What this means
A survey of 164 teachers found many had voice problems but few had formal voice training. It shows teachers want help, but it does not show what training would work.
Plain-English summary written by an AI model from the abstract. The original is below.
- Who it was tested in
- 164 teachers in the United States
- Kind of research
- A study
The science
- Original title
- Understanding Teachers' Perspectives on Voice Relative to their Occupation.
- Authors
- Davis SG, Charney SA
- Journal
- Journal of voice : official journal of the Voice Foundation
- Published
- Oct 15, 2026
- Study type
- Study
- PMID
- 42881048 ↗
Abstract
Background
The aim of this study was to characterize a large teacher population's vocal health-related practices, voice use requirements and patterns, prevalence of previous voice-related training(s), and their desire for future (voice-related) training. Another aim was to assess the interest in a future study centered on developing a voice protocol specific to the teacher population.
What they did
A total of 164 teachers (preschool through 12th grade) in the United States completed an anonymous 28-item online questionnaire addressing voice care, voice use, vocal demands, vocal difficulties, health-seeking behaviors, prior voice-related training, and perceptions and interest regarding involvement in voice-related training.
What they found
Among 164 teacher respondents, 96% reported more than 4 hours of daily voice use and 85% identified as occupational voice users. Voice-related symptoms were common, with over 85% reporting teaching-related hoarseness, 82% endorsing vocal strain, effort, and/or fatigue following a day of teaching, and 73% attributing vocal fatigue directly to their profession. Only 13% of those experiencing hoarseness sought medical evaluation. Most respondents had never received formal vocal health training (80%); however, 91% believed such training is important for educators, 73% expressed interest in attending a training program, and 57% indicated interest in participating in future teacher-specific vocal health research. Teachers experience substantial vocal demands and a high prevalence of voice-related symptoms but receive limited formal education regarding vocal health/well-being. Overall, our study characterizes teachers' perspectives regarding occupational voice use and reveals an opportunity for voice-related medical professionals to assume an important role in educating and advocating for this population of occupational voice users. The study findings support the development of a teacher-specific voice protocol to serve as a preventative training tool to help mitigate the risk of dysphonia-related symptoms and promote vocal longevity throughout the teacher's career.
The authors' abstract, grouped under plain headings from its own section labels.
Davis SG, Charney SA Understanding Teachers' Perspectives on Voice Relative to their Occupation. Journal of voice : official journal of the Voice Foundation. 2026. doi:10.1016/j.jvoice.2026.09.040. PMID: 42881048. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42881048/