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

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Voice Disorders; Virtual Reality Therapy
• Interventions: Behavioral: Direct Method; Behavioral: Indirect Method

• Registration Number: NCT04096352
• Lead Sponsor: University of Liege

Brief Summary

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

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).

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2019-09-06
• Study First Submitted QC: 2019-09-17
• Study First Posted: 2019-09-19
• Study Start: 2019-09-29
• Primary Completion: 2020-02-20
• Study Completion: 2020-02-20
• Status Verified: 2020-04
• Last Update Submitted: 2020-04-06
• Last Update Posted: 2020-04-07

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 41

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

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Indirect+Direct method	Direct Method	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.
Indirect method	Indirect Method	Indirect method: one session of information on voice function and voice hygiene.
Indirect+Direct method	Indirect Method	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.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Speech rate changes between the baseline and the end of the intervention	3 weeks	Measurements of participants' speech rate (in syllables per second) when speaking with and without background noise.
Voice frequency changes between the baseline and the end of the intervention	3 weeks	Acoustic measurements of participants' voice frequency (in hertz) when speaking with and without background noise.
Self-perceived voice changes between the baseline and the end of the intervention	3 weeks	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.
Voice intensity changes between the baseline and the end of the intervention	3 weeks	Acoustic measurements of participants' voice intensity (in dB) when speaking with and without background noise.
Voice spectrum changes between the baseline and the end of the intervention	3 weeks	Acoustic measurements of participants' voice spectrum (in Hertz) when speaking with and without background noise.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Université de Liège; 🇧🇪 Liège, Wallonia, Belgium