Students want film and television, but institutions fall short 

Students want film and television, but institutions fall short

For much of modern education, written text has been treated as the default medium for learning. Reading and writing are often positioned not just as skills, but as the primary gateways to understanding, assessment, and academic legitimacy. Yet a substantial body of global research now shows that this reliance on text alone does not reflect how most people process, retain, and make sense of complex information. 

Research from cognitive psychology and education consistently demonstrates that learning is strengthened when ideas are presented through a combination of visual and auditory channels. Dual coding theory and multimedia learning research show that distributing information across channels improves retention and supports deeper understanding, particularly when content is abstract or unfamiliar. Universal Design for Learning further emphasises that offering multiple means of representation benefits all learners, while disproportionately supporting those who are less well served by text-heavy environments. 

For many years, this case has been theoretical and experimental. What has been less visible is large-scale student voice evidence asking learners directly whether this reflects their lived experience in classrooms, colleges and universities today. 

Our Teach Beyond Text research, drawn from responses collected from 1,147 students across schools, Further Education colleges and Higher Education institutions, provides that perspective. The findings reveal not only that students value film and television as learning resources, but that there is a persistent and measurable gap between the access they want and the access they actually receive. 

What our data shows 

A gap between demand and provision  

Across the full dataset, 70% of students agree or strongly agree that they want access to film and television resources as part of their studies, with 60% strongly agreeing. This reflects a strong and consistent expectation that audiovisual content should form part of mainstream teaching rather than sitting at the margins as optional enrichment. Students are not describing occasional use; they are expressing a clear belief that screen-based resources support how they engage with learning. 

However, when asked whether their institution provides the access they need, agreement drops to 64%, with only 44% strongly agreeing. This difference between demand and provision is one of the defining findings of the research. It indicates that while students increasingly see film and television as integral to their studies, institutional access remains uneven and, in many cases, insufficient. 

This access gap is mirrored across all settings. 

61% of Further Education college learners agree or strongly agree that they want access to film and television as part of their learning, but only 51% agree or strongly agree that their institution provides sufficient access. Colleges also show the highest combined levels of dissatisfaction, with 30% of learners disagreeing or strongly disagreeing that they have the access they need. 

This matters because Further Education serves a disproportionate share of learners from disadvantaged backgrounds, learners with additional needs, and learners on vocational or applied pathways. In these contexts, the ability to see processes demonstrated, observe real-world practice, and revisit explanations through audiovisual formats can be particularly valuable. When access is inconsistent, the learners who stand to benefit most are those most likely to encounter barriers. 

In Higher Education, provision is comparatively stronger but still incomplete.82% per cent of university students agree or strongly agree that they want access to film and television, yet 70% say that their institution provides sufficient access. 16% actively disagree that they have the access they need. Even in well-resourced environments, there remains a clear expectation–provision gap. 

Are we letting down neurodivergent learners? 

When the data is examined through the lens of neurodiversity, demand for film and television content as part of learning is even stronger. Around 80% of neurodivergent learners agree or strongly agree that they want access to film and television as part of their learning, compared with approximately 74% of neurotypical learners. This higher demand aligns with global evidence suggesting that multimodal formats can reduce cognitive overload and support sustained focus for learners who process information differently  

Despite this heightened demand, only around half of neurodivergent learners feel that their institution provides the access they require. The very students who report the strongest learning benefits from these formats are also among those most likely to describe provision as inconsistent. 

Why does this matter? 

The implications of this access gap extend way beyond preference. Because students overwhelmingly reported a wide range of benefits from accessing these formats as part of their learning. When access is strong and embedded, outcomes shift.  

Across the dataset, 77% of students report that film and television have helped them overcome a learning challenge. This rises to 83% of neurodivergent learners.  

However, when we compare high-access and low-access environments, the difference becomes stark. In high-access settings, 88% of students report overcoming learning challenges. In low-access contexts, that figure drops to 59%. 

In Further Education specifically, 85% of students in high-access colleges report that film and television have helped them overcome learning challenges, compared with 55% in low-access colleges. This 30-percentage-point difference suggests that access is not peripheral. It is structurally associated with how learners experience difficulty, confidence, and progression. 

Out of the 1,147 responses, 939 students left qualitative commentary to add more nuance to exactly how access to film and television has helped them, 251 of which came from neurodivergent learners. 

Across schools, colleges, and universities, a clear and consistent theme emerged from the qualitative data.  

