Behavioral Engagement in VR-Based Sign Language Learning: Visual Attention as a Predictor of Performance and Temporal Dynamics

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Traini, Davide, Alcalde-Llergo, José Manuel, Buenestado-Fernández, Mariana, Ursino, Domenico, Yeguas-Bolívar, Enrique
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Traini, Davide
Alcalde-Llergo, José Manuel
Buenestado-Fernández, Mariana
Ursino, Domenico
Yeguas-Bolívar, Enrique
author_facet Traini, Davide
Alcalde-Llergo, José Manuel
Buenestado-Fernández, Mariana
Ursino, Domenico
Yeguas-Bolívar, Enrique
contents This study analyzes behavioral engagement in SONAR, a virtual reality application designed for sign language training and validation. We focus on three automatically derived engagement indicators (Visual Attention (VA), Video Replay Frequency (VRF), and Post-Playback Viewing Time (PPVT)) and examine their relationship with learning performance. Participants completed a self-paced Training phase, followed by a Validation quiz assessing retention. We employed Pearson correlation analysis to examine the relationships between engagement indicators and quiz performance, followed by binomial Generalized Linear Model (GLM) regression to assess their joint predictive contributions. Additionally, we conducted temporal analysis by aggregating moment-to-moment VA traces across all learners to characterize engagement dynamics during the learning session. Results show that VA exhibits a strong positive correlation with quiz performance,followed by PPVT, whereas VRF shows no meaningful association. A binomial GLM confirms that VA and PPVT are significant predictors of learning success, jointly explaining a substantial proportion of performance variance. Going beyond outcome-oriented analysis, we characterize temporal engagement patterns by aggregating moment-to-moment VA traces across all learners. The temporal profile reveals distinct attention peaks aligned with informationally dense segments of both training and validation videos, as well as phase-specific engagement dynamics, including initial acclimatization, oscillatory attention cycles during learning, and pronounced attentional peaks during assessment. Together, these findings highlight the central role of sustained and strategically allocated visual attention in VR-based sign language learning and demonstrate the value of behavioral trace data for understanding and predicting learner engagement in immersive environments.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_19535
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Behavioral Engagement in VR-Based Sign Language Learning: Visual Attention as a Predictor of Performance and Temporal Dynamics
Traini, Davide
Alcalde-Llergo, José Manuel
Buenestado-Fernández, Mariana
Ursino, Domenico
Yeguas-Bolívar, Enrique
Human-Computer Interaction
Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
This study analyzes behavioral engagement in SONAR, a virtual reality application designed for sign language training and validation. We focus on three automatically derived engagement indicators (Visual Attention (VA), Video Replay Frequency (VRF), and Post-Playback Viewing Time (PPVT)) and examine their relationship with learning performance. Participants completed a self-paced Training phase, followed by a Validation quiz assessing retention. We employed Pearson correlation analysis to examine the relationships between engagement indicators and quiz performance, followed by binomial Generalized Linear Model (GLM) regression to assess their joint predictive contributions. Additionally, we conducted temporal analysis by aggregating moment-to-moment VA traces across all learners to characterize engagement dynamics during the learning session. Results show that VA exhibits a strong positive correlation with quiz performance,followed by PPVT, whereas VRF shows no meaningful association. A binomial GLM confirms that VA and PPVT are significant predictors of learning success, jointly explaining a substantial proportion of performance variance. Going beyond outcome-oriented analysis, we characterize temporal engagement patterns by aggregating moment-to-moment VA traces across all learners. The temporal profile reveals distinct attention peaks aligned with informationally dense segments of both training and validation videos, as well as phase-specific engagement dynamics, including initial acclimatization, oscillatory attention cycles during learning, and pronounced attentional peaks during assessment. Together, these findings highlight the central role of sustained and strategically allocated visual attention in VR-based sign language learning and demonstrate the value of behavioral trace data for understanding and predicting learner engagement in immersive environments.
title Behavioral Engagement in VR-Based Sign Language Learning: Visual Attention as a Predictor of Performance and Temporal Dynamics
topic Human-Computer Interaction
Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.19535