Lay Summary
Voice is an essential tool for teaching. Intensive voice use in the classroom may lead to vocal fatigue, hoarseness, and other difficulties that can interfere with communication with students. Moreover, the way teachers use their voices – by varying intonation, loudness, and speech rhythm – can influence speech clarity and students’ engagement. These aspects are part of speech expressiveness, which is how a person uses their voice to convey ideas and maintain the listener’s attention. This study investigated whether a speech-language intervention could help teachers use their voices more healthily and expressively. Four teachers from a public school in João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil, participated in the study. They attended four weekly workshops that included guidance and practical exercises focused on breathing, articulation, voice loudness control, and vocal warm-up. Their speech was recorded before and after the workshops to analyze possible changes in voice use. The initial results indicated improvements in vocal quality, with fewer signs of vocal effort and greater variation in intonation and voice loudness.
Introduction
Oral communication is one of the main mediating tools in the teaching–learning process. Hence, voice and speech expressiveness play a central role in teachers’ professional practice (Lima-Silva et al., 2024). Speech expressiveness involves the integrated use of prosodic, articulatory, vocal, and nonverbal elements that contribute to message clarity, the maintenance of students’ attention, and the construction of meaning in the classroom (Barbosa et al., 2021). Thus, teachers, as communication professionals, rely on the effective use of these resources to facilitate content comprehension and student engagement.
However, factors related to working conditions, vocal overload, and school organization make teachers particularly vulnerable to the development of voice disorders, which may compromise both vocal quality and speech expressiveness (Pereira et al., 2025). Vocal alterations often result in more restricted prosodic patterns, reduced pitch and loudness variability, and increased phonatory effort, negatively affecting pedagogical communication and students’ attention (Rodrigues; Medeiros; Teixeira, 2017).
Hence, studies have proposed speech-language interventions to promote vocal health and improve teachers’ functional voice use (Rufino et al., 2025; Lima-Silva et al., 2024; Pereira et al., 2025). Research indicates that programs including speech expressiveness training may promote more balanced vocal settings, increase prosodic flexibility, and improve teachers’ communicative performance (Ferreira et al., 2022). Nevertheless, few studies have systematically investigated changes in speech expressiveness following speech-language interventions, particularly those employing specific phonetic-perceptual instruments.
Within this perspective, the Vocal Profile Analysis for Brazilian Portuguese (VPA-PB) stands out as an auditory-perceptual evaluation protocol capable of describing voice quality settings and vocal dynamics, encompassing laryngeal, supralaryngeal, muscle tension, and prosodic aspects (Camargo; Madureira, 2008a; Laver; Mackenzie-Beck, 2007). This protocol maps vocal production patterns and potential changes in speech expressiveness in professional voice users, including teachers.
This phonetics research report is grounded in the phonetic model for the description of voice quality proposed by John Laver (1980), employing the VPA protocol to analyze the effects of a speech-language intervention on the speech expressiveness of teachers from a state public school in Paraíba, Brazil. Specifically, the study aims to (a) describe voice quality and vocal dynamics settings before and after the intervention; and (b) examine the applicability of the VPA-PB for monitoring speech expressiveness in teachers’ communication.
This study hypothesized that the speech-language intervention would promote more balanced vocal settings, with a reduction in hyperfunctional patterns and greater prosodic variability. Considering the scarcity of studies that integrate teachers’ speech expressiveness, speech-language intervention, and auditory-perceptual evaluation using the VPA-PB, this research seeks to contribute to the advancement of discussions on teachers’ communicative development and on the application of phonetic-perceptual instruments in the evaluation of speech expressiveness.
This article is organized as follows: Section 1 presents the theoretical framework supporting the study, divided into two main topics; Section 2 describes the methodological procedures; Section 3 presents the results and discussion; and Section 4 provides the final considerations, followed by the references.
1. Theoretical Framework
This section is divided into two parts: (1) Teachers’ speech expressiveness and speech-language intervention; and (2) auditory-perceptual evaluation of voice using VPA-PB.
1.1. Teachers’ Speech Expressiveness and Speech-Language Intervention
Speech expressiveness is a fundamental component of human communication and plays a central role in teachers’ professional performance. As communication professionals, teachers rely on the integration of speech, voice, and body language to convey content, mediate interactions, and support the construction of meaning in the classroom (Lima-Silva; Penha; Chieppe, 2021; Pecorari; Kyrillos, 2021). Thus, the way teachers express themselves directly influences students’ attention, comprehension, and engagement, making expressiveness a strategic resource in the teaching–learning process (Ferreira; Arruda; Marquezin, 2012; Pecorari; Kyrillos, 2021).
Speech expressiveness is closely related to prosodic aspects of communication, such as intonation, rhythm, pauses, speech rate, pitch variation, vocal intensity, voice quality, and articulation of speech sounds (Barbosa et al., 2021). These elements structure discourse, highlight relevant information, and enable speakers to convey intentions, attitudes, and emotions, making communication clearer and more effective (Madureira, 1992). The appropriate use of these resources in education enhances pedagogical mediation, helps maintain students’ attention, and conveys confidence and motivation during classroom activities (Ferreira; Arruda; Marquezin, 2012).
Conversely, vocal alterations and prosodic imbalances may compromise teachers’ expressiveness, resulting in more monotonous speech with reduced communicative impact (Pecorari; Kyrillos, 2021). In such situations, students may need to exert greater cognitive effort to understand the content, which can negatively affect attention and learning (Rodrigues; Medeiros; Teixeira, 2017).
In this context, speech-language interventions aimed at improving speech expressiveness have shown positive outcomes in teachers’ vocal and communicative performance. Programs that include vocal training, expressive reading, pitch and loudness modulation, the use of pauses, and articulatory settings have been associated with perceptual and acoustic improvements in speech, making it clearer, more dynamic, and more effective in pedagogical contexts (Penha et al., 2021; Cordeiro; Tozzo; Ferreira, 2021). Studies report improvements in frequency modulation, articulation, vocal emission stability, and voice projection following interventions designed to enhance teachers’ communication.
