Análise perceptivo-auditiva da qualidade e dinâmica vocal em professores da educação profissional e tecnológica

Abstract

Introduction: the teacher's professional performance requires a great demand related to communication, which brings with it a need to use speech as a mechanism for disseminating knowledge. Therefore, in the present study, we sought to observe the vocal quality and dynamics of teachers in professional and technological education, a specific group that usually does not receive training to work with their voice professionally and works in the training of future professionals. vocal and speech characteristics of teachers, with the purpose of characterizing vocal adjustments with strong propensities for the occurrence of long-term damage, causing strain and compromising their work. Do these teachers present particular aspects of working conditions and voice? Do they have guidelines? Objective: to auditorily analyze vocal quality and dynamics in speech samples from professional and technological education teachers in the context of face-to-face classes. Methodology: the study is observational, descriptive, cross-sectional, qualitative and quantitative, linked to the Postgraduate Program in Linguistics (PROLING) at the Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB). Eight teachers from the same course were selected, women, aged between 18 and 60 years, who had been teaching the course for at least one year and who had a minimum teaching load of 10 hours per week. For auditory perceptual analysis of vocal quality and dynamics, an expository class lasting between 1 hour and 10 minutes and 1 hour and 18 minutes was recorded for each teacher, following the schedule of their respective disciplines and disregarding the control of linguistic content in order to not interfere with the participant’s spontaneity. The speech samples of the eight teachers (P1, P2, P3, P4, P5, P6, P7 and P8) were sent for auditory perceptual evaluation, in consensus, by three judges with experience in using the VPAS-PB (Camargo and Madureira, 2008). A descriptive statistical analysis of the prevalence of vocal quality and dynamics adjustments was carried out, using VPAS-PB, in order to enable the visualization of grouping patterns, through hierarchical clustering. Results: the most prevalent adjustments found were: pharyngeal constriction (87.5%), elevated laryngeal height (87.5%), vocal tract hyperfunction (75%), lowered tongue body (62.5%) and hyperfunction laryngeal (62.5%). Regarding aspects of vocal dynamics, the majority presented increased habitual loudness (75%), increased loudness variability (62.5%), as well as increased habitual pitch (62.5%). According to the degree of similarity in vocal quality and dynamic adjustments, two clusters were formed, which differed in terms of lowered tongue body (p=0.047), pharyngeal constriction (p=0.034), vocal tract hyperfunction (p=0.001) and air escape (p=0.034), in terms of vocal dynamics, what differed was the increased variability of loudness (p=0.046). Final Considerations: these findings, which show compatibility with other studies that use the VPAS-PB, with the public of voice professionals, contributing to the expansion of the characterization of the speech profile of this group, as well as helping speech therapists in clinical practice, as they become more focused on helping these individuals in an attempt to mitigate the effects of adjustments in vocal quality and dynamics that may indicate a risk of developing voice disorders or their intensification.