The Role of Instructor Humor and Students’ Educational Orientations inStudent Learning, Extra Effort, Participation, and Out-of-Class Communication

Abstract

This study used instructional humor processing theory to examine how instructors’ humor enhanced students’ learning outcomes (i.e., cognitive learning, extra effort) and communication practices both inside (i.e., participation) and outside (i.e., out-of-class communication) the college classroom. These relationships were examined while controlling for students’ educational orientations (i.e., learning orientation, grade orientation), which are known to influence students’ learning and motivation in their coursework. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that learning orientation was a positive predictor of students’ cognitive learning, extra effort, participation, and out-of-class communication, whereas grade orientation was a negative predictor of participation and out-of-class communication. Results also indicated that after controlling for variance explained by students’ learning and grade orientations, instructor humor remained a positive predictor of students’ cognitive learning, extra effort, participation, and out-of-class communication.