EduPort

EduPort 2026, 10(2) | DOI: 10.21062/edp.2026.007

AWARENESS OF VOICE DISORDERS IN THE CONTEXT OF THEIR PREVENTION AMONG VOICE PROFESSIONALS – TEACHERS IN KINDERGARTENS, PRIMARY SCHOOLS, AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Alena Hlavinková, Kateřina Vitásková, Karolína Karbulová1

Ústav speciálněpedagogických studií, Pedagogická fakulta UP v Olomouci (Česká republika)

The voice is one of the basic means of human communication. Voice disorders represent changes in quality, pitch, volume, or even flexibility depending on age, gender, and socio-cultural environment. A voice disorder occurs when differences in the voice do not correspond to or are disproportionate to a person’s age, gender, cultural background, or geographical location. This also includes subjectively perceived voice disorders, even if others do not recognize the voice as impaired.  The issue of voice disorders and their prevention should, given its importance, be one of the key areas of research for voice professionals, especially teachers. One important tool for maintaining proper voice use is vocal hygiene, which is a significant source of prevention of voice problems. The aim of this article is to map the knowledge of voice disorders among selected respondents, find out their experience with voice problems, and see how well they follow the principles of vocal hygiene. The main research method chosen was a questionnaire. Specifically, it was a non-standardized semi-structured questionnaire. A total of 582 respondents were contacted, and 445 questionnaires were returned. The respondents were teachers from kindergartens, primary schools, and secondary schools in the Olomouc Region, with contacts obtained from the official website of the city of Olomouc or from the Atlas of Education website.
For statistical data processing, a descriptive analysis method was used. As part of preparing for hypothetical testing, the Shapiro–Wilk test of normality was then applied. Since all tested variables showed a significant deviation from normality (p < 0.05), it was necessary to choose non-parametric methods, which are not sensitive to violations of normality or unequal group sizes. To compare categorical data between school groups, the chi-square (χ²) test of independence in contingency tables was used, and for comparing ordinal variables among three or more groups of respondents, the Kruskal–Wallis test was applied.
Regarding knowledge about voice disorders, a quantitative questionnaire showed that preschool and primary school teachers have the highest level of understanding, while high school teachers scored the lowest. The term most frequently identified correctly was 'hoarseness lasting more than 1 month,' whereas terms like 'stuttering' or 'dyslalia' were most often mistaken. There is relatively high agreement on terms clearly linked to voice disorders, but less clear or less common terms see significant variation. High school teachers made the most mistakes, which might reflect less pre-graduate or professional contact with speech therapy issues or limited training in voice disorders.
Looking at the area of prevention, it can be said that none of the listed preventive measures show statistically significant differences among preschool, elementary, and high school teachers, which suggests that the level of voice care is fairly consistent across the groups—whether those are regular healthy habits or specific vocal exercises. The analysis of preventive measures also showed that teachers at all levels use preventive techniques to a similar extent. The most commonly mentioned strategies were drinking plenty of fluids, avoiding shouting, getting enough sleep, and exercising. An important finding of the survey is that nearly half of all respondents reported having experienced a voice disorder in the past, and about one tenth reported current issues. Overall, the results indicate that experience with voice problems is fairly common among teachers.
The results clearly show that the differences between the groups point to varying levels of vocal strain or differences in working conditions across different school levels. The findings also indicate that although teachers commonly use some basic preventative measures and can partially recognize typical voice disorders, their overall knowledge, systematically implemented prevention, and timely voice care are not well developed. The results therefore clearly show that high school teachers are the least informed when it comes to knowledge about voice disorders, while kindergarten and elementary school teachers have a similar and higher level of knowledge.

Keywords: voice disorders; prevention of voice disorders; preschool, elementary and high school teachers; voice hygiene; knowledge of voice disorder issues

Published: June 1, 2026  Show citation