Korean elementary schools have relied on standardized, paper-based English textbooks. This pilot study examines how these textbooks represent regions such as Jeju and Busan, aiming to inform the development of the Artificial Intelligence Digital Textbook (AIDT), set to launch in 2025. AIDT is software or a textbook that leverages intelligent technologies, including AI, to provide personalized learning materials and support tailored to individual students’ abilities and levels. Drawing on Holliday’s (1999) cultural paradigm, this study utilizes both qualitative and quantitative analyses. The analyses focus on textbooks from two publishers widely used on Jeju Island. The findings reveal a lack of regional references in textbooks for lower grades (grades 3 and 4). Specific regions are mentioned in textbooks for higher grades (grades 5 and 6), but primarily as weekend or summer travel destinations. Seoul is presented as the main character’s place of origin, implicitly positioning it as the central place of residence. Jeju, which appears frequently, is consistently depicted as a tourist destination, reinforcing an oversimplified and peripheral image of the region. This study emphasizes the significance of AIDT in providing regionally tailored English education that reflects the lived experiences of students outside Seoul in Korea. Korean elementary schools have relied on standardized, paper-based English textbooks. This pilot study examines how these textbooks represent regions such as Jeju and Busan, aiming to inform the development of the Artificial Intelligence Digital Textbook (AIDT), set to launch in 2025. Drawing on Holliday’s (1999) cultural paradigm, this study utilizes both qualitative and quantitative analyses. The analyses focus on textbooks from two publishers widely used on Jeju Island. The findings reveal a lack of regional references in textbooks for lower grades. Specific regions are mentioned in textbooks for higher grades, but primarily as weekend or summer travel destinations. Seoul is presented as the main character’s place of origin, implicitly positioning it as the central place of residence. Jeju, which appears frequently, is consistently depicted as a tourist destination, reinforcing an oversimplified and peripheral image of the region. This study emphasizes the significance of AIDT in providing regionally tailored English education that reflects the lived experiences of students outside Seoul in Korea. Recommendations include collaboration between AIDT developers and regional experts to ensure accurate and comprehensive regional data, training for regional English teachers in local knowledge, and the development of a region-based English curriculum supported by an efficient administrative structure.
1. Introduction
2. Literature Review
3. Methodology
4. Results and Discussion
5. Conclusion
Works Cited