[PDF] - 1 Incidence of teachers voice problems in UK LSBU survey of teachers PDF Document

SLIDE 1

1 Oral communication ergonomic work in UK

Bridget Shield Professor of Acoustics Faculty of Engineering, Science and Built Environment London South Bank University Damaging effects of noise on hearing and voice in children’s learning environments

Reykjavik Iceland 12-13 October 2012

Outline

Voice Care Network
Incidence of teachers’ voice problems in UK
Cost of teachers’ voice problems in UK
Awareness of risk and training
Current legislation on acoustic design of

schools, revision and impact

Current LSBU research on impact of acoustics

Voice Care Network

"To help people keep their voices healthy and to communicate effectively". voicecare.org.uk VCN activities include: training, workshops, seminars, conferences, surveys, practical advice

Incidence of teachers’ voice problems in UK

Voice Care Network (2001-2002)

Survey of 35 voice clinics
12% of patients were teachers

(teachers 1.5% of workforce)

D. Comins: Survey of UK voice clinics

2001/2. Voice Care Network (2002)

Incidence of teachers’ voice problems in UK

LSBU research (2001)

Survey of 51 primary school teachers
89% experienced painful throat
77% also experienced hoarseness, voice loss and

throat infections

4 (8%) teachers had no health problems

(taught < 5 years, in quieter schools, did not raise voice)

LSBU survey of 51 primary school teachers (2001)

5 10 15 20 25 30 35

Raise voice Attention gaining strategies Stop teaching No response Concentration Ignore

Percentage

Strategies for coping with noise

SLIDE 2

2

36 teachers voice levels (4 male, 32 female) at 1.0 m 50 52 54 56 58 60 62 64 66 68 70 72 74 76 78 80 82 84 15 34 8 5 4 20 10 13 6 2 9 18 26 3 21 17 1 27 30 16 11 14 31 7 29 33 36 24 32 25 22 19 12 23 35 28 Teacher identification number LAeq at 1.0m, dB(A) female male

F M

LSBU survey of teachers’ voice levels (2004)

% respondents Voice problems, overall 60 Voice problems in independent schools 57 Voice problems in local authority schools 68 Raise voice at least once a day 54 Raise voice at least once a week 70 Little or no support from school 42 Voice care should be compulsory in teacher training 87

Incidence of teachers’ voice problems in UK

Association of Teachers and Lecturers 2008 Poll of 490 teachers in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland

% respondents Voice problems, overall 60 Voice problems in independent schools 57 Voice problems in local authority schools 68 Raise voice at least once a day 54 Raise voice at least once a week 70 Little or no support from school 42 Voice care should be compulsory in teacher training 87

Incidence of teachers’ voice problems in UK

Association of Teachers and Lecturers 2008 Poll of 490 teachers in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland 52% of teachers reported voice problems

Incidence of teachers’ voice problems in UK

LSBU survey of 207 secondary school teachers (2011)

Economic consequences of teachers’ voice problems

Costs of teacher absence 73,000 teaching days lost in British primary schools due to teachers’ voice strain Costs £15 million per year Compensation 2006: £8000 awarded to Scottish teacher who lost voice due to ‘environmental/acoustic’ conditions 2010: teacher in London awarded £150,000 for voice damage due to noise

Awareness of dangers to voice

National Union of Teachers (NUT)

2004: Work Hoarse

Raised awareness of dangers to the voice in certain professions including teaching

Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL)

2008: Published results of survey

Voice training in teacher training courses…..???

Few courses include training
Training minimal

SLIDE 3

3 General Teaching Council of Scotland

2003: Voice and the Teaching Profession

Survey of teacher training institutes in Scotland to

determine provision of voice training

Usually one initial input session with follow up

workshops/remedial sessions if required

Awareness of dangers to voice GTCS Recommendations

Teacher training courses should introduce

greater awareness of voice care issues

– Lectures, workshops and training in every year of course

Voice care and information should be provided

to teachers in schools

– Especially probationary teachers

Speech and language therapists should press

for national policy on voice care and extent of teachers’ voice problems and effects of preventative care

Thames Primary Consortium, Essex

School centred teacher training programme
Provides specially designed individual voice

training programme

"...an excellent voice development program for trainees which has reduced their absence, escalated their progress and supported their behaviour management in class and their learning of phonics.“ (2011 Ofsted report)

Acoustic requirements for good teaching, speaking and learning conditions

Low background noise levels

– building services noise, traffic noise etc

Prevention of noise transmission from
ther parts of the building
Good speech intelligibility

– low noise levels and short reverberation times

‘Acoustics is one of the most important physical properties that

determine how well a school’s building can serve its primary function’.

