Analysis of Media Discourse on the Introduction of International Baccalaureate (IB) Education in Korea: Focusing on Topic Modeling and Time Series Analysis

This study analyzes public discourse surrounding the introduction of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program into South Korea’s public education system by examining media coverage over the past decade. A total of 2,376 news articles published between 2015 and 2024 were collected from the BIGKinds platform operated by the Korea Press Foundation. Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA)-based topic modeling and time-series analysis were employed to identify the structure and evolution of IB-related media discourse. The results revealed five major topics: (1) redefining academic achievement and establishing a policy foundation, (2) regional capacity and equity in implementation, (3) structural alignment with university entrance examination systems, (4) institutionalization of IB certification and curriculum execution, and (5) restructuring of the national education policy system. The time-series analysis indicated an increase in discourse related to implementation readiness and teacher professionalism, while media attention to university entrance exam alignment showed a declining trend. This study contributes to the understanding of the multifaceted policy environment surrounding IB in Korea and offers practical insights for the stable and sustainable implementation of IB in public education.