The Integration of Verbal Humor into EFL Classrooms: The Issues of Appropriateness and Relevance in Focus
Abstract
The present study examined the manifestations of Iranian male and female EFL teachers’ use of humor in the classroom environment. To this end, a qualitative study with 30 participants was implemented in two English language institutes in Iran. Equally, 15 male and female EFL teachers were selected by convenience sampling and their classes were audio-recorded and later transcribed for the examination of the types of humor they used and their frequency. Wanzer, Frymier, Wojtaszcyk, and Smith’s (2006) method of humor analysis and categorization of appropriateness was exploited for the analysis of the types of humor collected from the participants of the study. The results suggested that the use of humor by male teachers was more frequent than that of female teachers. It was revealed that 57% of the humor production was by male EFL teachers and 43% was produced by female EFL teachers. The results revealed that the most frequent humor type in male teachers’ classrooms was “funny comments” (27%), with “teasing students” (3%) being the least frequent one. In the case of appropriate humor use, similarly, female teachers used “funny comments” (52%) as the most frequent one, while there was no instance of “providing humorous examples”. Considering inappropriate humor use, both male and female teachers used “funny comments” (45%) as the most frequent type. The findings of the present study can be of use to EFL teachers and suggests the need for workshops and training courses on the integration of humor into EFL classes.
Downloads
References
Abdullah, S., & Akhter, J. (2015). Uses of humour in an English language class. International Journal of Humanities and Cultural Studies, 2(2), 16-21.
Abel, M. H. (1998). Interaction of humor and gender in moderating relationships between stress and outcomes. The Journal of Psychology, 132(3), 267-276.
Apte, M. L. (1985). Humor and laughter: An anthropological approach. Cornell University Press.
Attardo, S. (1994). Linguistic theories of humor. Mouton de Gruyter.
Bell, N. (2012). Comparing playful and nonplayful incidental attention to form. Language Learning, 62(1), 236-265. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9922.2011.00630.x
Bell, N. D. (2011). Humor scholarship and TESOL: Applying findings and establishing a research agenda. TESOL Quarterly, 45(1), 134-159. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5054/tq.2011.240857
Berk, R. (2000). Does humour in course tests reduce anxiety and improve performance? College Teaching, 48(4), 151-159. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/87567550009595834
Bogdan, R. C., & Biklen, S. K. (2007). Qualitative research for education: An introduction to theories and methods (5th ed.). Pearson.
Booth-Butterfield, S., & Booth-Butterfield, M. (1991). Individual differences in the communication of humorous messages. Southern Communication Journal, 56, 205-218.
Carter, R., & McCarthy, M. (2004). Talking, creating: Interactional language, creativity, and context. Applied Linguistics, 25(1), 62-88. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/25.1.62
Chaplin, T. M., & Aldao, A. (2013). Gender differences in emotion expression in children: A meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin, 139(4), 735-765. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/a0030737
Chen, G., & Martin, R. A. (2007). A comparison of humor styles, coping humor, and mental health between Chinese and Canadian university students. Humor: International Journal of Humor Research, 20, 215-234. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/HUMOR.2007.011
Christov-Moore, L., Simpson, E. A., Coudé, G., Grigaityte, K., Iacoboni, M., & Ferrari, P. F. (2014). Empathy: Gender effects in brain and behavior. Neuroscience and Bio Behavioral Reviews, 46, 604-62 7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.09.001
Cook, G. (2000). Language play, language learning. Oxford University Press.
Crawford, M. (2003). Gender and humor in social context. Journal of Pragmatics, 35(9), 1413-1430. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-2166(02)00183-2
Davies, C. E. (2015). Humor in intercultural interaction as both content and process in the classroom. Humor: International Journal of Humor Research, 28(3), 375-395. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/humor-2015-0065
Forman, R. (2011). Humorous language play in a Thai EFL classroom. Applied Linguistics, 32(5), 541-565. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amr022
Garner, R. L. (2006). Humour in pedagogy: How ha-ha can lead aha! College Teaching, 54(1), 177-180. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3200/CTCH.54.1.177-180
Gönülal, T. (2018). Investigating the potential of humour in EFL classrooms: An attitudinal study. European Journal of Humour Research, 6(1), 141-161. https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12432/1211.
Gorham, J., & Christophel, D. M. (1990). The relationship of teachers' use of humor in the classroom to immediacy and student learning. Communication Education, 39, 46-62.
Hampes, W. P. (2010). The relation between humor styles and empathy. Europe's Journal of Psychology, 6(3), 34-45. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.v6i3.207
Heidari-Shahreza, M. A. (2018a). A cross-sectional analysis of teacher-initiated verbal humor and ludic language play in an English as a foreign language (EFL) context. Cogent Education, 5(1), 1-20. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2018.1430474
Heidari-Shahreza, M. A. (2018b). A proficiency-based analysis of EFL learners' humorous language play. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 28(3), 406-423. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/ijal.12212
Heidari-Shahreza, M. A. (2020). Humor-intergrated language learning (HILL): Teaching with and about humor. In J. Rucynski, & C. Prichard (Eds.), Bridging the humor barrier: Humor competence training in English language teaching (pp. 79-106). Lexington Books, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
Heidari-Shahreza, M. A., & Heydari, S. (2019). Humor-integrated language learning: A teacher's and student's perspective. TESOL Journal, 10(1), 1-4. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.376
Hiranandani, N. A., & Yue, X. D. (2014). Humour styles, gelotophobia and self-esteem among Chinese and Indian university students. Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 17, 319-324. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/ajsp.12066
Holmes, J. (2006). Sharing a laugh: Pragmatic aspects of humor and gender in the workplace. Journal of Pragmatics, 38(1), 26-50. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2005.06.007
Johnson, A. M. (1991). Sex differences in the jokes college students tell. Psychological Reports, 68, 851-854.
