Effects of Virtual Teaching on Swedish Teachers' Voices During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Paul M Evitts, Maria Allebeck, Olivia Esmerelda Åberg
PMID 36702663WHAT IT FOUND
Teachers reported fewer voice symptoms and less voice handicap when teaching virtually compared to face-to-face.
Straining the voice and poor air quality were linked to more symptoms. Stress was also associated with voice problems. Most teachers had no significant voice issues.
Key findings
01Teachers reported significantly fewer vocal tract discomfort symptoms and lower voice handicap scores during virtual teaching compared to face-to-face teaching, though the effect size was small.
02Straining or raising the voice and poor air quality in the work environment were correlated with higher numbers of voice symptoms and greater perceived voice handicap during virtual teaching.
03Teachers who felt more stressed during virtual teaching also reported experiencing more voice problems during that mode of teaching.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study relied on self-report and retrospective comparison of teaching modes, which introduces recall bias. The sample was predominantly university teachers with more than 10 years of experience, limiting generalizability to other teacher groups. Most participants did not have significant voice problems, so the clinical relevance of the small differences found is uncertain. Air quality and stress were measured subjectively, and the study did not control for other variables like specific work setups or vocal techniques. The cross-sectional design cannot establish causality between virtual teaching and voice outcomes.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that virtual teaching is a therapeutic intervention for voice disorders. The reduction in symptoms was small and the majority of teachers in the study did not have clinically significant voice problems. The findings suggest virtual teaching may be less demanding on the voice than face-to-face teaching, but it is not a treatment.