The voice is the basic prerequisite for oral communication and one of the most important tools in the teaching profession. Teachers speak for several hours every day.
Their voice must be pleasant and clear to hear. Student teachers are often unaware of the vocal demands of their profession. They are also often unaware of the risk factors
that can affect their voice. Knowledge of vocal hygiene is important, but insufficiently present among prospective teachers and teaching staff. As a result, teachers often
overuse their voice or teach while they are ill. Numerous studies have been carried out abroad which have shown that a large proportion of future teachers already struggle with voice problems during their studies. In Slovenia, there are few such studies, but researchers have also found that a large proportion of students -future teachers do not
have adequate vocal technique and that there are factors that negatively affect the quality of their voice.
The theoretical part of the master's thesis deals with the definition of the voice and its characteristics. We describe voice disorders and present questionnaires used in the
diagnosis and treatment of voice disorders. We also define the prevention of voice disorders and voice care as well as the role of speech therapists in this context. Special
attention is paid to occupational voice disorders and voice disorders in prospective teachers.
The purpose and aim of the empirical research is to determine the prevalence of voice problems in prospective teachers, their speaking habits and knowledge about voice
care, how prospective teachers actually care for their voice and how voice problems affect the prospective teachers' quality of life.
In the empirical part, we used two questionnaires (Voice Handicap Index and A survey on hoarseness in student teachers) to determine the prevalence of voice problems
among prospective teachers and their voice care.
The results of the survey showed that 55.5 % of the students had already experienced voice problems. The number of hours of voice use per day is not related to hoarseness. Only 52.5 % of them rest their voice when they are hoarse. Of all the students surveyed, 35.6 % had already acquired knowledge about voice care. More than half of them take care of their voice completely or partially. The students have no emotional reservations about their voice. Students who frequently shout, speak quickly or loudly
are no more likely to have voice problems than students who do not have these inappropriate speaking habits. In most cases, the reason for voice problems is vocal overload. For students -future teachers, actual voice care has nothing to do with their knowledge of vocal hygiene.
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