ABSTRACT
Although technology-mediated learning has gained prominence in both second language (L2) and other educational settings, the use of three-dimensional (3D) virtual worlds is still a novelty in L2 education. As a result, little is known about its effects on L2 development in general and on specific areas of language instruction (such as focus on form and corrective feedback, CF), in particular. The goal of the present study was twofold: (1) to examine the level of interaction as well as use and noticeability of CF in a 3D computerized environment, and (2) to compare these effects with those in traditional face-to-face (F2F) communication. Participants were two groups of low-intermediate university learners of English (n = 16), who participated in a whole-class communicative task and received CF on their past-tense errors. One group received feedback in a face-to-face context, and the other in a 3D virtual environment. Feedback noticeability was measured through learner uptake defined as learner responses to feedback that involved some modification of learner output. The results showed that the F2F learners produced more language than their 3D counterparts, but the amount of feedback and modified output were similar across contexts.
