Virtual Reality in Teachers' Vocal Motor Behavior Acquisition (VirtuVox)

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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Scientific literature supports that teachers are at greater risk for voice disorders than the general population. In the classroom, the teacher's voice represents the main communication tool. Optimal voice use is indispensable to ensure effective teaching and preserve the teacher's vocal health. This project investigates how virtual reality (VR) facilitates the learning of effective vocal skills and their application in real-world contexts. Based on acoustic analyses and self-assessment scales, the investigators compare 100 future teachers randomly assigned in two groups. The experimental group (n=50) receives a voice training by VR simulations and voice information. The control group (n=50) only receives voice information.

Detailed Description
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Experimental group participants receive direct method (three 1-hour sessions of voice training by virtual reality simulations over a course of 3 weeks) and indirect method (one 1-hour session of information on voice function and voice hygiene). Control group participants receive indirect method (one 1-hour session of information on voice function and voice hygiene).

Official Title
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Virtual Reality in Teachers' Vocal Motor Behavior Acquisition (VirtuVox): Randomized Controlled Trial

Conditions
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Voice Disorders, Virtual Reality Therapy

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Direct Method
* Behavioral: Indirect Method


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: future teacher having completed at least one internship as a schoolteacher speaking French fluently Exclusion Criteria: hearing impairment voice pathology at the time of the study

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 40 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Prevention
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Double


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Indirect+Direct method<br>Indirect method: one session of information on voice function and voice hygiene. Direct method: three sessions of voice training using virtual reality simulations over a course of 3 weeks. | Behavioral: Direct Method<br>* Learning effective vocal skills using speech therapy exercises and virtual reality simulations.<br>Behavioral: Indirect Method<br>* Information on voice function and voice hygiene.<br>|
| Active Comparator: Indirect method<br>Indirect method: one session of information on voice function and voice hygiene. | Behavioral: Indirect Method<br>* Information on voice function and voice hygiene.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Self-perceived voice changes between the baseline and the end of the intervention | Self-assessment of perceived vocal effort using the Adapted BORG Category Ratio (CR-10) physical exertion scale. On the scale, verbal expressions regarding vocal effort are anchored to the correct positions on a logarithmic ratio scale from zero (No vocal effort at all) to 10 (Maximum vocal effort), according to their quantitative meaning. | 3 weeks | 
| Voice frequency changes between the baseline and the end of the intervention | Acoustic measurements of participants' voice frequency (in hertz) when speaking with and without background noise. | 3 weeks | 
| Voice intensity changes between the baseline and the end of the intervention | Acoustic measurements of participants' voice intensity (in dB) when speaking with and without background noise. | 3 weeks | 
| Voice spectrum changes between the baseline and the end of the intervention | Acoustic measurements of participants' voice spectrum (in Hertz) when speaking with and without background noise. | 3 weeks | 
| Speech rate changes between the baseline and the end of the intervention | Measurements of participants' speech rate (in syllables per second) when speaking with and without background noise. | 3 weeks | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Speech Therapy, Virtual Reality, Teacher's voice, Background Noise, School Teachers