In the field of voice assessment, VPA-PB has emerged as a relevant instrument for describing voice quality and speech dynamics (Laver et al., 1981; Camargo; Madureira, 2008b; Laver; Mackenzie-Beck, 2007). Based on the phonetic model proposed by John Laver (1980), VPA-PB enables the analysis of laryngeal and supralaryngeal settings and prosodic aspects such as pitch, loudness, pauses, and speech rate.
Studies with teachers using VPA-PB have identified setting patterns associated with voice disorders, including laryngeal hyperfunction, pharyngeal constriction, raspy voice, and changes in vocal dynamics, such as increased pitch and loudness and reduced melodic variability (Lima-Silva, 2012; Azevedo, 2024; Alencar, 2025; Fernandes et al., 2025). These findings suggest that the instrument can support the characterization of voice and the development of interventions aimed at improving expressiveness and reducing vocal loading.
Thus, speech-language interventions focused on the development of speech expressiveness can contribute significantly to improving teachers’ communication, promoting vocal health, and enhancing the teaching–learning process.
1.2. Auditory-Perceptual Evaluation of Voice Using VPA-PB
Phonetics is dedicated to the study of speech sounds, considering their production, organization, and perception, encompassing the process from speech emission to its auditory processing by the listener (Barbosa et al., 2021). In this sense, speech sound is not limited to the motor act of the speaker but also constitutes a physical and perceptual phenomenon.
The field of voice assessment has developed several auditory-perceptual instruments, predominantly focusing on the glottal source, such as the GRBAS (Hirano, 1981) and GRBASI scales (Dejonckere; Lebacq, 1996). However, vocal alterations may involve not only phonation but also articulatory, resonatory, and respiratory settings, dimensions that these instruments do not always address (Lima-Silva, 2012; Dantas, 2022; Fernandes et al., 2025). In this context, instruments that consider the entire vocal tract, such as VPA, expand the understanding of the global functioning of speech.
This research is grounded in the phonetic model for the description of voice quality proposed by John Laver (1980), which describes voice based on the interaction between physiological, acoustic, and perceptual aspects. Within this model, voice quality results from the relationship between glottal source settings and modifications in the vocal tract (Laver; Mackenzie-Beck, 2007). VPA was developed based on this perspective and later adapted for Brazilian Portuguese as VPA-PB by Camargo and Madureira (2008a), allowing its application in clinical and research contexts.
VPA describes voice quality through the combination of laryngeal, supralaryngeal, and muscle tension settings, as well as aspects of vocal dynamics, such as pitch, loudness, speech rate, continuous phonation, and respiratory support (Laver; Mackenzie-Beck, 2007). These settings are influenced by intrinsic factors, such as age and anatomical conditions, and by extrinsic factors related to cultural, linguistic, and communicative aspects (Laver, 1980).
Over time, speakers develop relatively stable patterns of muscle configuration, called settings, which characterize their habitual speech style (Laver, 1980; Lima-Silva, 2012). The VPA/VPAS model starts the analysis from the so-called neutral setting, a reference configuration in which the different laryngeal and vocal tract parameters are in an intermediate position, with no predominance of marked tensions, constrictions, or expansions, serving as a comparative point for identifying deviations and variations in vocal production (Laver, 1980; Mackenzie-Beck, 2005; Lima-Silva, 2012). Unlike the notion of "normal" or "altered" voice, frequently used in clinical protocols such as GRBAS, the neutral setting does not imply a judgment of adequacy or the presence of pathology; rather, it is a descriptive reference that allows for the systematic analysis of voice quality variations in various communicative contexts (Lima-Silva, 2012).
VPA-PB is organized into two parts: the first addresses voice quality settings at the supralaryngeal, laryngeal, and muscle tension levels; the second describes aspects of vocal dynamics, including pitch, loudness, continuous phonation, speech rate, and respiratory support (Camargo; Madureira, 2008a). The protocol uses a 6-point scale to classify the intensity of settings and requires specific training to ensure reliable auditory-perceptual evaluation (Camargo; Madureira, 2008b; Lima-Silva, 2012; Dantas, 2022).
Studies have applied VPA to address voice disorders, accent, expressiveness, forensic phonetics, and vocal profiles of communication professionals (Madureira, 1992; Lima-Silva, 2012; Dantas, 2022). Research indicates that the instrument allows the investigation of relationships between sound and meaning in spoken discourse, revealing how different vocal settings contribute to communicative and expressive effects (Madureira, 1992).
In the case of teachers, recognized as a group susceptible to voice disorders, studies indicate that vocal alterations are not limited to the glottal source but also involve articulatory, respiratory, and tension settings (Rufino et al., 2025). Studies using VPA-PB have identified recurrent patterns of laryngeal hyperfunction, pharyngeal constriction, tension settings, and alterations in vocal dynamics among teachers with and without vocal complaints (Lima-Silva, 2012; Azevedo, 2024; Alencar, 2025; Fernandes et al., 2025).
Thus, by enabling a detailed description of voice quality and vocal dynamics, VPA-PB is an important tool for investigating teachers’ speech expressiveness and supporting speech-language interventions aimed at vocal health and improved classroom communication.
2. Methods
2.1. Study Design
This study is characterized as an intervention-based research report with a longitudinal, comparative design and a mixed-methods (qualitative–quantitative) approach. It was conducted within the outreach program named Voice Advisory Program for Teachers (ASSEVOX), linked to the Department of Speech-Language Pathology at the Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB), Brazil.
The study was approved on January 7, 2025, by UFPB’s Human Research Ethics Committee under approval number 5.960.571 and CAAE 65750222.1.0000.5188, in accordance with Resolution No. 466/12, of December 12, 2012, of the National Commission for Research Ethics.
2.2. Study Setting and Period
The study was conducted in a state military public school in João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil. The school was selected due to the institution’s interest in participating in the research. Data were collected between March and December 2025.
2.3. Informed Consent
All participants were informed about the study procedures and voluntarily signed a written informed consent form prior to participation.
2.4. Study Participants
Teachers from the state military school in Paraíba were selected by convenience sampling, based on their interest in participating in the study. All participants signed an informed consent form. Among the recruited teachers, four high school teachers completed all study stages. Their demographic characteristics are presented in Tables 1 and 2.
