Television Viewing and Academic Achievement: An Analysis of Research Trends

Over the last six decades the interconnection between television viewing and children’s academic achievement has been researched copiously producing contrasting findings. Many factors such as time spending on television viewing, type of programme, cultural settings, academic environment, family norms and demographic variables are found to predict the association between television use and academic achievement in different ways. This paper reviews the past studies to explore the trends in research tradition as well as the fluctuating nature of the predictors. This review reveals that extreme use of television among children has negative impact on their academic performance irrespective of the socio cultural settings where the studies were conducted. More so it is found that most studies underline that educational programmes are positively associated with children’s performance at the schools. Parent’s education, socioeconomic status and television content were also identified as main indicators influencing students’ performance.

Download Pdf