Teachers in cinema and television: A global database for research
Teacher shortages are a global crisis, particularly in Australia, the USA, and the UK. Media representations play a powerful role in shaping how people view teaching as a career. For those who have not been in a classroom since their school days, fictional portrayals of teachers in films and television create powerful, often distorted ideas about the profession.
These unrealistic or negative images affect society's value of teaching and influence people's decisions to become or remain teachers. Understanding and improving cultural perceptions of teaching is crucial during this time of worldwide teacher shortages.
This project examines how fictional portrayals of teachers influence public perceptions and, ultimately, teacher recruitment and retention. It uses a unique database of over 1,500 fictional teachers from more than 800 films and television series spanning 125 years. The detailed database records character stereotypes, demographic trends, school characteristics, and student demographics, enabling comprehensive analysis of teacher representations across time and cultures.
The research pursues one primary aim: to create the world's largest and most comprehensive database of fictional teacher depictions in film and television. By identifying, coding, and analysing these portrayals, the project provides an invaluable resource for scholars to explore how media representations may influence perceptions of teaching and education. The database codes film traits, teacher demographics, teacher behaviours, school characteristics, and narrative elements, allowing for robust trend analysis and original insights into the relationship between popular culture and the teaching profession.
The project will produce an interactive, searchable online database that serves as a foundation for numerous studies in education, media studies, and related fields. Outputs will include academic articles, industry reports, and media engagement. The database can be incorporated into teacher education programmes, helping future educators critically assess cultural narratives surrounding their profession. The project can inform policymakers and educational leaders in developing initiatives to change perceptions of teaching and improve teacher status.
MDAP's expertise is essential to maximising this research's potential. MDAP will assist with database formatting for online publishing, user accessibility, and searchability; develop data visualisation techniques to communicate trends and patterns; and ensure database compatibility with methodologies other researchers use. This collaboration will create an enduring output that sets a new standard for large-scale media analysis in education research.