Figure 1. Table 1. Sample characterization according to the teachers’ sex and weekly workload. João Pessoa, 2026. ALT: Table presenting sample distribution by sex and weekly workload. All participants are male (n=4, 100%). Weekly workload is distributed as follows: up to 10 hours (n=1, 25%), 11 to 20 hours (n=1, 25%), and 21 to 30 hours (n=2, 50%), with a higher concentration in the 21-30-hour range.
Figure 2. Table 2. Sample characterization according to age and years of teaching experience of the participating teachers. João Pessoa, 2026. ALT: Table presenting descriptive statistics for age and years of teaching experience. Age ranges from 33 to 59 years, with a mean of 45.75 and a median of 45.50 years. Teaching experience ranges from 10 to 27 years, with a mean of 18.75 and a median of 19.00 years, with moderate variability in both variables.
2.5. Eligibility Criteria
The study eligibility criteria were as follows: male teachers of any age group from the State Military Police School in João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil, who taught middle or high school, and participated in all study stages, including the speech-language intervention and evaluation procedures before and after the intervention.
2.6. Data Collection Instrument
After selecting the teachers who met the study eligibility criteria, the participants underwent the following procedures:
- Pre-intervention stage: administration of a sociodemographic questionnaire to collect identification and professional data and voice recordings for auditory-perceptual evaluation.
- Speech-language intervention on speech expressiveness: consisting of four in-person sessions, lasting 50 to 60 minutes each, including theoretical and practical activities related to speech expressiveness.
- Post-intervention stage: voice re-recording for auditory-perceptual evaluation.
Speech samples intended for auditory-perceptual evaluation were recorded in two speech styles: read speech (RS) and real classroom context (RCC).
RS was recorded in an acoustically treated room in the Paraíba Military Police Education Center, where the school operates. RCC, in turn, was recorded in the classroom where the teacher normally taught to capture real vocal use conditions.
A Zoom H1n digital recorder with an integrated on-board unidirectional cardioid polar microphone was used to record speech tasks (RS and RCC). Recordings were made in PCM (.wav) format, with a 48 kHz sampling rate and 16-bit resolution, ensuring high audio quality and minimizing interference from background noise.
In the RS task, teachers were asked to read three standardized and phonetically balanced sentences from the VPA-PB protocol, as follows: “O objeto de estudo da fonética é essa complexa, variável e poderosa face sonora da linguagem: a fala” (“The object of study in phonetics is this complex, variable, and powerful sound aspect of language: speech”); “Detesto ir à casa dele, pois fica do outro lado da cidade e o acesso é difícil” (“I hate going to his house because it's on the other side of town and difficult to get to”); and “Não mencionei anteriormente, mas minha mãe morou muitos anos em Santos, numa mansão à beira-mar” (“I didn't mention it before, but my mother lived for many years in Santos, in a mansion by the sea”). Each teacher repeated each sentence three times to allow the selection of the most representative sample of each utterance.
The choice of the RCC task in this study aimed to analyze the teacher’s voice use in a situation close to everyday classroom practice. This type of task allows a more natural observation of the vocal and expressive settings used during teaching activities, as previously reported in a recent study (Azevedo, 2024).
VPA-PB was used for the auditory-perceptual evaluation of speech samples (RS and RCC), corresponding to the translated and adapted version of the original VPA.
2.7. Speech-Language Intervention for Speech Expressiveness
The speech-language intervention aimed at improving teachers’ speech expressiveness was conducted individually or in pairs at the Military Police School, during the teachers’ free periods. The intervention consisted of four sessions lasting 50 to 60 minutes that included theoretical and practical content related to speech expressiveness.
The sessions were structured around the following central themes: breathing, articulation, frequency and intensity modulation, resonance, and vocal warm-up and cool-down techniques. The content addressed in each session is described below.
2.7.1. Session 1 – Breathing
Theoretical content: Basic notions of anatomy and physiology of voice production; fundamental principles of interpersonal communication; use of slides, videos, and audio materials as instructional resources.
Practical content: Body and neck stretching; breathing exercises including diaphragmatic breathing with lip braking; sustained maximum inhalation; wide movements of the costodiaphragmatic region during sequences of deep inhalations and exhalations; fricative sound technique with transition to voicing (sss… → zzz…); and reading sentences aloud with gradually increasing length.
2.7.2. Session 2 – Articulation and Frequency and Intensity Modulation
Theoretical content: Discussion of home activities; vocal psychodynamics; articulatory patterns of speech; intonational aspects, including loudness, pitch, speech rate, emphasis, and pauses; use of slides, videos, and audio materials.
Practical content: Body and neck stretching; myofunctional exercises such as lip protrusion and smiling; tongue clicks against the palate (with variation in lip extension); overarticulation technique; trill sounds with modulated emissions; semi-occluded vocal tract exercise using a high-resistance straw; vocal fry technique; blowing associated with high-pitched sound; analysis of videos of communication professionals and simulation of expressive settings; and reading poetry aloud with focus on the perception of prosodic resources.
2.7.3. Session 3 – Resonance, Vocal Warm-up, and Vocal Cool-down
Theoretical content: Discussion of home activities; importance of resonance, vocal warm-up, and vocal cool-down in teaching; relationship between body posture and voice production; use of slides, videos, and audio materials.
Practical content: Body and neck stretching; fricative sounds with transition to voicing (sss… → zzz…); neck movements and shoulder rotation associated with trill sounds; nasal sounds with cupped hands; yawn–sigh technique; sustained emission of the vowel “ô”; analysis of audio samples with different resonance patterns and comparison between warmed-up and cooled-down voices; and reading the text, “The Lion and the Mouse” before and after the exercises.
2.7.4. Session 4 – Review of the Main Contents
Theoretical content: Discussion of home activities; participants’ testimonials about their experience in the program; reflections on improvements and aspects to be further developed; feedback from the speech-language pathologist.
Practical content: Body and neck stretching; trill sounds with modulated emissions; resonance technique with chewing; glottal firmness technique; overarticulation technique; analysis of a text without punctuation marks (perceptual marking of pauses and intonation); reading aloud with appropriate use of prosodic resources; and handing out the Speech Expressiveness Booklet.
