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In psychology, humour refers to 'a specific positive emotion that is elicited by the perception of playful incongruity, usually occurs in an interpersonal context, and is typically expressed by laughter' (Martin, 2007). Existing literature has shown that it is a useful tool in teaching various subjects especially in primary and secondary education. Our study was designed to scrutinize the perceptions of EFL instructors on the use of humour in higher education to reveal whether this is also true for higher education. 42 EFL instructors working at school of foreign languages at three state universities in Turkey participated in this study. A questionnaire consisting of multiple choice and open-ended items was prepared and administered to the participants administered to elicit their opinions on the significance of humour in language education offered to undergraduate students who would attend various programmes in the following academic year. The overall qualitative and quantitative analysis of the findings demonstrated that the EFL instructors tend to have positive perceptions about the use of humour in language classes; however, they have slight hesitations with its use. The study ends with a couple of pedagogical implications on related findings, and a few suggestions for further research.
This paper attempted to investigate the instructor's perception of humor and its use in the teaching of English as a foreign language at the University of Bahrain (UoB). To that end, a survey was given to 30 native and non-native English speaking instructors in the English Language Centre as well as in the English Department at UoB. The findings revealed that there was an agreement among the instructors in that humour has an undeniable role to play in lowering the affective filter by creating an enjoyable and convenient atmosphere and also in contributing positively to making language learning easier and more effective. This finding clearly supports earlier research in other studies such as Deneire (1995) and Tuncay (2007), among others, which provided evidence about the benefits of the employment of pedagogical humour. However, the participating instructors seemed to be unsure about how humour is to be implemented in English language teaching. Based on the results of the present study and those of other studies make it necessary for course book and material designers acknowledge this benefit of humor, not only for lowering the affective filter but also as a useful language teaching tool of targeted linguistic features. In view of this positive result, which represents only part of the overall picture, there is a need to complete it by further research that examines humour in actual teaching and evaluates its impact on learning of specific language features and on English language learning as a whole.
Eurasian Journal of Applied Linguistics
Using Humor in Language Classrooms: Greasing the Wheels or Putting a Spanner in the Works? A Study on Humor Styles of Turkish EFL Instructors2019 •
Humor has often been seen as an important element in the learning process, facilitating both teaching and learning. Nevertheless, the utilization of humor in the educational setting has had its opponents. In recent years, many attempts have been made to conceptualize the various forms of humor implemented in the practice of education. Despite a myriad of studies aimed at linking humor with personality traits, there seem a dearth number of research studies addressing the multifaceted humor styles of EFL instructors while interacting with the students in the classroom. There have been a number of scales thought-up in order to best assess the humor styles of the individual. However, the one identified by Martin et al. (2003) attempts to deal with the functions of humor, rather than particular personalities it may or may not represent. The four specific humor styles identified in this scale encompass two benign (affiliative and self-enhancing), and two injurious (aggressive and self-defeating) humor styles. The present study seeks to examine the humor styles adopted by English language instructors in Turkey by investigating (1) whether there is a difference between male and female instructors with regard to employing humor, (2) whether the educational level of the participants influences their tendency to use humor while interacting with the students in the classroom, and (3) whether the age of the instructors is an influential factor in adopting various styles of humor. A total of 64 English language instructors working at private and state universities in Turkey completed a standardized form of the Humor Styles Questionnaire (HSQ) online. Results indicated no significant difference between male and female instructors with regard to adopting humor styles in the classroom. Nor were there any differences between instructors of varying educational level in terms of the use of humor styles. In addition, no differences were seen according to age.
2024 •
This paper focuses on scrutinizing the attitudes and opinions of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instructors and learners on the use of humor in higher education in Lebanon as a pedagogical tool in classroom contexts. It is used in building a harmonious relationship between instructors and students, lowering affective barriers to learning, keeping students attentive to class activities, developing creativity and increasing instructional effectiveness as well as students’ learning. It also aims to describe the instructors’ experiences in employing it in their classrooms and to determine the students’ perspectives on its potent roles in learning. In this exploratory study, a mixed-method design and a convenient sampling of participants were utilized. A total of 13 EFL instructors, working at 1 public and 4 private universities in Lebanon, and 86 EFL students participated in the study. To describe and quantify their perceptions of the potent roles of employing humor in EFL classes, two online surveys of two sets of questions each, including closed-ended and open-ended, and four focus group discussions were administered. The overall qualitative and quantitative analysis of the data indicated that Lebanese EFL instructors and students have positive attitudes towards integrating humor as a pedagogical tool and as a fundamental part of the teaching strategies in EFL higher education classes. This is because it creates an open communication climate, captures students’ interest in the subject matter, boosts attention, reduces anxiety, makes the instructor more approachable, and yields better instructor evaluation. The findings of this study also revealed the need to train teachers to use humor artfully.
Zbornik Instituta za pedagoska istrazivanja
Using humour in teaching English as a foreign language at more advanced levels2011 •
The unique properties of humour make it a valuable tool in the process of teaching and acquiring English as a foreign language, especially when more advanced courses at the university level are concerned. In the first place, using humour based on language play (involving different aspects of linguistic structure) in a variety of teaching materials can be very beneficial to helping students improve their ability with language structures. Moreover, it is important that students develop an awareness of humour that is related to culture in order to achieve better command of English. In order to determine the effect humour has on students? level of attainment, a small-scale study was conducted at the English Department, University of Novi Sad in the course Integrated Language Skills. In the study, humour was used both as a tool, to improve the learning environment, and as a resource for teaching new vocabulary or revising grammatical structures. The results of the study indicate that hum...
