This research by the University of Essex and the University of Reading explored teachers’ tone of voice in children's education and showed that strict-sounding teachers are worse at inspiring the classroom than their kinder colleagues.
One of the most important tools in a teacher's toolkit is their voice: they use it for teaching or managing behaviour. This study found that controlling sounding voices didn’t gain cooperation from 10-16-year-olds. It discovered that youngsters faced with a strict teacher were more likely to rebel, their well-being was affected, and they were less likely to reveal they were facing problems – like bullying.
This is because students felt unable to express themselves when confronted with a harsher more controlling tone. Whereas a supportive-sounding voice inspired a connection to a teacher which increased their intention to cooperate.
Pre-recorded teachers’ voices were played to 250 children who were then asked to judge how the tone affected them. They were asked to rate how it would affect factors such as competence, emotions, trust and their intention to cooperate.
Children reacted much better to supportive voices while controlling tones made their self-esteem plummet and teachers' sound exemplars were perceived to be less trustworthy.