Effect of a Voice Training Program on Acoustic Voice Parameters in Secondary School Teachers

Abstract

Teachers are known to be vulnerable to voice disorders because of the excessive use of their voice for professional purposes. This study aimed to investigate the effects of a vocal training program on select acoustic voice parameters in secondary school teachers. The study sample comprised 60 premenopausal female secondary school teachers. The subjects were divided into the experimental (n = 30) and control (n = 30) groups. The experimental group underwent a vocal training program for 15 days, whereas the control group did not receive any training. The training included a combination of yogic and vocal function exercises. Results showed significant differences in the post-training values of fundamental frequency, jitter (%), relative average perturbation, pitch perturbation quotient, shimmer (dB), amplitude perturbation quotient, and noise-to-harmonic ratio between the experimental and control groups. Thus, the vocal training program showed positive effects on the voice quality of secondary school teachers.