A speech-language pathologist conducted the weekly sessions. At the beginning of the intervention, teachers received water bottles to encourage hydration during their professional activities. At the end of the program, participants received a certificate of participation and a booklet containing the main theoretical and practical content on speech expressiveness, aimed at reinforcing long-term learning.
2.8. Perceptual Evaluation Procedures
The speech samples (RS and RCC) were labeled according to the teacher's number, as follows: P1a/P1b and P1c/P1d (teacher 1), P2a/P2b and P2c/P2d (teacher 2), P3a/P3b and P3c/P3d (teacher 3), and P4a/P4b and P4c/P4d (teacher 4). The samples were edited using Audacity software version 3.7.7 and stored on Google Drive in digital audio format.
Then, an online meeting was held via Google Meet with three judges experienced in applying VPA-PB for them to perform the auditory-perceptual evaluation of the samples. The latter were presented in pairs (before and after the intervention), in random order and blindly, without identifying the condition of the recordings to the evaluators.
Representative excerpts of teachers' habitual voice use were selected for real-world classroom samples (RCC), prioritizing segments with satisfactory acoustic quality, low noise interference, and sufficient duration for analysis of the parameters foreseen in the protocol. The use of these samples aimed to complement the RS tasks, observing voice quality in a natural context of professional voice use.
The judges were instructed to use supra-aural headphones and were allowed to repeat each stimulus up to three times, recording their auditory-perceptual impressions directly in the protocol. They analyzed the VPA-PB parameters related to supralaryngeal, laryngeal, muscle tension, and vocal dynamics adjustments, as well as their respective degrees of manifestation.
The final definition of the identified adjustments and their respective degrees occurred by consensus among the three judges during the evaluation session, after joint discussion of each sample, seeking greater uniformity and reliability in the auditory-perceptual evaluation.
3. Results and Discussion
This study aimed to analyze the effects of a speech-language intervention on speech expressiveness based on perceptual data regarding vocal quality and vocal dynamics in four teachers from a state military school in Paraíba, Brazil. The results indicated changes in vocal quality and dynamic settings after the speech-language intervention on teachers’ speech expressiveness in both RS and RCC samples.
A higher prevalence of male teachers is expected in military schools due to the historical and structural origins of these institutions, traditionally linked to the Armed Forces and to hierarchical organization models in which male participation has historically been predominant (Alencar, 2025). Furthermore, sociocultural aspects related to the military career (e.g., association with command roles, discipline, and leadership) still influence the greater participation of men in these spaces (Alencar, 2025).
In addition to the postural and communicative demands inherent to the military, teachers working in this environment may be exposed to vocal health risk factors of individual, environmental, and organizational origin (Masson; Ferreira; Maeno, 2024). The presence of these factors alone or in combination may intensify vocal loading and contribute to the development of voice disorders among teachers (Penha et al., 2021).
Masson, Ferreira, and Maeno (2024) highlight that one of the conceptual advances in occupational voice disorder was overcoming the former tendency to blame teachers for vocal misuse or abuse, recognizing that vocal behaviors are often adaptive responses to the demands imposed by the work environment. Thus, more intense communication or increased vocal intensity in the military should not be interpreted as individual failures, but rather as functional strategies in response to specific institutional demands.
This study found a variability in weekly workload, ranging from 10 to 30 hours per week among participants, with an average of 18 years of teaching experience. The literature indicates that the greater the workload and the longer the professional career, the higher the probability of developing voice disorders, which may negatively affect teachers’ professional performance and vocal well-being (Atalik et al., 2025).
Furthermore, the teachers’ mean age in this study was 45.75 years. Evidence suggests that older age may be associated with physiological changes in the vocal tract, affecting parameters such as vocal stability, intensity, range, and endurance (Santos et al., 2023). Structural changes in the larynx and modifications in pneumophonoarticulatory coordination may occur with aging, resulting in increased vocal effort and potentially reduced vocal efficiency, with variable impacts on voice quality (Atalik et al., 2025).
Regarding the vocal quality and vocal dynamic settings, the VPA-PB identified differences in both RCC and RS between pre- and post-intervention.
Before the intervention, the most prevalent non-neutral settings in the RCC task were vocal tract hyperfunction (n = 3 at degree 4; and n = 1 at degree 2), laryngeal hyperfunction (n = 1 at degree 6; n = 1 at degree 4; and n = 1 at degree 2), and raspy voice (n = 2 at degree 2; n = 1 at degree 4; and n = 1 at degree 5). These patterns were observed in three of the four teachers evaluated, constituting the core vocal pattern identified during this period (Chart 1 and Figure 1). The coexistence of laryngeal and supralaryngeal hyperfunction associated with raspy voice suggests increased muscle tension along the vocal tract and vibratory instability during phonation (Lima-Silva, 2012).
Figure 3. Chart 1. Occurrence of non-neutral vocal quality settings and their respective degrees (VPA-PB) in the real classroom context (RCC) before and after the intervention. Note: Numbers represent the degree of occurrence according to VPA-PB. Source: Developed by the authors. João Pessoa, 2026. ALT: Two-way table presenting the occurrence and degree (VPA-PB) of non-neutral vocal quality settings in a real classroom context for four participants (P1–P4), comparing pre- and post-intervention columns. Rows include tongue body position (lowered, raised, retracted), laryngeal adjustments, jaw configuration, lip rounding, pharyngeal expansion, vocal tract and laryngeal tension, and voice quality types (creaky, raspy). Numerical scores (1–6) indicate the degree of occurrence, showing variability across participants and changes between moments, including reductions, persistence, and increases in specific settings after intervention. The blank spots correspond to neutral settings.
Figure 4. Figure 1. Grayscale representation according to the degree of settings in VPA-PB. ALT: Grayscale representing six graded levels (1 to 6), arranged vertically from the lightest (level 1) to the darkest (level 6), indicating a progressive increase in the degree of vocal settings in VPA-PB.
