Humour In Teaching Research Articles

Foreign-born instructor humor perception and effects on self-perceived affective and cognitive learning

Abstract In this cross-sectional study, a total of 394 U.S. American and Thai college students took an online survey investigating how they perceived humor used by their foreign-born instructors and how those perceptions then predicted their self-perceived cognitive and affective learning. Moderated mediation analyses revealed both student groups understood affiliative humor and considered it appropriate and humorous which then enhanced their learning. Aggressive humor positively predicted Thai students’ learning through the mediating role of humorousness and negatively predicted U.S. students’ learning through the mediating role of appropriateness. Self-defeating humor enhanced U.S. students’ learning through the moderating role of appropriateness. This study clarified the influence of different humor styles on learning and extended the instructional humor processing theory by demonstrating the moderating effect of culture. With the internationalization of higher education and increasing number of foreign-born instructors, this pioneering study provided preliminary suggestions for effectively using humor in cross-cultural classrooms.

Teachers' enthusiasm and humor and its' lagged relationships with students' enjoyment and boredom - A latent trait-state-approach

Following Pekrun's (2006) control-value theory of achievement emotions, we investigated carry-over effects and cross-lagged relationships between student-perceived teacher enthusiasm and humor and students' enjoyment and boredom both within and between university lectures. We used a latent state-trait approach to acknowledge the role of situational factors in this relationship. Data were collected from 559 university students (76% female, mean age 21.6 years) from seven different lecture courses. We assessed students' self-reported emotions and student-perceived teacher enthusiasm and content-related humor over a period of four lectures at three random points during each lecture course. The analyses revealed that all variables were influenced by previous measures within lectures; however, between lectures, only previous enjoyment and humor influenced the subsequent measure. When students experienced boredom, they perceived less teacher enthusiasm and humor. On the other hand, perceived teacher humor positively affected enjoyment within lectures.

A Study on Instructional Humor: How Much Humor Is Used in Presentations?

Humor is applied in pedagogy to create a positive learning environment. Recent research focuses on the theories, effects, individual differences, and qualitative aspects of humor for instruction. However, there is a lack of studies focusing on quantitative features. Therefore, this research explored the quantitative characteristics of instructional humor in a naturalistic setting and applied techniques from natural language processing (NLP). This paper describes the results of two studies. The first study focused on instructional humor frequency and the placement of humor, while the linguistic features of instructional humor and non-instructional humor were compared in the second study. Two corpora were used in this research: TED Talks and user-submitted jokes from “stupidstuff.org” The results found that educators used humor 12.92 times for popular talks, while less popular talks only had 3.92 times. Humor is also more commonly placed during the first parts of the talk and lessens toward the end. There were also significant differences between the linguistic features of instructional and non-instructional humor in terms of readability scores and sentiment. These results provide a substantial update on quantitative instructional humor research and help educators understand how to use humor in the classroom in terms of quantitative and linguistic features.

The Humor as a Form of Artistic Expression in Education

Abstract The relevance of the idea of humor at the social level expresses, from our viewpoint, the need to understand, assume and, why not, use it at the level of social communities. Under these conditions, we consider the usefulness and functionality/applicability of such an idea in educational terms, and in particular, at the level of the class of students. Such an idea is the very idea of humor as it is found in the educational dimension. Moreover, our interest is focused upon seeing and to what extent, the idea of humor can be considered to be an art, if we consider stylized / “aestheticized”, artistic, expressive criteria. That is why, the assumed purpose of this approach that we have achieved consists in an exhaustive analysis of the idea of humor and, implicitly, of the art of humor in education, as well as of the way in which it manifests and it is recognized at the educational level.

University Students’ Preferable Types of Teacher Humor in English Classes

The current study aimed to explore what types of teacher humor EFL students prefer in their classes. The study was designed as a mixed-method approach, using questionnaires and semi-structured interviews to collect data in two different Vietnamese universities. One hundred fifty-eight university students responded to the survey, and eight out of them were recruited as the participants for the interviews. The study results revealed that the types of jokes (M=4.41), riddles (M=4.08), and language play (M=4.15) were most favored. Besides, the participants' demographic information, including their gender and majors, affected their preferable types of teacher humor. Specifically, males showed more positive attitudes towards teacher humor than their counterparts. In terms of students’ majors, there were differences between non-English majors and English-majored students’ perceptions of irony, teasing, language play, visual and physical humor. Regarding the students’ positive attitudes towards teacher humor, EFL teachers should learn more about valuable strategies for using teacher humor in their classes due to the fact that they do not need to have a sense of humor to use it effectively.