Practice and Theory in Systems of Education (PTSE)
Humour in Foreign Language Teaching2011 •
ABSTRACT In this work we discuss humour and its uses in second language teaching citing examples from some European and African languages, more specifically Russian and Ghanaian humours. Our analysis suggest that there exist a common thread running through culture and humour in foreign language teaching since understanding humour is not only linked to the level of understanding of the language but also knowledge of the culture of the studied language. We conclude that humours should be used in foreign language classes as teaching material, especially at the advanced levels and should be one of the goals of teaching and learning. This is due largely to the motivational role that it plays in the teaching process. The type of humour to use in the teaching process depends on the level, age, culture of the learners as well as the pedagogical goals. For different traditions and countries there is different sense of humour. Although, there are some similarities in Russians and Ghanaians humour, many cross cultural humour differences can be observed in these cultures. A major challenge encountered in the use of humour in the teaching process is the sense of humour of the learner and inadequate knowledge of the culture of the studies language. General and specific recommendations aimed at finding out how and what kinds of humour can be used in foreign language teaching are also made.
Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Social Sciences (ICSS 2020)
Am I Allowed to Laugh? Students’ Perception Towards the Use of Humor in English Class2021 •
This study examines lecturers' and learners' perceptions on humor use in Tunisian tertiary classrooms, focusing specifically on the English major. The ultimate aim is to explore the types and frequency of humor use on the one hand and whether teachers regard humor in the same light as their students on the other. To this purpose, a mixed-methods approach consisting of questionnaires and semi-structured interviews is adopted to collect quantitative and qualitative data for analysis. The findings revealed that, in terms of frequency, humor is used by all interviewed teachers irrespective of their gender. Yet, the general percentage of humor use remains moderate and limited to specific oral subjects as confirmed by the students. The results also indicated the participants' agreement on the efficiency and preference of verbal, spontaneous and relevant humor types. However, it has been shown that the lecturers use a very limited repertoire of humor forms, neglecting jokes which are more appreciated by their students. Inconsistencies between the participants' responses are further traced at the level of their attitude towards humor use in class. While most of the teachers believe that the merits of humor are undeniable, they expressed skepticism and discomfort in dealing with this tool in class. To overcome these lacunas, this study builds on the students' recommendations to improve their teachers' practices and can therefore be a starting point for EFL curriculum designers in Tunisia to revise current materials for a better humor integration in higher education.
Eurasion Journal of Applied Linguistics
Exploring EFL Teachers' and Learners' Perception of L2 Humor: A Case Study of Iranian English Language Institutes2021 •
The present paper deals with the perception of Iranian EFL teachers and learners in using humor in language classrooms. To this end, 10 English classes with a population of 70 female and male students and 5 male and female teachers in English language institutes in Esfahan were observed during spring and summer 2019. Using an ethnographic approach, the data were collected through observation and interview. The results showed that both teachers and learners had a positive attitude towards the use of L2 humor in the classroom. Language learners reasoned that having a sense of humor is one of the important qualities a language teacher should possess. The teachers and language learners acknowledged the positive effects of humor such as reducing the distance between teachers and learners, lowering learners' anxiety, boosting learners' retention of the lesson, as well as increasing their concentration and motivation. Moreover, language learners showed a preference for the use L2 humor, course-related humor, and L1 norm-oriented types of humor in their classroom.
Humour is peculiar to human beings and an essential characteristic of human life. When it is applied in English teaching, it enhances students’ learning ability. If the teachers start adding element of humour in their teaching method it could definitely improve students’ English learning ability. Therefore, humour is considered an important element to reduce the anxiety factor and boredom in an English language class. However, its uses make English language class more effective and interesting. It creates a learning environment in such a way in a language class that helps the students to perform even better. Mostly the teachers follow the same old traditional method of English teaching and avoid cracking jokes in the class in order to maintain discipline and class control. That is why students do not take much interest in their classes. However, the negative kind of humour such as to make fun of the students, to hit their families, sarcasm, hit ethnicity and insult should be avoided as it badly damages the students’ personality as well as it ruins the sacred environment and discipline of the class. The negative impact of humour makes the student offensive and can bring negative results in the classroom. Keywords: Pedagogical Humour, Students’ Learning, Mimicry, Mockery
Studies on humour have indicated that humour has a lot to offer to both language teachers and learners. Creating a positive classroom environment and lowering affective barriers to language learning are among the several effects of humour. However, the appreciation of humour can be culture-specific and context-dependent. For example, greater values may lie in the employment of humour in English as a foreign language (EFL) settings such as Turkey where the communicative-oriented teaching methods are still in their infancy stage. The current study, therefore, examined the potentials of humour from Turkish EFL learners' perspective to elicit their opinions regarding the importance and potent roles of humour in EFL classrooms. In this attitudinal study, a mixed-methods design was used. A comprehensive humour perception questionnaire and semi-structured interviews were employed. Two hundred and fifty college EFL students completed the humour survey and eight of them participated in the follow-up interviews. The results indicated that Turkish college-level EFL students have largely positive attitudes towards using humour in English classrooms. Additionally, students considered humour as an effective pedagogical tool that can increase their attentiveness, attention span, confidence in English classrooms, and teacher-student solidarity, as well. Keywords: humour as a pedagogical tool, language learning, EFL learners, students' beliefs.
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