These findings are consistent with the profile of teachers observed by Fernandes et al. (2025), who identified raspy voice as the most frequently perceived phonatory setting (80%), often co-occurring with laryngeal hyperfunction. Similarly, Lima-Silva (2012) and Azevedo (2024) highlighted that the combination of laryngeal hyperfunction, raspy voice, and raised larynx is recurrent among teachers, suggesting a pattern of excessive muscle effort and vocal fatigue resulting from high occupational demand and environmental noise.
Alencar (2025) aimed to analyze vocal quality and vocal dynamics from a phonetic-perceptual perspective in basic education teachers working in a military school. The results showed that the most frequent settings were laryngeal hyperfunction and vocal tract hyperfunction associated with a raspy voice. These findings indicate overload of the phonatory system and possibly voice disorders in this population.
This vocal loading pattern is often found in voice professionals, including teachers and other professional categories with high communicative demands, such as emergency call operators (Dantas, 2022; Lima et al., 2022). In these contexts, prolonged and intensive voice use, often combined with adverse environmental and organizational conditions, may contribute to the development of phonatory settings characterized by increased muscle tension and greater vocal effort during speech production.
From a phonetic-perceptual perspective, such configurations may be interpreted as a profile potentially associated with vocal effort and reduced phonatory economy. However, these settings should not be interpreted alone or solely from a pathological perspective, since in certain communicative situations, some settings may represent adaptive strategies to meet the demands of the vocal use context.
The frequency of some non-neutral settings decreased after the speech-language intervention, such as laryngeal hyperfunction (n = 1 at degree 4; n = 1 at degree 3), vocal tract hyperfunction (n = 1 at degree 4; n = 1 at degree 3), raspy voice (n = 1 at degree 2), and the absence of air escape. These findings suggest a possible reorganization of the teachers’ phonatory behavior, with a reduction in patterns associated with increased muscle tension and unstable vocal fold vibration. This reduction may indicate greater efficiency in vocal production and improved functional balance of the vocal tract.
According to the literature (Penha et al., 2021; Rufino et al., 2025; Pereira et al., 2025), speech-language intervention can promote teachers’ vocal health significantly by encouraging the development of strategies for more efficient voice use, thus improving vocal quality.
In this regard, Penha et al. (2021) sought to verify the effectiveness of a vocal advisory program aimed at elementary school teachers in different teaching modalities. The study included 59 teachers, of whom 33 belonged to the control group (in-person modality) and 26 to the experimental group (hybrid modality). Four theoretical-practical workshops were conducted, addressing several topics such as anatomy and physiology of voice production; causes and symptoms of voice disorders; vocal care; vocal projection, articulation, and resonance; body posture in the classroom; differences between normal, altered, and adapted voice; strategies to deal with classroom noise; laryngeal diseases; work environment and organization; vocal psychodynamics; and verbal and non-verbal expressiveness. They also performed breathing, myofunctional, and vocal warm-up and cool-down exercises. The results showed that both groups improved their vocal quality after the intervention, particularly regarding roughness and breathiness, demonstrating the effectiveness of vocal advisory for teachers.
It is noteworthy that no changes were observed in the retracted tongue body setting before and after the intervention in either the RS or RCC tasks, remaining present in both time points. In VPA-PB, this setting is associated with a reduction in the anterior oropharyngeal space, which may contribute to a more posterior resonance pattern. However, for the population investigated, this finding may also be related to articulatory characteristics typical of male speakers, as described by Lima et al. (2007), who point to an association with the lowering of the fundamental frequency (f0) and the consequent production of a lower pitch.
Furthermore, it is important to consider that the settings of the retracted and lowered tongue body may reflect phonetic traits associated with the local accent. As described by Lima et al. (2007) and Dantas (2022), this articulatory pattern may represent dialectal characteristics of the regional speech of João Pessoa and should not necessarily be interpreted as indicative of vocal alteration.
Another vocal setting recurrently observed in both speech tasks (RCC and RS) was the lowered larynx in the speech samples. The vertical configuration of the larynx maintains a direct proportional relationship with the parameters of fundamental frequency, since a lower position in the neck favors a lengthened vocal tract, resulting in a lower pitch (Neuhaus; Scherer; Whitfield, 2024). In the case of this group, such a setting may be explained by the biological characteristics of the sample, composed exclusively of male teachers (Dantas, 2022).
In the RS task, the most predominant vocal quality settings before the intervention were laryngeal hyperfunction (n = 1 at degree 1; n = 1 at degree 3; and n = 1 at degree 4), closed jaw (n = 3 at degree 3; and n = 1 at degree 4), raspy voice (n = 2 at degree 4; and n = 1 at degree 1), and air escape (n = 2 at degree 3; and n = 1 at degree 1), findings similar to those observed in the RCC task (Chart 2). These results suggest the presence of a vocal production pattern characterized by greater phonatory effort and muscle settings that reflect tension in the laryngeal region and vocal tract (Dantas, 2022).
Figure 5. Chart 2. Occurrence of non-neutral vocal quality settings and their respective degrees (VPA-PB) in the Read Speech (RS) task before and after the intervention. Note: Numbers represent the degree of occurrence according to VPA-PB. Source: Developed by the authors. João Pessoa, 2026. ALT: Two-way table reporting the occurrence and degree (VPA-PB) of non-neutral vocal quality settings in a read speech task for four participants (P1–P4), with columns for pre- and post-intervention. Rows list settings such as tongue body position, laryngeal adjustments, jaw configuration, nasality, vocal tract and laryngeal tension, and voice quality types (creaky, raspy, breathy). Numerical scores (1–5) indicate the degree of occurrence, showing variability across participants and time points, with some settings reduced, absent, or emerging after intervention. The blank spots correspond to neutral settings.
Laryngeal hyperfunction was absent, and rough voice (n = 1 with degree 2) and air escape (n = 1 with degree 1; and n = 1 with degree 2) had decreased after the intervention. In addition, two teachers improved their jaw-opening pattern. These changes suggest positive effects of speech-language intervention, possibly related to greater flexibility in vocal and articulatory settings, favoring freer and potentially more expressive speech production.
The literature reports that increased jaw opening contributes to greater articulatory mobility and improved vocal resonance, favoring voice projection and speech clarity (Castillo-Allendes et al., 2024). Furthermore, greater freedom of jaw movement tends to reduce tension patterns in the vocal tract, which may contribute to a more efficient and less hyperfunctional vocal production (Lima-Silva, 2012).
