Rinta, Tiija Elisabet; (2008) Connections between children's speaking and singing behaviours : implications for education and therapy. Doctoral thesis , Institute of Education, University of London.

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Abstract

Abstract The putpose of the study was to investigate potential connections between children's speaking and singing behaviouts, as well as to explore the potential use of such connections in speech or voice therapy and in educational settings. The objectives of the study were addressed through an exploratory approach. In the literature review, potential connections between the two vocal behaviours were investigated theoretically from the physiological (including neurological), voicedevelopmental, psychological and sociological perspectives. Based on the theorising, a model of children's vocal functioning was generated. The model advocates the interconnectedness of all vocal functioning and provides arguments towards the idea of musical elements possessing an enhancing effect on children's vocal functioning. In the empirical phase of the study, the theoretical model was exposed to empirical testing. The pre-pilot study consisted of interviews with eight professional speech and voice therapists. The procedute for the pilot and the main studies consisted of: voice recordings, questionnaires, interviews, observations and a psychological test. The procedure was conducted with four classes of children. Initially, all the participants were treated as one group and, subsequently, each class was looked at separately and treated as a case-study. In total, 76 7-10-year old children participated. In addition, interviews were carried out with the teachers of each class . .. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses were used. The main findings were that children's speaking and singing behaviouts are connected through physiological, psychological and sociological routes, but not through the developmental route. Particularly strong evidence for the interconnectedness of the vocal behaviouts was found from the voice-scientific, psychological and sociological perspectives. The findings imply that children's speaking and singing behaviours are related and, therefore, it may be possible to enhance the quality and functioning of one vocal behaviour through the other. The findings also imply that children's vocal health is connected to a variety of holistic factors and that singing can potentially be used as a means to target these factors. Such findings have significant implications for both educational and therapeutic practice.

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