Training teacher communication in the classroom. Voice use, body communication and well-being in relation to classroom acoustics.

Training teacher communication in the classroom. Voice use, body communication and well-being in relation to classroom acoustics

Teachers’ classroom communication is important in creating relationships and supporting students’ learning. Research has shown that evidence-based language learning interactions are less frequently observed than is desirable. Teachers’ communication is important both in terms of the impact their communication has on students, as well as for their own well-being and ability to work. Little support seems to be offered for teachers in developing and mastering their communication skills. Therefore, this thesis has an in-service training as its core, a program aiming to train teachers’ communication, theoretically and in practice. In the present thesis, classroom communication is defined as how teachers speak and use aspects of body communication in their interactions with their students comprising voice quality, vocal intensity, speech rate and speech intelligibility; use of gaze, mimics, gestures, positions and movements in the classroom. The overarching aim was to investigate internal (vocal health and well-being) and external (acoustical characteristics influencing teachers’ communication in the classroom and, to investigate the effects of inservice training in teachers’ classroom communication. First, the relationship between teachers’ well-being and acoustical properties of their classrooms were investigated by non-parametric correlations. Thereafter, the in-service training was given during 5 weeks, 1.5 hours/week, to 25 teachers, teaching in grades 3-6. The effects of the in-service training on teachers’ vocal health and well-being was assessed directly after training and at follow-ups after five weeks and 3-months. Linear mixed effects regressionmodels were used for the statistical analysis. Lastly, six months after the in-service training the teachers gave their own descriptions of their classroom communication in focus groups. Thematic analysis and was used for the analysis. The main results showed that in classrooms with higher ventilation noise teachers reported higher degree of burnout and more voice symptoms. There were significant improvements on vocal health and well-being (stress, burnout and self-efficacy). Three overarching themes in the teachers’ descriptions were yielded from the thematic analyses: awareness of voice use, the use of body communication and setting the stage for learning. The teachers gave examples of implementing their increased awareness into new practices and reflected on reflected on prerequisites for classroom communication. In conclusion, the training gave positive results. Similar programs can with advantage be carried out by speech language pathologists. Furthermore, the results indicate that ventilation noise in classrooms must be reduced.