Abstract
This study investigates the relationship between visual attention, physical interaction, and second language (L2) vocabulary acquisition within an immersive virtual reality (VR) environment. Utilizing eye-tracking technology integrated into a head-mounted display, we monitored the real-time gaze behavior of 32 intermediate L2 Spanish learners as they completed a task-based kitchen and market scenario. During the task, participants interacted with 16 novel, low-frequency Spanish target items under two conditions: passive viewing and active physical manipulation. Attentional allocation was quantified using eye-tracking metrics, specifically total fixation duration and fixation count on designated 3D Areas of Interest (AOIs). Vocabulary acquisition was assessed using pre-tests, immediate post-tests, and two-week delayed post-tests measuring both receptive and productive lexical knowledge. Linear mixed-effects modeling revealed that total fixation duration on target objects was a powerful predictor of immediate receptive vocabulary gains. Furthermore, physical manipulation of the objects significantly moderated this effect, yielding higher delayed retention rates compared to passive viewing, even when total fixation duration was controlled. These findings suggest that embodied interaction in VR anchors visual attention and strengthens the cognitive mapping between lexical forms and their semantic referents. The paper discusses the pedagogical implications of these results for designing optimized, attention-guided virtual environments for language learning.