Regarding vocal dynamic settings in RCC after the intervention, there was greater occurrence of increased habitual loudness (n = 2 with degree 1; and n = 2 with degree 4), loudness with increased variability (n = 2 with degree 4; n = 1 with degree 5; and n = 1 with degree 1), pitch with increased variability (n = 2 with degree 3; and n = 1 with degree 4), and adequate respiratory support (n = 2 with degree 2; and n = 1 with degree 4), in addition to the absence of interrupted continuity (Table 3).
Figure 6. Table 3. Occurrence of non-neutral vocal dynamic settings and their respective degrees (VPA-PB) in the real classroom context (RCC) before and after the intervention. Note: Numbers represent the degree of occurrence according to VPA-PB. Source: Developed by the authors. João Pessoa, 2026. ALT: Two-way table showing the occurrence and degree (VPA-PB) of non-neutral vocal dynamic settings in a real classroom context for four participants (P1–P4), comparing pre- and post-intervention columns. Rows include continuity, increased and decreased habitual loudness, loudness and pitch variability, and adequate and inadequate respiratory support. Numerical scores (1-6) indicate the degree of occurrence, with changes across participants between time points, including reductions, absences, and increases in specific dynamic settings after intervention. The blank spots correspond to neutral settings.
The increase in pitch and loudness variability in teachers’ communication may be considered a positive aspect, as these settings contribute to a more expressive and dynamic speech during the class (Ferreira; Arruda; Marquezin, 2012; Penha et al., 2021; Pecorari; Kyrillos, 2021).
Greater variation in vocal frequency and intensity tends to favor the maintenance of students’ attention, in addition to making the message clearer and emphasizing relevant information throughout the exposition (Pecorari; Kyrillos, 2021). In the educational context, such resources are also associated with more effective communication, as they help to organize the discourse and mark different moments of speech, such as explanations, examples, and emphasis on key content (Cordeiro; Tozzo; Ferreira, 2021). Thus, the increase in the variability of these parameters after the intervention may indicate a more functional and strategic use of the voice in teaching.
The reduction of inadequate respiratory support and the absence of interrupted continuity after the intervention may be due to improved breathing-speech coordination promoted during the intervention, which addressed vocal and respiratory techniques that assist in better management of airflow during speech production.
Strategies such as reading texts and poems aloud and simulating classrooms during the intervention may have helped to organize discourse more appropriately and maintain speech fluency, promoting greater respiratory control and better coordination between breathing, phonation, and articulation.
The settings with the highest occurrence in the RS task after the intervention were increased pitch variability (n = 2 with degree 2; and n = 1 with degree 4) and improved respiratory support, with adequate settings in one participant and a reduction in the degree of inadequacy in others (Table 4).
Figure 7. Table 4. Occurrence of non-neutral vocal dynamic settings and their respective degrees (VPA-PB) in the read speech (RS) task before and after the intervention. Note: Numbers represent the degree of occurrence according to VPA-PB. Source: Developed by the authors. João Pessoa, 2026. ALT: Two-way table presenting the occurrence and degree (VPA-PB) of non-neutral vocal dynamic settings in a read speech task for four participants (P1–P4), with pre- and post-intervention columns. Rows include decreased habitual loudness, loudness variability and range, pitch (level, range, and variability), speech rate, and adequate and inadequate respiratory support. Numerical scores (1–5) indicate the degree of occurrence, showing changes across participants between moments, including reductions, persistence, and emergence of specific dynamic patterns after the intervention. The blank spots correspond to neutral settings.
Prolonged voice use in teaching requires vocal endurance and adequate coordination between breathing and phonation (Lima-Silva et al., 2024). Therefore, speech-language interventions that include respiratory training and the conscious use of the voice may contribute to more stable, efficient, and comfortable communication during classroom activities.
Similar results were observed in the study by Cordeiro, Tozzo, and Ferreira (2021), which investigated the effects of a speech-language intervention focused on speech expressiveness in three preschool teachers, with emphasis on reading stories aloud. The intervention consisted of six sessions at school, addressing different parameters of vocal expressiveness, such as breathing, pauses, articulation, resonance, pitch, and loudness, in addition to aspects related to vocal well-being and non-verbal expressiveness. The results showed an increase in the duration of utterances in all participating teachers, as well as improved respiratory support, more appropriate pause placement, and a more melodic and engaging speech pattern.
Overall, the speech-language intervention focused on teachers’ speech expressiveness proved capable of promoting positive changes, such as reduced overload in the phonatory system and improved use of prosodic resources during communication. The absence of some settings (e.g., air escape, breathy voice, and laryngeal hyperfunction) frequently associated with phonatory overload was also observed after the intervention. These findings suggest that the intervention contributed to a more balanced and efficient vocal use during speech production.
In the classroom context, the changes resulting from the intervention were more evident, as the classroom is a more natural and dynamic communicative context, in which the teacher mobilizes expressive speech resources (e.g., variations in intonation, intensity, and rhythm) more spontaneously to maintain students’ attention and facilitate content comprehension (Azevedo, 2024). In contrast, the RS task is a more structured and controlled activity, with less freedom for prosodic variation and full use of vocal and articulatory settings, which may reduce the manifestation of changes promoted by the intervention. Thus, the classroom context tends to reveal more clearly the effects of speech-language intervention on speech expressiveness.
Speech-language interventions for teachers’ speech expressiveness, as observed in this study, benefit their vocal health and improve prosodic resources in their communication. These findings reinforce the importance of conducting future studies to investigate the inclusion of speech expressiveness training and the use of VPA-PB to identify changes in vocal quality and vocal dynamics.
It is important to highlight that the proposal developed in this study aimed to promote health education rather than to provide speech-language therapy. Furthermore, as this study had few participants, the results should be interpreted with caution and cannot be generalized to the broader teaching population.
Therefore, further research is warranted with larger samples (more teachers and different education levels) to deepen the understanding of the effects of interventions focused on speech expressiveness and vocal health in education.
