Voice care provision in one-year full time PGCE courses in Wales.

Abstract

Summary: Objectives The prevalence of voice care training in one-year full time Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) courses in Wales was investigated, alongside the factors that influenced the inclusion of this type of provision. Methods This study used a mixed methods approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with two PGCE Programme Directors at an institution in Wales as a pre-cursor to the main study. Themes identified in a thematic analysis of these interviews were used to inform the questionnaire. The questionnaire was piloted and then distributed to 48 PGCE academic staff members across Wales via a link in an email to an online survey. Results The results demonstrated that 25% of the participants surveyed included voice care provision within their PGCE course. Reasons for the lack of inclusion were attributed to time constraints, costs, reduced awareness of the issue of voice disorders in teachers in PGCE staff, lack of access to research evidence and lack of access to a skilled professional who could deliver the training. The perceived benefits of including voice care provision were that it would give students skills to care for their voices to enable longevity within their careers, as well as improving their general wellbeing. Conclusions This study has highlighted that currently, there is very little voice care provision within one-year full time PGCE courses in Wales. As it is recognised that student teachers are at a greater risk of developing voice disorders, more work needs to be done to include this type of provision within teacher training programmes and to provide PGCE staff with resources and information to increase their awareness of this issue.