Real-world learning 

The ability to move beyond abstraction was a recurring theme. Students consistently describe film and television as helping them bridge the gap between theory and lived reality. Concepts that might otherwise remain distant or academic become tangible when learners can see them enacted, discussed, or debated. Those studying history described how documentary footage and historical drama helped them visualise past events and social contexts. Biology and physics students referred to visual explanations of processes that are difficult to imagine from written descriptions alone. This makes learning feel more practical and relevant. 

Connecting classrooms to careers 

Respondents repeatedly described how film and television helps them understand what professionals actually do in practice, rather than simply what their roles look like in theory. Whether students were learning about engineers, police officers, lawyers, doctors, designers, mechanics, or other professions, film and television offered them the opportunity to see these roles in action. 

Language accessibility and development  

Students told us this content provides an essential scaffold that makes learning more manageable. Visual cues such as facial expression, gesture, and setting, combined with tone of voice and pacing, help these learners decode meaning in ways that text-only formats often cannot. Subtitles, contextual storytelling, and repetition further reduce cognitive load, allowing students to focus on understanding rather than decoding unfamiliar language. This support is not limited to students learning in a second language. Learners with low literacy levels or language processing difficulties also describe film and television as making learning more accessible. This reinforces the broader principle of inclusive design: teaching approaches that support those facing language barriers often benefit all learners by making content clearer and more engaging. 

Taken together, these qualitative insights extend and enrich the findings from the quantitative data (which is covered in later blogs). They show that the impact of film and television goes beyond measurable outcomes such as engagement or retention, reaching into areas of relevance, employability, and accessibility. Students are not simply using audiovisual content to supplement their learning; they are using it to make sense of the world, to imagine themselves in professional roles, and to navigate linguistic and cultural complexity. 

What does this mean for the sector? 

If post-16 education is serious about inclusion, widening participation, and learner success, then this expectation–provision gap cannot be dismissed as a matter of taste or technological preference. It reflects a deeper question about how teaching infrastructure aligns with the cognitive and social realities of today’s learner population. 

Students are not debating whether film and television belong in education. Across settings and learner types, the consistency of the findings sends a clear message. Film and television help students overcome learning challenges not occasionally, but routinely. They provide alternative pathways into learning that complement existing teaching methods, reduce overwhelm, build confidence, and help students persist when they encounter difficulty. For neurodivergent learners and those facing multiple barriers, these resources can be the difference between disengagement and success.  

When access is consistent and intentional, the benefits are widely felt. When access is uneven, those benefits become uneven too. 

As learner cohorts become increasingly neurodivergent, multilingual, and socioeconomically diverse, continued reliance on text-heavy teaching models risks reinforcing existing inequalities. Embedding film, television and radio does not replace reading or academic rigour. Rather, it broadens the means through which learners can access knowledge, process complex ideas, and demonstrate understanding. 

Innovative educators are already embedding dramas, documentaries, soap operas, comedies and reality television into teaching to transform the learner experience and connect theory to lived reality. However, meaningful change requires more than passionate individual practice. It demands coordinated institutional support and recognition that audiovisual media is a core component of contemporary pedagogy. It also requires investment in licensed resources. Reliance on informal or unlicensed solutions like YouTube does not address the underlying structural issue and may further entrench inequalities, as well as introducing major risks to institutions from copyright infringement, unreliable content and adverts. And just streaming whole programmes to learners without a pedagogical scaffold isn’t enough either. Educators need training in how to best embed these resources into teaching for maximum impact. 

The challenge for institutions, therefore, is not whether to use film and television, but whether they are prepared to treat access to these resources as essential infrastructure rather than optional enrichment. The student voice data provides a clear signal: the demand is already there, the benefits are widely experienced, and the gap between expectation and provision is visible. 

Addressing that disconnect is central to delivering on commitments to inclusion, engagement and effective learning for all students. Providing equitable access to film, television and radio is not simply about modernising teaching. It is about reducing structural barriers and giving every learner a fairer chance to succeed. 

What next?  

Access the findings  

Over the coming weeks, we will be sharing more of our research findings, but you can access either the entire report or our handy summary.   

Join the debate  

We will be exploring and discussing the findings on our LinkedIn, so follow us there. We will also be hosting a series of live debates to continue the conversation. If you’d like to join a panel, message us on LinkedIn and tell us a bit about yourself and what perspective you bring to the table.   

Learn more about how to teach beyond text  

Alongside this, we’re committed to supporting change in teaching practice through free modules in our new Teach Beyond Text course. You can learn more about this and enrol on these modules for free.  

Access 4 million film, TV and radio programmes for use in teaching  

And don’t forget, our Box of Broadcasts streaming platform gives you access to over 4 million films, documentaries, television and radio programmes with features like clipping and playlists, making it easier than ever to teach beyond text. Get in touch for a free trial below.