There’s Aha! in Haha: Unraveling the Serious Side of Humor in the Classroom

In a fast-changing classroom setting, one must consider the importance of knowing the qualities of who occupy the four corners of the classroom - the 21st century learners who have distinct personalities specifically in a dynamic learning environment. This study is designed to explore the experiences of three high school students from Cabarroguis National School of Arts and Trades who experienced humor as a strategic tool in teaching. Qualitative data were gathered from the informants’ interview. Data were processed through document trail among the informants to confirm the veracity of their claims based on the transcriptions. Thematic analysis unraveled four themes on the experiences of the informants: (1) Distinguishing the Ideals, (2) Strict and Serious: A No-No for the Young Learners, (3) To Laugh is to Remember: Humor Aids Recall, and (4) To Laugh is to Connect: Humor Magnets Attention. It is concluded that 21st century learners are idealistic learners who easily get bored with strict and serious classroom atmosphere but aroused with instructional humor which attracts their attention, maintains their discipline, and improves their performances.

Robert F. McMorris (1934-2020).

Memorializes Robert F. McMorris (1934-2020). McMorris was a professor of educational psychology in the Department of Educational and Counseling Psy chology at the University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY Albany). He was an expert in educational and psychological measurement and evaluation, known for his contributions on answer changing in test taking and the use of humor in teaching and testing. With David A. Payne, McMorris coedited what was hailed as an "out standing anthology"-Educational and Psychological Measurement: Contributions to Theory and Practice-which made two editions, in 1967 and in 1975. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

The importance of humour and charisma to facilitate students’ motivation for learning

The article presents a synthesis of qualitative studies regarding the importance of using humour and games in learning. Humour has a wide range of functions that make it a valid instrument if used in classroom. It can be used to raise students’ motivation and it promotes their psychological and emotional development. This paper presents the results of an enquiry conducted upon a sample of 698 students from the IVth to the VIIIth grade. Among the items we have also included different topics related to the importance of interactive strategies designed to support learning through laughter and to make lessons more attractive. At a theoretical level we will investigate if teacher’s charisma is related to the ability to use it in the classroom on one hand and if and how learning is eased. Correlational analysis revealed specific results showing that using humour in education is beneficial to increasing students’ motivation.

El humor en la enseñanza: perspectivas, problemáticas y aplicaciones

El humor ha sido empleado como herramienta educativa en diversos contextos y culturas. A través de este estudio se examinan algunas fuentes de referencia en este campo. En primer lugar, vemos que el humor y el aspecto social y psicológico guardan una estrecha relación, ya que el humor tiene una implicación directa con nuestra manera de relacionarnos y comportarnos. Entendiendo este aspecto, se deja allanado el camino para conocer cuáles son las variables del humor en la enseñanza, tanto desde el punto de vista del alumno como del docente. De todo ello, se extraen una serie de recomendaciones a tener en cuenta para los profesores que deseen embarcarse en esta práctica. Por último, se encuentran lagunas de investigación por cubrir aún hoy en el estudio del humor y la enseñanza.

Students' Perception of Teachers' Humor Predicts Their Mental Health.

The aim of the present study was to determine whether two types of teacher humor (Aggressive Humor and Affinity Humor) are predictors of students' mental health. A self-report scale was administered to 500 elementary and junior high school students in grades 4 to 9 (mean age 12.04, SD = 1.76) asking questions about perceived teacher humor, stress response, emotional well-being, and self-esteem. Aggressive humor was a significant positive predictor of stress response and a significant negative predictor of emotional well-being. Affinity humor was a significant positive predictor of emotional well-being and self-esteem. These results suggest that the teacher's humor is related to students' mental health. We conclude that teachers should refrain from using aggressive humor as much as possible in favor of affinity humor.

We Feel, Therefore We Memorize: Understanding Emotions in Learning Mathematics Using Neuroscience Research Perspectives

Emotionally significant experiences tend to be well remembered in learning Mathematics in the classroom. Recent advances in neuroscientific methods have led to an increased understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying emotions in learning mathematics. The aim of this research is to use neuroscience research perspectives in classroom setting involving students’ emotion in learning Mathematics and its relationship with memory. Therefore, this research examined how students’ emotions in learning Mathematics and its relationship with their memory using mixed–method design. Data from survey (n= 644) and interview informants (n= 6) indicated positive emotions (enjoyment, hope, pride) negative emotions (shame, anger, boredom, anxiety) and memory. Students who accurately identified positive emotions indicated they were more likely to learn Mathematics compared to negative emotions, and findings indicated a strong, positive correlation between positive emotions and memory. Qualitative findings indicated that students who are more likely prefer positive emotions in learning could lead to better memory compared to negative emotions. Moreover, interview data showed that memory performance in Mathematics increased when teacher has embedded positive emotions through the use of humor in teaching, inspiring student with positive words and engaging student in classroom. This study supports neuroscience research findings that positive emotions influence students' memory in learning mathematics. Thus, this study provides insight for teachers to emphasize the importance of positive emotions in learning mathematics as well as reduce negative emotions.

