A Study on Visual attention of Digital Textbook Interface Using Eye Tracking : Focusing on the Deaf student

The Ministry of Education (2023) announced plans to introduce AI digital textbooks in 2025, aiming to provide personalized education and transform the educational paradigm towards interactive, self-directed learning. This study explores interface designs to enhance the immersion of digital textbooks for students with hearing impairments. Digital textbooks should be easily accessible to all users, including younger learners and those with disabilities. They can serve as effective tools to replace private tutoring, particularly for students with disabilities who often progress slower than their peers. The research employed two main methods. First, a literature review on special education students was conducted, analyzing the cognitive characteristics of students with hearing impairments, followed by a preliminary experiment to identify improvements. Second, an eye-tracking experiment analyzed scan paths and fixation times (heat maps). Based on validated data and in-depth interviews, guidelines were established. Findings indicated that students spent significantly more time on image and text areas in the interactive version(D1) of the digital textbook compared to the original version(D). Post-tests verified a positive effect on academic achievement. This study aims to alleviate some of the challenges faced by students with hearing impairments in acquiring English, enabling them to realize their potential and become members of the global community.