Knudsen and Harris, 1950 Acoustical Designing in Architecture

Current regulations for acoustic design of schools in England and Wales

Schools Premises

Regulations

– apply to school buildings when occupied and in use

Building Regulations

– apply to design of new school buildings

Current standards for acoustic design of schools Building Bulletin 93

Since 2003 new school

buildings must comply with the Building Regulations

Legal requirements for

acoustic design of new schools specified in Building Bulletin 93

SLIDE 4

4 Current standards for acoustic design of schools BB93 specifies

background noise levels
reverberation times
sound insulation
sound absorption in

corridors, staircases etc

speech intelligibility in
pen plan classrooms

Some BB93 performance specifications

(spaces unoccupied and unfurnished) Room Max background noise level Max RT

Primary classroom

35 dB 0.6 s

Secondary classrooms

35 dB 0.8 s

Open plan teaching areas

40 dB 0.8 s

Classrooms for use by HI students

30 dB 0.4 s

Libraries

35 dB 1.0 s

Science labs

40 dB 0.8 s

Drama studios

30 dB 1.0 s

Some BB93 performance specifications

(spaces unoccupied and unfurnished) Room Max background noise level Max RT

Primary classroom

35 dB 0.6 s

Secondary classrooms

35 dB 0.8 s

Open plan teaching areas

40 dB 0.8 s

Classrooms for use by HI students

30 dB 0.4 s

Libraries

35 dB 1.0 s

Science labs

40 dB 0.8 s

Drama studios

30 dB 1.0 s

But alternative performance standards allowed BB93 & Building Regs currently under revision

Revision of BB93

2008: Government

agreed to a review

2009: Draft revision

circulated

October 2009: Schools

minister endorsed need for good acoustics in schools; promised review in 2010

May 2010

Building Schools for the Future programme abolished
Free schools established
Building Bulletins (guidance) abolished
Government wanted to get rid of ‘burden of regulation’

related to new school building

Revision of BB93

Institute of Acoustics ‘Sound Schools’ campaign

Letters to MPs
Letters/meetings with

Government ministers

House of Lords
Chair of Select Committee
n CLG
Under-Secretary of State for

Education

Briefing note highlighting

costs of poor acoustic design of schools

SLIDE 5

5 Current situation (October 2012)

Building Regulation on school

acoustics to be retained – details currently being finalised

Revised regulation will also

apply to (some) refurbishments

Limits on alternative

performance standards

Guidance to be revised
Schools Premises Regulations

retain regulation on Acoustics

LSBU* secondary schools study (2209 – 2012) Data to suggest the regulations have been effective

Reduction in average IANL and RT
Corresponding increase in STI
Standard deviations of all parameters decreased

IANL, dBA Tmf, s STI Type of room Pre/post BB93 n Mean sd Mean sd Mean sd Cellular classrooms Pre 64 35.2 5.3 0.67 0.22 0.71 0.05 Post 22 29.0 4.3 0.56 0.11 0.73 0.04 Open plan rooms Pre 7 41.2 5.8 0.57 0.11 0.73 0.02 Post 9 30.8 4.1 0.50 0.05 0.76 0.03

* Study carried out with Institute of Education and University of Salford

LSBU: new research project

Vocal strain in teachers: acoustic causes and cures Nick Durup

Aims

1. Large scale survey of vocal strain in

teachers in UK

– web based questionnaire to be distributed via teaching unions – will examine vocal problems, hearing problems and perceptions of acoustic conditions in schools – currently undertaking pilot study; main study next year

LSBU: new research project

Vocal strain in teachers: acoustic causes and cures Nick Durup

Aims

2. Influence of room acoustics on teacher’s voice

– vocal comfort of teachers not considered in acoustic design of classrooms – will examine link between voice levels and other voice parameters and room acoustics – use of APM to measure voice parameters in suite of classrooms treated to different acoustic standards

Conclusions

Research on the incidence and causes of voice

problems among teachers in the UK is sporadic

There is evidence that a high percentage of

teachers experience voice problems

Teachers often raise their voice to cope with noise

in the classrooms

The current legislation and guidance on school

acoustics is currently under revision

A new research project is examining the impact of