The Role of Humour in Teaching: Teacher Training Students’ Image of Teacher and Views on Teaching

Abstract A common question in teacher training is what trace is left behind by (many years of) institutional learning, that is, what kind of teacher and teaching image a teacher candidate starts his or her preparation with. The main determinants of becoming a teacher are the experiences gained as a student. The source of their approach and views is personal school experience, which can influence their professional development. In our study, we will discuss how future teachers think about the relationship between humour and school, humour and education. In the initial phase of our study, we asked first-year teacher training students about good and bad teachers in order to gain an insight into their views on teachers’ personality and work. After this, we used metaphor analysis to investigate teacher characteristics/qualities that approached the concept of teacher to novel, humorous-playful images. In this phase of our study, we focused on what effective communication tools they have for dealing with tensions and conflicts and the role of humour and playfulness. Not only research (Tisljár 2011; Lazarus, Role, and Genga 2011) but also everyday experience proves that there are a lot of practices in humour that can be learnt and that can shape personality, logic, and memory. The personality of the teacher cannot be formed, or it is very difficult to form, so teacher training has the potential to assist teacher candidates in acquiring skills that help them develop students’ cognitive and affective abilities in a fun way.

Don't Joke About Me: Student Identities and Perceptions of Instructor Humor in College Science Courses.

Humor is a popular tool used by instructors to engage students. However, some instructor jokes may be perceived as less funny and more offensive by particular groups of students. Previous studies have shown that student gender impacts student perception of instructor humor; however, to our knowledge no studies have explored whether there are differences in how other identity groups interpret instructor humor. In this study, we surveyed 1,637 students across 25 different college science courses at a research-intensive institution in the Southwest United States. Students evaluated a set of topics that science instructors might joke about in class as to whether they were funny and offensive. Using binary logistic regression, we analyzed whether students of different identities, including race/ethnicity, political affiliation, LGBTQ+ status, religious affiliation, and native language, differentially perceived joke topics to be funny and offensive if told by an instructor in class. We identified that topics which tended to be perceived by students as funny rather than offensive were generally less likely to be perceived as funny to non-native English language speakers compared with native English speakers. We also found that students were more likely to be offended by jokes about their own identity group. This work identifies potentially humorous topics that instructors should avoid because they could be offensive to groups of students. This study also highlights topics that tend to be perceived as funny to most students, which indicates that instructors who joke about such topics may be universally benefitting college science students.

“Put a little bit of humor into it”

Abstract This study examines the use of teacher humor in whole-group interactions in beginning-level Spanish foreign language (FL) classes. Previous research has focused primarily on student humor and on humor in intermediate- and advanced-level FL courses. Hence, the goals of the research were, first, to determine whether teachers use spontaneous verbal humor in beginning-level courses and, if so, in what ways. Second, we considered whether the amount of teacher humor was related to the amount of student humor. The findings indicate that many of the instructors in the study did, indeed, joke around with their students. Most teacher humor was affiliative or rapport-enhancing, delivered in the target language, and designed with students’ L2 abilities in mind. Finally, in classes in which teachers joked more often, there was a tendency for students to joke more often as well, suggesting that teacher humor may encourage student humor.

The serious business of instructional humor outside the classroom: a study of elite gymnastic coaches’ uses of humor during training

ABSTRACTThis study documents the use of humor in an instructional setting outside traditional classrooms. Specifically, it studied the use of instructional humor in training elite and aspiring gymnasts. Analysis of practice recordings, firsthand observations, and interviews with coaches, staff members, athletes and their guardians, revealed that coaches employed instructional humor in patterned ways and at patterned times to encourage the learning process. This study is the first to document that coaches used humor to address athletes’ potential identity harm due to failure during practice (labeled here, ‘identity distracting function’) and to reaffirm athletes’ relational standing with coaches and peers in spite of those failures (labeled here, ‘relational reaffirmation function’). The study also identified situations in which humor is inappropriate during training. Thus, this study identified new functions of instructional humor used during the learning process for aspiring elite athletes. The transferability of findings to other settings is also described.

Preliminary Verification of Instructional Humor Processing Theory: Mediators Between Instructor Humor and Student Learning.

