How Do Adolescent Students Perceive Aging Teachers' Voices?

Abstract

This study aims to analyze adolescent evaluations of aging teachers' perceived vocal age (PVA) and pleasantness, relative to actual vocal parameters. This is a cross-sectional study. Digital speech samples of 23 teachers over 65 years in age were collected. Three speech-language pathologists and voice specialists evaluated and classified the vocal parameters on a seven-point scale according to a perceptual-auditory voice analysis protocol, developed especially for this study. Seven adolescent students (mean age 17 years; 3 males, 4 females) evaluated the samples for PVA and pleasantness. The pleasantness evaluations were classified according to three explanatory foci: instrument (related to an organic or functional laryngeal action, eg, a "rough" voice), expressivity (related to social or emotional aspects), or both. PVA results showed that all subjects underestimated the teachers' ages. PVAs were not significantly correlated with vocal parameters, pleasantness, or focus. Male adolescent evaluations of pleasantness were significantly correlated with the vocal parameters: loudness (P = 0.017), pitch variation (P = 0.006), and loudness variation (P = 0.021), and the main explanation focus was instrument. Female adolescent evaluations of pleasantness were significantly correlated with resonance (P = 0.047) and loudness variation (P = 0.035), and the main explanation focus was expressivity. Although male and female adolescents judged voice qualities differently, both groups showed statistically significant correlations between pleasantness and vocal parameters associated with expressivity. Our results, combined with the high rate of vocal dysfunction in teachers, support the notion that specific voice care programs combined with expressivity resources training should be implemented for individuals in the teaching profession. This gender difference regarding pleasantness in vocal analyses should be investigated further.