4. Final Considerations
The results of this study showed a reduction in laryngeal hyperfunction, vocal tract hyperfunction, and raspy voice, increased pitch and loudness variability, and improved respiratory support, suggesting enhancements in vocal quality and enhanced speech expressiveness. These findings indicate that the proposed intervention effectively promoted more balanced vocal settings, favoring greater prosodic flexibility, communicative efficiency, and reduced phonatory effort.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to express their gratitude to the Paraíba State Research Support Foundation (FAPESQ) for financial support for the development of this project in the state of Paraíba and for encouraging scientific research. They would also like to thank the researchers of the outreach and research program “Vocal Advisory Program for Teachers - ASSEVOX” and the Voice and Prosody Study Group (GVOP) for making this work possible.
Additional Information
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare that they have no conflicting interests.
Statement of Data Availability
The derived data, perceptual analysis materials, coding instruments, and ChatGPT prompts used during manuscript preparation that support the findings of this study are openly available in the Zenodo repository via DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19412263. Raw voice recordings cannot be shared publicly due to participant confidentiality requirements established by the ethics committee approval (CAAE 65750222.1.0000.5188). Access to restricted data may be requested by contacting Maria Fabiana Bonfim de Lima-Silva (UFPB) at fbl_fono@yahoo.com.br, subject to the approval of the requesting researcher’s institutional ethics committee and the signing of a data access agreement. Requests are typically reviewed within 15–30 days.
AI Usage Statement
During the preparation of this manuscript, the authors used ChatGPT (OpenAI, GPT-4o) to assist with information retrieval, grammar checking, sentence rephrasing for clarity, and revision of alternative text (ALT text), with minimal contribution to the final content. All outputs generated by ChatGPT were carefully reviewed and edited by the authors, who take full responsibility for the content of the manuscript. The prompts used with ChatGPT are openly available in the Zenodo repository (Penha et al., 2026), at (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19412263).
Ethics and Consent
The study was approved on January 7, 2025, by the Human Research Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Paraíba under approval number 5.960.571 and CAAE 65750222.1.0000.5188. All participants were informed about the study procedures and voluntarily signed a written informed consent form prior to participation.
Funding Sources
This study was supported by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) through doctoral scholarships awarded to the researchers (88887.639160/2021-00), and by the Paraíba State Research Support Foundation (FAPESQ-PB) through the Universal Demand Program (Call Nº. 09/2021, Grant No. 3036/2021).
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Review
DOI: https://doi.org/10.25189/2675-4916.2026.V7.N7.ID1010.R
Editorial Decision
EDITOR 1: Plinio Almeida Barbosa
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6317-3548
AFFILIATION: Universidade Estadual de Campinas, São Paulo, Brasil.
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EDITOR 2: Sandra Madureira
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8263-053X
AFFILIATION: Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil.
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EDITOR 3: Renata Regina Passetti
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1547-2831
AFFILIATION: Universidade Federal de São Carlos, São Paulo, Brasil.
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EDITOR 4: Leônidas José da Silva Junior
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3728-9851
AFFILIATION: Universidade Estadual da Paraíba, Paraíba, Brasil.
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ASSESSMENT: The manuscript, “Perceptual Analysis of Teachers’ Speech Expressiveness After Speech-Language Therapy Intervention: A Pilot Study,” presents an original contribution to the field by analysing the effects of a speech-language intervention on the vocal health and speech expressiveness of four teachers from a public school in Paraíba, Brazil. The experimental design was based on a voice intervention programme and voice assessment using the Brazilian Portuguese adaptation of the Vocal Profile Analysis (VPA) system (Laver; Beck, 2007), known as VPA-PB (Camargo; Madureira, 2008). The findings provide valuable evidence regarding the effectiveness of the intervention in enhancing teachers’ vocal health and speech expressiveness. In addition, the study highlights the applicability of the VPA system in educational contexts. Given the relevance of the study to the field and in accordance with the recommendations provided by the reviewers, I recommend the acceptance of the manuscript.
Rounds of Review
REVIEWER 1: Márcia Polaczek
AFFILIATION: Centro Estadual de Educação Tecnológica Paula Souza, São Paulo, Brasil.
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REVIEWER 2: Alice Rodrigues Crochiquia
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2344-5390
AFFILIATION: Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil.
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ROUND 1
REVIEWER 1
30/06/2026 | 12:39
The research report presents a relevant contribution to the field of speech studies which use perceptual analysis of teachers voice quality and vocal dynamics in order to enhance vocal health and functional voice use in the teaching-learning process.
The paper provides a detailed research report on a study focused on the analysis of the effects of a speech-language intervention on teachers’ speech expressiveness. The intervention was based on perceptual analysis of teachers’ voice quality. The report is accurate and follows the expected academic standards. It is coherent with its objectives, theoretical assumptions, methodological procedures and results. The research’s relevance lies in the fact that it is a promising study aimed at using scientific tools to improve oral communication and develop functional voice use to support the teaching-learning process.
In order to achieve its objectives, the study was grounded in the phonetic model for the description of voice quality proposed by John Laver (1980). All the methodological procedures were clearly introduced and carefully described as follows: (a) the study design was set as a qualitative-quantitative approach, conducted within a program named Voice Advisory Program for Teachers (ASSEVOX); (b) the participants profile was delimited to include four male teachers from a state school whose speech samples were recorded before and after speech-language intervention sessions to collect data to the perceptual analysis; (c) four in-person sessions, lasting 50 to 60 minutes each, were conducted during the study, and included theoretical and practical content related to speech expressiveness; (d) three experienced judges in applying VPA-PB - the Vocal Profile Analysis for Brazilian Portuguese (Camargo & Madureira, 2008a; Laver & Mackenzie-Beck, 2007) - performed the perceptual evaluation procedures.
The study’s theoretical assumptions are robust and refer to teachers’ speech expressiveness studies (Lima-Silva, Penha, & Chieppe, 2021; Pecorari & Kyrillos, 2021), as well as to a phonetic model for the description of voice quality and auditory-perceptual evaluation of voice using VPA-PB (op. cit.)The results showed significant evidences in terms of demonstrating that vocal quality and dynamic settings improvements were observed after the speech-language interventions. Furthermore, individual differences related to age and weekly workload were spotted and could also be related to the results. The choice of a delimited group of teachers may have imposed some expected limitations on the outcomes, triggering the need for further investigation.