Instructional humor processing theory has been proposed to explain how the type of humor used by the course instructor can affect student learning. In this study, a cross-sectional design was used to test whether the relation between the instructor's type of humor (related, unrelated, self-disparaging, offensive, and disparaging humor), and learning is mediated by variables assumed by the instructional humor processing theory (emotion, motivation, and information-processing ability). A total of 360 university and junior college students with a mean age of 19.31 years (standard deviation = 0.75) completed a questionnaire concerning their impression on the instructor humor, emotion, motivation, processing ability, and cognitive learning in a specific course. The results revealed that the instructor's-related humor significantly predicted the cognitive learning of students, and their relation can be mediated by all variables assumed by instructional humor processing theory. Our results provided preliminary evidence for the legitimacy of the instructional humor processing theory model.

Humor in library instruction: a narrative review with implications for the health sciences

ObjectiveThe review sought to gain a better understanding of humor’s use and impact as a teaching and learning strategy in academic library and health sciences instruction and to determine if the most common techniques across both disciplines can be adapted to increase engagement in medical libraries’ information literacy efforts.MethodsThis narrative review involved retrieving citations from several subject databases, including Library, Information Science & Technology s; Information Science & Technology s; Library & Information Science Source; PubMed; and CINAHL. The author limited her review to those publications that explicitly addressed the use of humor in relation to some form of academic library or health sciences instruction. Studies examining use of humor in patient education were excluded.ResultsScholars and practitioners have consistently written about humor as an instructional strategy from the 1980s onward, in both the library literature and health sciences literature. These authors have focused on instructors’ attitudes, benefits to students, anecdotes, and best practices summaries. Overall, both librarians and health sciences educators have a positive opinion of humor, and many instructors make use of it in their classrooms, though caution and careful planning is advised.ConclusionsCommonalities between the library and information science literature and health sciences literature provide a cohesive set of best practices and strategies for successfully incorporating comedy into library instruction sessions. Health sciences librarians can adapt several of the most commonly used types of instructional humor (e.g., silly examples, cartoons, storytelling, etc.) to their own contexts with minimal risk.

Humor in university teaching: role of teachers’ achievement goals and self-efficacy for their use of content-related humor

ABSTRACT Teachers’ content-related humor matters for the quality of higher education. However, little is known about the circumstances under which teachers use it. From a socio-cognitive perspective, teachers’ achievement goals and self-efficacy appear to be relevant personal precursors. We investigated their effects on content-related humor in two studies. In Study 1, 229 teachers (79 female; 159 PhDs; 33 full professors) participated with 387 courses while 10,296 students assessed the humor in these courses. Study 2 used a similar design for 45 teachers (20 female; 27 PhDs, 9 full professors), 116 course sessions, and 2,333 student assessments. Three-level-analyses pointed to substantial variance in students’ assessments of content-related humor which could be attributed to differences between courses/sessions within teachers (ICC = .12–.13) and between teachers themselves (ICC = .21). In both studies, performance (appearance component) avoidance goals emerged as negative predictors, and relational goals and self-efficacy as positive predictors of content-related humor, highlighting the relevance of instructors’ motivations for the use of instructional humor.

The use of humour in teaching and learning in higher education classrooms: Lecturers’ perspectives

University lecturers' perspectives on the use of humour in teaching and learning have received little attention in the humour and higher education literature. Humour serves many roles in teaching and learning, and university lecturers' use of humour is both strategic and pedagogical in facilitating teaching. This paper explores the different types of humour that lecturers use in relation to three dominant theories of humour: the superiority, incongruity and relief theories. Intended and spontaneous humour and the various types of humour utilised to facilitate teaching and learning in the classroom are emphasised. Data for this study were collected by observing the classroom teaching of five award-winning lecturers in a university in New Zealand, who were identified and nominated by students as having a good sense of humour in the classroom. These lecturers were observed while teaching and then interviewed using Stimulated Recall Interviews (SRI) to understand their reflections-in-action concerning specific humorous moments and specific humorous behaviours while teaching. The data indicates that seven types of humour were used, either intentionally or spontaneously, to enhance student learning or to engage students' attention. These insights provide a fresh viewpoint on the use of humour from lecturers’ perspectives.

Instructor Humor as a Moderator of Instructors’ Inappropriate Conversations and Instructional Dissent

This study (N = 326) was conducted to examine the associations among instructor humor, inappropriate conversations, and instructional dissent. First, results showed students are more likely to employ rhetorical dissent when they perceive their instructors as humorous in the classroom. Second, using expectancy violations theory as a guide, results also indicated that students’ perceptions of instructor-relevant humor moderated the relationships between enactment of inappropriate conversations and students’ expressive and vengeful dissent. These findings support the importance of employing relevant humor in course instruction, especially when instructors engage in inappropriate conversations in the college classroom.