COVID-19 and Remote Learning: Predictive Factors of Perceived Improvement or Worsening of the Voice in Brazilian Teachers.
Katia Nemr, Marcia Simões-Zenari, Vanessa Cássia de Almeida Cologis and 3 others
PMID 34610882WHAT IT FOUND
Most teachers reported no voice change during remote learning.
Those who improved used their voice less and at lower intensity. Those who worsened used their voice more and at higher intensity. Voice symptoms appearing or disappearing tracked with these changes.
Key findings
01Teachers who reduced voice use and intensity were more likely to report voice improvement, while those who increased use and intensity were more likely to report worsening.
02The onset of vocal symptoms was strongly associated with voice worsening, while the cessation of symptoms was associated with voice improvement.
03Working in a private school was a predictor of voice worsening, whereas working in a public school or as an autonomous teacher was a predictor of voice improvement.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study relied entirely on self-reported voice quality and symptoms, with no objective acoustic or perceptual assessment. Data collection used a snowball sampling technique, which may have introduced bias by clustering teachers from similar networks or regions. The sample size for the 'worsening' group (N = 131) was below the recommended threshold for the number of variables in the regression analysis, which may affect the stability of those predictors. Participants recalled their pre-pandemic voice status during a period of high stress, which introduces potential recall bias. The study was cross-sectional and could not establish causality between specific remote teaching conditions and voice changes.
Declared interests
None declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the association between symptom onset and voice worsening as proof that remote teaching caused new pathologies. The study measured self-perception, not clinical diagnosis, and the 'worsening' group was small relative to the number of variables tested, making these associations less reliable than the overall trend of most teachers reporting no change.