New research commissioned by Epson shows that over a third (35 percent) of UK parents believe there needs to be an overhaul of education policy that puts greater focus on proven methods, such as printed materials and textbooks.

The research was commissioned by Epson, with fieldwork conducted via Focaldata’s in-house platform, with API integration to an online panel network. In total, 4,239 teachers and 20,690 parents (of children aged 8-16) were surveyed across 20 European countries, between August and September 2024.

One quarter of parents worry that excessive use of laptops and tablets in classrooms weaken reading skills, and 22 percent fear they could negatively affect knowledge retention.

In fact, 63 percent of parents across 20 European countries want to see greater use of printed worksheets and textbooks in classrooms. The same can be said for UK parents (63 percent), rising to 70 percent in Poland and 74 percent in Spain. In the UK specifically, seven in 10 teachers (67 percent) also agree.

What’s more, most parents in the UK say printed materials in classrooms improve reading skills (59 percent) — a figure higher than the EU average of 54 percent but lower than Finland’s,  where 67 percent of parents see the benefits.

The research also revealed that just 9 percent of European parents think traditional hard copy materials would distract students and reduce attention — dropping to 8 percent in the UK. This supports earlier research from Epson showing 59 per cent of parents think their children learn better by interacting with physical objects rather than from information on digital screens[1].

Digital screens however pose issues on two fronts, with 62 percent of UK parents agreeing that the presence of laptops and tablets in schools makes it even more challenging to manage screen time at home and nearly half (48 percent) identifying screen time as a primary cause of family disputes.

At the same time, Neuroscientists at Columbia University’s Teachers College have shown there’s a clear advantage to reading a text on paper, rather than on a screen, where “shallow reading was observed”.

In reality though, teachers feel frustrated about a lack of printers, which would help them introduce more worksheets for students. Across Europe, 74 percent say it’s essential to have access to a printer (74 percent in the UK), but only 12 percent of all teachers surveyed have one to use in their classroom (13 percent in the UK).

Many teachers use their own printers, with 15 percent of teachers in the UK saying they use their home printer for teaching materials. This then rises to 18 per cent for teachers across Europe and rises to a third of teachers for countries like Italy and Serbia (35 percent).

It seems parents are doing the same with nearly a fifth across Europe (18 per cent) saying they regularly print homework and learning materials at home as they are not provided by the school — a figure which rises to a quarter (22 percent) in the UK.

Fabio Girotto, head of product management for consumer printers at Epson Europe, said: “Evidence suggests parents, teachers and academics all agree: we need more books and paper worksheets in education to improve skills and learning. We know from working with clinical psychologists that printed texts help to increase fine motor skills, creativity and comprehension in ways digital texts don’t.

“This calls for printers, but our research shows there aren’t always enough to go round. Our research revealed that teachers and parents are often using their own resources to supplement those provided in schools. With tight budgets schools need to allocate their funds to the teaching aids that encourage the highest attention, and deliver educational benefits – our research shows traditional paper-based learning is often the best option.

“An Epson EcoTank printer is an ideal choice for home printing, and printing in schools. Each model comes with enough ink to last up to three years, which can save up to 90 per cent in costs. And with no cartridge waste, they really can help children learn for less.”

Photo by Jakub Żerdzicki on Unsplash