Vocal teacher production condition in differents functional situations

to verify if teachers with less vocal use due to reduced workload have fewer complaints of vocal disorders and better environmental and organizational working conditions.

46 teachers of both genders, with a mean age of 39.5 years old, and 15 years of career length participated in this study. The individuals were divided into group A, public school teachers with exclusive dedication to a single school and regulated workload; group B, public school teachers with elevated workload working in many schools. All subjects were submitted to the following instruments: Condition of Vocal Production-Teacher and the Screening Index for Voice Disorder.

group B teachers presented voice disorder (5.21; p=0.02) and greater complaints regarding acoustic conditions (p=0.04), temperature (p=0,04), humidity (p=0.01), lighting (p=0.001), cleanliness (p=0.01), and didactic materials (p<0.0001). Habits of screaming (p=0.02), speaking in an open place (p=0,02), and vocal orientations (p=0.01) also had a statistically significant difference.

Teachers working in elementary and high school belonging to the group of exclusive dedication to a single school, with reduced weekly classroom hours and less vocal exposure had fewer complaints of voice disorders, better environmental and organizational conditions, and reported screaming less at work.