Kazarian, S. S., & Martin, R. A. (2004). Humour styles, personality, and well-being among Lebanese university students. European Journal of Personality, 18, 209-219. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/per.505
Kazarian, S. S., & Martin, R. A. (2006). Humor styles, culture-related personality, well-being, and family adjustment among Armenians in Lebanon. Humor International Journal of Humor Research, 19(4), 405-423. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/HUMOR.2006.020
Lefcourt, H. M. (2001). Humor: The psychology of living buoyantly. Kluwer Academic. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-4287-2
Lin, Y. T. (1934). On humor. Analects Fortnightly, 33, 434-438.
Lovorn, M., & Holaway, C. (2015). Teachers' perceptions of humour as a classroom teaching, interaction, and management tool. European Journal of Humour Research, 3(4), 24-35. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7592/EJHR2015.3.4.lovorn
Mantooth, J. D. (2010). The effects of professor humour on college students' attention and retention [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Auburn University.
Martin, R. A. (2001). Humor, laughter, and physical health: Methodological issues and research findings. Psychological bulletin, 127, 504-519. 10.1037/0033-2909.127. 4.504. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.127.4.504
Martin, R. A. (2007). The psychology of humor: An integrative approach. Cambridge University Press.
Martin, R. A., & Ford, T. (2018). The psychology of humor: An integrative approach. Elsevier Academic Press.
Martin, R. A., Puhlik-Doris, P., Larsen, G., Gray, J., & Weir, K. (2003). Individual differences in uses of humor and their relation to psychological well-being: Development of the humor styles questionnaire. Journal of Research in Personality, 37, 48-75. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0092-6566(02)00534-2
Mireault, G. C., & Reddy, V. (2016). Humor in infants: Developmental and psychological perspectives. Springer.
Morrison, M. K. (2008). Using humor to maximize learning: The links between positive emotions and education. Rowman & Littlefield Education.
Petraki, E., & Nguyen, H. (2016). Do Asian EFL teachers use humor in the classroom? A case study of Vietnamese EFL university teachers. System, 61, 98-109. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2016.08.002
Pomerantz, A., & Bell, N. D. (2011). Humor as safe house in the foreign language classroom. The Modern Language Journal, 95,148-161. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.2011.01274.x
Rim, Y. (1988). Sense of humour and coping styles. Personality and Individual Differences, 9, 559-564. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0191-8869(88)90153-5
Rudowicz, E., & Yue, X. D. (2002). Compatibility of Chinese and creative personalities. Creativity Research Journal, 14, 387-394. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1207/S15326934CRJ1434_9
Schmidt, S., & Williams, A. (2001). Memory for humorous cartoons. Memory and Cognition, 29, 305-311. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03194924
Schmitz, J. B. (2002). Humor as a pedagogical tool in foreign language and translation courses. Humor: International Journal of Humor Research, 15, 89-113. 10.1515/humr.20 02.0 07. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/humr.2002.007
Sterling, S., & Loewen, S. (2015). The occurrence of teacher-initiated playful LREs in a Spanish L2 classroom. System, 53, 73-83. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2015.07.002
Sullivan, P. N. (2000). Playfulness as mediation in communicative language teaching in a Vietnamese classroom. In J. P. Lantolf (Ed.), Sociocultural theory and second language learning (pp. 115-131). Oxford University Press.
Tamblyn, D. (2003). Laugh and learn - 95 ways to use humor for more effective teaching and training. Amacom.
Vanderstoep, S. W., & Johnston, D. D. (2009). Research methods for everyday life: Blending qualitative and quantitative approaches. Jossey-Bass.
Wagner, M. & Urios-Aparisi, E. (2011). The use of humor in the foreign language classroom: Funny and effective. Humour: International Journal of Humour Research, 24(4), 399-434. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/humr.2011.024
Wanzer, B. M., Frymier, A. B., & Irwin, J. (2010). An explanation of the relationship between instructor humour and student learning: Instructional humour processing theory. Communication Education, 59(1), 1-18. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03634520903367238
Wanzer, M., & Frymier, A. (1999). The relationship between student perceptions of instructor humor and students' report of learning. Communicative Education, 48, 48-62. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03634529909379152
Wanzer, M., Frymier, A., Wojtaszczyk, A., & Smith, T. (2006). Appropriate and inappropriate uses of humor by instructors. Communication Education, 55, 178-196. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03634520600566132
Wu, C. L., Lin, H. Y., & Chen, H. C. (2016). Gender differences in humour styles of young adolescents: Empathy as a mediator. Personality and Individual Differences, 99, 139-143.
Yip, J. A., & Martin, R. A. (2006). Sense of humor, emotional intelligence, and social competence. Journal of Research in Personality, 40(6), 1202-1208. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2005.08.005
Yue, X. D. (2011). The Chinese ambivalence to humor: Views from undergraduates in Hong Kong and China. Humor: International Journal of Humor Research, 24, 463-480. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/humr.2011.026
Yue, X., Jiang, F., Lu, S., & Hiranandani, N. (2016). To be or not to be humorous? Cross cultural perspectives on humor. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 1495-1512. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01495
Copyright (c) 2021 National Research University Higher School of Economics
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the Copyright Notice.