Therefore, the findings strongly suggest the need to expand the study to other group profiles, so that more specialized and specific speech-language interventions can be used to provide further opportunities to achieve better vocal health and expressiveness for teachers with a positive impact on teaching-learning effectiveness as a whole.
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REVIEWER 2
30/06/2026 | 00:29
This study investigated the effects of speech-language intervention on vocal health and expressiveness. The study also aimed to provide support for the perceptual instruments used to track and evaluate the intervention's impacts.The speakers evaluated in this study are teachers, and the primary focus of the research is on the use of voice in the classroom. However, given the importance of voice in everyday interactions and across many other professions, the benefits of speech-language intervention, as evidenced by the study's results, could apply to a much larger population.
The paper analysed the effects of speech-language intervention on the voices of four teachers from the state of Paraíba, Brazil, an effort few previous studies have taken on. To do so, the authors applied the perceptual protocol VPA-PB, an adaptation of the Vocal Profile Analysis for Brazilian Portuguese. As such, the paper offers two main contributions to the field: its results support the authors' posited effectiveness of speech-language intervention in improving vocal health and expressiveness, and the study also demonstrates the potential of the VPA (and its adaptations across languages) as a tool for vocal assessment. The text is very well written, quite clear, and easy to follow. The methods and procedures are, for the most part, outlined in detail and supported by the chosen literature.Likewise, the results of the vocal evaluations are presented in a straightforward manner, allowing the reader to easily follow the improvements in the subjects' voices and review how the VPA-PB protocol is applied.The study featured only four participants, and its results should be interpreted with caution. However, for a pilot study, that sample size is sufficient to provide evidence for the claims outlined by the authors and to highlight the importance of future studies that include the procedures and tools used here.Given the promotion of vocal health education, the study and its potential future developments are particularly relevant for teachers and other professionals who use their voices extensively. However, the benefits of speech-language intervention can certainly be expanded to the general population. Regarding the use of VPA-PB, the study provides evidence for its applicability in fields such as speech therapy and the investigation of vocal expressiveness.
Author Reply
DOI: https://doi.org/10.25189/2675-4916.2026.V7.N7.ID1010.A
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ROUND 1
2026-05-22
Dear Editors and Reviewers,
We are grateful for your careful reading of our manuscript and the valuable contributions from the review. The suggestions were fundamental in improving its theoretical and methodological clarity and the presentation of the results. We present below detailed responses to the public review and specific comments, indicating the changes made in the revised version of the manuscript.
We thank the reviewers for their positive comments regarding the study’s relevance, methodological clarity, and contribution to the fields of vocal expressivity and teachers’ vocal health. Considering their suggestions, we made specific adjustments to expand the theoretical description of the VPA-PB protocol, detailing auditory-perceptual evaluation procedures and improving the organization of the tables and description of the results in the ALT.
Comment 1
“I think a quick description of the neutral setting adopted in VPA would be very helpful, especially to showcase the difference between it and the ‘normal’ and ‘altered’ states usually considered in protocols like GRBAS.”
Response: This suggestion was accepted. We included, in the theoretical framework section, a brief description of the concept of “neutral setting” adopted in the VPA model, clarifying its function as a descriptive reference and distinguishing it from the clinical notion of “normal” or “altered” voice, often used in protocols such as GRBAS.
Revision made: Section 1.2 (AUDITORY-PERCEPTUAL EVALUATION OF VOICE USING VPA-PB), page 6, 4th paragraph.
Comment 2
“Also, regarding the protocol, it would be best to replace ‘crepitating voice’ with ‘creaky voice,’ as in the original VPA protocol, since the former is very rarely used in English and could be somewhat confusing.”
Response: This suggestion was accepted. The term “crepitating voice” was replaced with “creaky voice” throughout the manuscript to ensure greater terminological alignment with the original protocol and improved conceptual precision.
Revision made: Throughout the manuscript.
Comment 3
“I believe the paper would benefit from expanding the section on the perceptual evaluation procedures. I think more information on how the evaluations are conducted with the protocol would highlight its robustness as a tool for voice assessment. The addition of details, such as a brief discussion of the choice of samples from the RCC task for suitable evaluation and whether the marking of settings and their degrees was contingent on unanimous agreement by the judges, would be quite helpful in this section.”
Response: This suggestion was accepted. We expanded the methodological section related to auditory-perceptual evaluation by including:
(a) justification for selecting real-context classroom samples (RCC), prioritizing excerpts representative of teachers’ habitual voice use in real classroom communication situations;
(b) a more detailed description of the VPA-PB protocol application procedure;
(c) clarification that the final identification of settings and their respective degrees was established through consensus among the three judges during the evaluation session.
Revision made: Section 2.7 (PERCEPTUAL EVALUATION PROCEDURES), page 12.
Comment 4
“Regarding the tables, I believe it would be easier to follow the comparison between each speaker’s before-and-after if they were side by side rather than separated into the pre- and post-intervention columns. Especially if the intention is to show the comparison between the settings at those two points in time.”
Response: This suggestion was accepted. The tables were reorganized to present pre- and post-intervention data side by side, facilitating visualization of the changes observed in each participant.
Revision made: Tables 1, 2, 3, and 4.
Comment 5
“Also, regarding the tables, the ALT descriptions mention numerical scores ranging from 0-5/6, but the tables themselves don’t include any settings marked as 0; they’re just left blank. Maybe it would be better to mention that the scores range from 1-5/6 for non-neutral settings and indicate that the blank spots correspond to neutral settings.”
Response: This suggestion was accepted. We revised the description of the scales in all ALT tables, clarifying that values range from 1 to 5/6 for non-neutral settings and that blank cells correspond to the absence of marked settings – i.e., maintenance of the neutral setting.
Revision made: In all ALTs (Tables 1, 2, 3, and 4; and Figure 1).
We thank the reviewers once again for their valuable contributions and hope that the revisions made adequately address their recommendations.
Sincerely,
Patrícia, Bárbara, Giordanna, and Maria Fabiana.
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