustic environments, talkers do modify their voice levels linearly with the measure voice support, and the slope of this relationship is referred to as room effect. The magnitude of the room effect depends highly on the instruction used and on the individuals. Group-wise, the average room effect ranges from -0.93 dB/dB, with free speech, to -0.1 dB/dB with other less demanding communication tasks as reading and talking at short distances. The room effect for some individuals can be as strong as -1.7 dB/dB. A questionnaire investigation showed that the acoustic comfort for talking in classrooms, in the absence of background noise, is correlated to the decay times derived from an impulse response measured from the mouth to the ears of a talker, and that there is a maximum of preference for decay times between 0.4 and 0.5 s. Teachers with self-reported voice problems prefer higher decay times to speak in than their healthy colleagues.

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“…It is possible that teachers with more severe voice symptoms limit their voice use more than teachers with healthier voices. This is achieved by using lower voice SPL [25] and less raising of F 0 [15]. Our results showed that the more mucus there was in the participant’s throat, the higher F 0 she used during the first lesson.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 76%

“…Both studies report 9 dB higher values for activity noise level than the present study. The explanation for the different results may be that in those 2 studies all lessons were recorded, not specifically lessons in core subjects and, furthermore, leisure time was also included in most of the recordings by Södersten et al Other possible reasons for the differences may be variation in pedagogical methods [24], in the subjects addressed in the lessons [2], or in the acoustics of the classroom [25]. Furthermore, variations in time window settings may have also influenced the differences.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It seemed possible that the teachers may adjust their voice to increase SNR at the listener’s position rather than at their own position and preferred to use their voice as required by their profession instead of more ergonomically [23]. A possible solution to this dilemma might be a compromise between a good listening acoustic [25] and a good speaking acoustic [30] environment. Although the comparison between a speech-to-noise and an SNR is simplistic because the ratios are not truly the same, the juxtaposition signals an alarming situation: in order to be heard a teacher had to use a raised voice.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Relationship between Activity Noise, Voice Parameters, and Voice Symptoms among Female Teachers

Pirilä

Ansamaa

et al. 2017

Folia Phoniatr Logop

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Objective: Our interest was in how teachers’ voices behave during the delivery of lessons in core subjects (e.g., mathematics, science, etc.). We sought to evaluate the relationship between voice sound pressure level (SPL), vocal fundamental frequency (F₀), voice symptoms, activity noise, and differences therein during the first and the last lessons in core subjects of the day. Patients and Methods: The participants were 24 female elementary school teachers. Voice symptoms were evaluated by questionnaire. The data were recorded on 2 portable voice accumulators (VoxLog) from the first and last lessons of the day. The versions of accumulators differed by frequency weighting; therefore, the analysis and the results of noise and voice SPL were treated separately: unweighted (group 1) and A-weighted (group 2). Results: Difference in voice SPL followed difference in activity noise. F₀ increased between the first and last lessons. Correlations were found between differences in the noise and the voice symptoms of tiredness and dryness. Irritating mucus was associated with high F₀ during the first lesson. Conclusion: An apparent increase in voice loading due to the activity noise was observed during lessons in core subjects. Collaboration between specialists in voice and acoustics and teachers and pupils is needed to reduce this voice loading.

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Influence of Classroom Acoustics on the Voice Levels of Teachers With and Without Voice Problems: A Field Study

Cited by 10 publications

References 8 publications

Classroom acoustics and hearing ability as determinants for perceived social climate and intentions to stay at work

Classroom acoustics and hearing ability as determinants for perceived social climate and intentions to stay at work

Speakers’ comfort and voice level variation in classrooms: Laboratory research

Relationship between Activity Noise, Voice Parameters, and Voice Symptoms among Female Teachers

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