Instruction in Indian Secondary Schools: The Indirect Effect of Teacher Humor on Student Engagement Through Interest

Abstract

This study tested the indirect effect of instructor course-related humor on student engagement through situational interest (mediation-by-situational interest hypothesis) in the Indian, grades 9–12 context. We hypothesized that instructors’ use of humor would provide an affective trigger to Indian students’ emotional interest (i.e., catch), which in turn, would foster cognitive interest (i.e., hold), ultimately leading to increased student engagement. We found evidence for serial indirect effects on students’ silent in-class engagement, oral in-class engagement, and thinking about course content, supporting the mediation-by-situational interest hypothesis. We encourage instructional scholars to generalize beyond primarily White and U.S.-born college students.