2023-2024 Faculty Research Grant

Tammy Shilling (Communication Sciences & Disorders).

Impact of Vocal Health Education and Voice Amplification on Self-Perception of Vocal Function in College Professors. 

It is uncommon for professors to use any form of vocal health strategies to protect themselves from long-term vocal damage due to vocal abuse, or phonotrauma. There have been few existing studies examining the benefits of vocal health education programs in addition to the use of amplification for college professors.  This pretest posttest experimental group design will examine the effects of vocal health education and amplification on the self-perception of vocal function in university teaching faculty. All participants teach 10-15 hours per week in person and have no history of a diagnosed voice disorder, no history of a hearing loss, and have not received any formal vocal health education. Participants will be randomly assigned and divided into three groups. All groups will complete a pre-intervention and post-intervention questionnaire that includes the Voice Symptom Scale. All participants will record a voice sample with a sustained vowel and reading sample for auditory-perceptual judgment and acoustic analysis. Group A will complete an online vocal health program (VHP). Group B will complete the online VHP and then use the “Chattervox Voice Amplifier w- DynaMic Collar” during teaching for six weeks. Group C, the control group, will receive no intervention. Data analyses will include a descriptive and comparative analyses to determine the relationships and effects of vocal health education programs, amplification devices and the self-perception of vocal function with college professors.