Voice Self‑Assessment in the Light of Acoustic Analysis – Case Studies
Voice Self‑Assessment in the Light of Acoustic Analysis – Case Studies

Summary/Abstract: The article aims to compare the results of the subjective and objective assessment of the voice of students of Postgraduate Studies of Voice and Speech Training at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Warsaw. The research material consists of recordings of students’ voices and the Voice Handicap Index (VHI) questionnaires obtained at the beginning and at the end of the study. Five case studies were selected: three female students who were subjected to long‑term follow‑up (two or three semesters of study) to show the different relations between subjective and objective evaluation, and two female students for whom the results of the VHI questionnaire were compared, where the interval between measurements was three weeks. A comparison of the results of subjective and objective evaluation indicated a different degree of compatibility between them. In case 2 particular, the results of voice self‑assessment increased by almost 100% after three semesters of study while the acoustic analysis did not reflect such a change. The discrepancies between the results obtained by the two methods lead to the conclusion that the objective and subjective assessment tools should be used together, preferably with other voice testing methods so that its evaluation is as comprehensive as possible. When interpreting the results of the VHI questionnaire, the influence of psychological factors should be taken into account. Increased consciousness that follows in the process of teaching voice production coupled with perfectionism and criticism can lead to a deterioration in the examinee’s perception of voice quality.

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