Objective: Conservative (non-surgical) behavioural voice training is always the first-line management approach for teachers with voice problems. During voice training, voice exercises that aim at enhancing voicing efficiency are introduced. Nevertheless, one common challenge reported by patients in voice therapy is the generalization of voice skills learnt from clinic to real-life environments. This study evaluates the use of 360-degree virtual classroom environments to support voice training for school teachers with voice problems.

Methods: Teachers with voice problems associated with phonotrauma were randomly assigned to training using virtual classroom environments or under traditional, standard clinical environment. Six 360-degree virtual classroom videos with increasing level of disturbances were used. These six videos vary in students’ and their parents’ level of attentiveness to provide contextual variability. Outcome measures include perceptual evaluation of voice quality, voice-related quality of life and teacher’s level of confidence in applying resonant voice skills to real-life teaching environments.

Results and Conclusions: Data collection is now in progress. It is expected that teachers receiving resonant voice training supported by the 360-degree virtual classroom environments will present with greater improvements in voice quality, voice-related quality of life and level of confidence than those receiving voice therapy under traditional, standard clinical environment.