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Visible Learning™
Visible Learning MetaX
Version 1.4 – Updated February 2026

Television hours

Overview

  • Influence: Television hours
  • Domain: Home
  • Sub-Domain: Home environment
  • Potential to Accelerate Student Achievement: Likely to have a negative impact
  • Influence Definition: The effects of the number of hours spent watching television.

Evidence

  • Number of meta-analyses: 3
  • Number of studies: 37
  • Number of students: 1,022,000
  • Number of effects: 540
  • Weighted mean effect size: -0.15
  • Robustness index: 3

Meta-Analyses

Meta-Analyses
Journal Title Author Article Name Year Published Variable Number of Studies Number of Students Number of Effects Effect Size
American Educational Research Journal Williams, Haertel, Haertel, & Walberg The impact of leisure-time television on school learning: A research synthesis 1982 Leisure time television 23 NA 227 -0.12
Conference paper Neuman Television and reading: a research synthesis 1986 TV on reading 8 NA 8 -0.15
Journal of Educational Research Razel The Complex Model of Television Viewing and Educational Achievement 2001 TV on achievement 6 1,022,000 305 -0.26
TOTAL/AVERAGE 37 1,022,000 540 -0.18
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