Students say film and TV improve learning

Students say film and television make learning more engaging and enjoyable

When students tell us what makes learning engaging and enjoyable, this can sometimes be dismissed as being irrelevant for academic or vocational success. But a body of research in cognitive psychology and education demonstrates that attention is a prerequisite for learning. If learners are disengaged, overwhelmed or cognitively fatigued, even well-designed teaching will struggle to translate into meaningful understanding. Studies on multimedia learning and situational interest indicate that audiovisual content can increase sustained attention by combining visual cues, pacing, tone and narrative structure in ways that help learners remain cognitively present for longer periods.

This is particularly significant in post-16 education, where learners are navigating complex academic material alongside work, financial pressures, and increasing wellbeing challenges. Engagement is not simply about enjoyment. It shapes confidence, persistence and willingness to continue when learning becomes difficult.

What is missing is large-scale student voice evidence asking learners about the link between these formats and engaging learning experiences. 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 that students find film and television learning resources to be highly engaging and enjoyable.

What our data shows

Film and television make learning more engaging and enjoyable

Across every educational setting, and among both neurotypical and neurodivergent learners, film and television consistently emerge as engaging learning resources available to students. Our research shows a strong and recurring pattern: when film and television are embedded within teaching, students report higher levels of enjoyment, deeper engagement, and a more positive overall learning experience. This finding holds true regardless of age, institution type, or learning profile, underscoring the broad relevance of audiovisual media in contemporary education.

Across the full dataset:

• 82% of students agree or strongly agree that access to film and television makes their learning experience more engaging and enjoyable.

• In Higher Education, this rises to 87%.

• In both Further Education and schools, it stands at 75%.

These figures indicate not a marginal effect, but a consistently reported shift in how learning feels when film and television content is present.

This, in turn, delivers increased confidence and motivation

Engagement, however, is not an end in itself. We drew 943 qualitative comments from respondents. Students repeatedly describe how engaging learning experiences create the conditions for something more significant: increased confidence and motivation. When learning feels clearer, more accessible, and easier to follow, students report lower stress levels and a more positive emotional response to their studies. Film and television formats play a key role in this process. By supporting understanding and reducing cognitive barriers, film and television help students feel more capable and in control of their learning, which in turn encourages participation and persistence.

One school student described accessing film and television for his subject as creating “less stress, more motivation to revise and study.” A college student wrote, “It is more engaging and it helps with my learning”. A university student noted, “I enjoy it more and it makes me want to study and learn”. These reflections suggest that engagement is closely connected to emotional experience. When students feel less overwhelmed, they are more willing to invest effort.

Many students describe film and television as making learning feel more human and less intimidating. Complex ideas become easier to grasp when they are illustrated visually or grounded in real-world examples. Narratives, case studies, and demonstrations presented through film or television can offer clarity where text alone may feel dense or abstract. As a result, students report being more willing to engage actively, ask questions, and contribute to discussions, rather than withdrawing when material feels inaccessible.

Across settings, students overwhelmingly report that access to film and television improves their learning experience. The strength of agreement in Higher Education may reflect the nature of university study, where abstract theory and complex frameworks are common. In such contexts, visualisation and real-world illustration can provide scaffolding that supports both engagement and comprehension. Audiovisual content can also supplement independent study, offering alternative explanations that complement lectures and readings.

Students’ descriptions of enjoyment are closely intertwined with confidence. When learners feel able to follow material and remain cognitively present, they are more likely to persist through challenging content, prepare for assessments and believe in their capacity to succeed. Engagement, in this sense, becomes part of the architecture of academic resilience.

Impact is more significant for neurodivergent learners

When responses are examined by neurodivergent identification, a further pattern emerges. In Further Education and schools, neurodivergent learners report engagement levels approximately 9–11 percentage points higher than their neurotypical peers. In Higher Education, agreement levels are high across both groups, with smaller variation between neurodivergent and neurotypical students.

Students frequently describe audiovisual formats as less overwhelming and easier to process than extended written text. One university student commented, “As an autistic student, I find film and TV much less overwhelming than reading. Seeing things happen makes concepts clearer and easier to process”. Another wrote, “I have ADHD and really struggle with long pieces of text. Watching a programme helps me focus and actually understand what’s being taught”.

These reflections align closely with broader evidence suggesting that well-designed audiovisual materials can reduce cognitive overload by externalising structure and pacing. For learners who experience fluctuating attention or heightened processing demands, the ability to see and hear information presented in integrated ways appears to make sustained engagement more manageable.

But the benefits are not confined to neurodivergent learners. Neurotypical students also report strong positive effects, reinforcing the principle that inclusive design tends to benefit entire cohorts rather than isolated groups. Teaching approaches that broaden modes of representation appear to make learning environments more accessible without lowering expectations.

What does this mean for the sector?

Taken together, this data highlights the role of film and television not as supplementary extras but as pedagogical tools that shape how students experience learning. Engagement, enjoyment, confidence, and motivation are not incidental outcomes; they are central to effective education. When institutions invest in high-quality, accessible broadcast content resources and support educators to use them intentionally, they contribute to learning environments in which more students feel able to participate fully.

As post-16 education continues to grapple with questions of inclusion, wellbeing, and student success, the direction of travel is increasingly clear. Film and television have the capacity to make learning more engaging, more manageable, and more equitable. For many students, particularly those who are neurodivergent, access to these formats is not simply a preference. It forms part of the conditions that allow them to feel confident, motivated, and capable within academic environments.

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 (BoB) 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.