Integrating pop culture into the classroom represents an opportunity for increasing students’ interest in daily lessons (Raw, 2017). Using cinema or movies with teaching purposes is a widespread practice among the academic staff at different educational stages (Agama-Sarabia et al., 2017; Berk, 2009; Engert & Spencer, 2009; Farré et al., 2013; Marsh et al., 2012; Oh et al., 2013). In this sense, teachers tend to employ clips (or fragments), as well as complete documentaries, science dissemination programs and/or, in some cases, commercial movies to introduce or clarify certain complex concepts (Ayikoru, & Park, 2019; Berk, 2009; Lumlertgul et al. 2009; Marsh et al., 2012; Oh et al., 2012). This practice is common at different educational stages, such as high-school and college (Brown, 2011; Darbyshire, & Baker, 2012; Díaz-Membrives et al., 2016; Pastor et al., 2019; Shankar, 2019; Shepard & Brew, 2005).
Much of the research on using movies as a learning tool in university has been employed in Nursing and Medicine degrees due to the need to exemplify certain concepts and make clinical work more visible. However, there is also empirical evidence about the role of movies in the training of Psychology students and those in social science degrees such as Humanities, Law, or Criminology (Díaz-Membrives et al., 2016).
Academic movie tasks used in research can be classified into three categories. Some studies have used this stimulus to promote students’ reflection capabilities. Other researchers have focused on the usefulness of movies to teach clinical practice. That is, to apply or make the theoretical knowledge of clinical practice visible. And finally, there are studies which have incorporated movies to later answer a set of relevant questions (Oh et al., 2013).
Most of the research that use movies in educational contexts has focused on assessing students’ narrative experiences, followed by others that used a quantitative methodology (experimental or quasi-experimental) and, finally, a smaller number of qualitative studies (Díaz-Membrives et al., 2016). If we attend to conclusions of quantitative investigations, it could be possible to classify empirical studies as focused on either evaluating the transmission of special attitudes, learning specific concepts, or even assessing the degree of student satisfaction when using this type of task. Even though there is some unanimity in stating that the use of movies tends to have a positive impact on student learning and satisfaction (Gonçalves et al., 2021; McCann & Sylvia Huntley-Moore, 2016; Petkari, 2017), it should be noted that many of these experimental studies had considerable methodological limitations. For example, the absence of adequate control groups, such as alternative groups (e.g., comic-books, books, movies in combination with other tasks, etc.) (Díaz-Membrives et al., 2016).
With all this in mind, the main objective of this study was twofold. First, we analysed whether using movies in academic tasks in various subjects of the Psychology and Criminology degree would have a positive impact on the acquisition of new concepts, controlling the effect of some potential confounding variables (e.g., number of films/books viewed/read per week, their opinion about its usefulness as a learning tool, sociodemographic variables, etc.). Based on previous conclusions in the field (Agama-Sarabia et al., 2017; Darbyshire, & Baker, 2012; Díaz-Membrives et al., 2016; Gonçalves et al., 2021; McCann & Sylvia Huntley-Moore, 2016; Oh et al., 2013; Pastor et al., 2019; Petkari, 2017; Romero-Martínez & Sarrate-Costa, 2022; Shepard & Brew, 2005), we expected that the score obtained in two movie tasks would be positively associated with the final exam score (an objective multiple-choice test with development questions). That is, the higher integration of the concepts after watching movies would correspond with a better score on the final exam and would remain significant after controlling the effect of potential confounding variables. Regarding the second objective of this study, there is a gap in empirical research regarding the performance, perceived satisfaction, degree of commitment and perceived difficulty of movie tasks compared to other book or comic-book tasks (control group) and whether these tasks were mandatory or voluntary. Although evidence signalling comic-books as an optimal tool for learning exists (Cicero et al., 2020; El-Setouhy y Rio, 2003; Hosler y Boomer, 2011; Mioramalala et al., 2021; Muzumdar y Pal, 2018; Obare et al., 2013; Richter et al., 2015), larger evidence, based on studies with robust designs, has demonstrated the superiority of movies for consolidating knowledge (Díaz-Membrives et al., 2016; Gonçalves et al., 2021; McCann & Sylvia Huntley-Moore, 2016; Petkari, 2017). Accordingly, we expected that groups voluntarily using movies would obtain higher score in both tasks and the degree of satisfaction and commitment, but lower perceived difficulty compared to those groups who did the mandatory tasks and employed books or comic-books.