Comparative Study of AI Textbooks for Primary and Secondary Schools

Abstract

With the development of information technology, artificial intelligence (AI) has become a new focal point of international competition. AI education in primary and secondary schools is gradually becoming an important component of education in the intelligent era in China. Textbooks are a crucial medium for courses, and AI textbooks for primary and secondary schools are the core teaching materials for AI courses. This study examines 18 AI textbooks for primary and secondary schools, based on relevant curriculum standards such as the AI Curriculum Development Standards for Primary and Secondary Schools in China (Trial). Using content analysis and quantitative curriculum difficulty models, the study compares and analyzes the textbooks from five dimensions: teaching arrangement logic, textbook content, textbook usage conditions, textbook evaluation, and textbook difficulty. The study concludes that the textbooks have systematic teaching arrangement logic, though some lack learning objectives; the content is contemporary, but the knowledge system is not comprehensive; the usage conditions are diverse, but some schools lack the necessary implementation environment; and the difficulty is moderate, though there is a gap compared to the curriculum standards.