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One aspect of college life that may bring a great deal of anxiety is the instructorstudent relationship.

The pursuit of higher learning involves a transitioning from a


dramatically different lifestyle as a student from secondary education. This process
invokes many feelings and emotions, both positive and negative. Students are expected
to become more independent in their educational pursuits and daily living. Instructors
have a great impact on the educational experience of a college student and provide the
foundation of how the learning process will take place.
Historically, humor was viewed as not having a place in the classroom or on test
material. (Torok, McMorris, & Lin, 2004, p. 14) Traditional views of instructorstudent relationships were stern and professional in order to invoke a sense of
seriousness and maturity. (Lei, Cohen, & Russler, 2010, p. 326) Current research has
shown that humor has social, psychological, educational benefits, which may be utilized
by professionals in the higher education field. (Lei, Cohen, & Russler, 2010) The
research presented in this paper reveals the benefits of humor for college students, which
include improving self esteem, self -image, self-confidence, and to aid in coping with
anxiety, stress, and depression. (Lei, Cohen, & Russler, 2010) Another aspect of the
literature include in this paper will show the cognitive benefits of instructor use of humor.
The focus of this paper will be examining the relationship of instructor humor to
student learning. This paper will address specific topics such as the view of humor as an
admired quality of instructors, overall benefits of humor in the classroom, and an
introduction to the Instructional Humor Processing Theory. In addition, the advantages
of humor for more rigorous coursework and specific guidelines for using humor
appropriately by instructors in also included in this composition.

When college students have been asked as to what qualities make a good
instructor, the initial response being a sense of humor; instructors are viewed as being
more approachable and likeable. (Lei, Cohen, & Russler, 2010) The manner in which
professors used humor was positively related to students attitudes toward their
effectiveness, presentation, and personal appeal. (Torok, McMorris, & Lin, 2004, p. 18)
When instructors were viewed as humor oriented, students appeared to have learned
more, perceived instructors as more competent communicators, and were more likely to
attend classes on a regular basis. (Lei, Cohen, & Russler, 2010) Humor serves a
purpose in the social aspect to build a rapport, which encourages a sense of trust, ease
tension and fear, and reveal the human element of an instructor. (Lei, Cohen, & Russler,
2010)
The higher education environment can prove to be extremely tense and
intimidating for students during their first encounter. The pressure to succeed can be
daunting.. Failures or setback can be viewed from a negative standpoint for students who
set high goals and expectation for their own educational objectives. When students are
able to find humor in their mistakes, they are more likely to express ideas, allowing them
to engage in the learning process. (Lei, Cohen, & Russler, 2010) Humor also sharpens
problem solving skills sets by motivating them to think creatively and to widen their
avenues of reasoning. (Lei, Cohen, & Russler, 2010)
Utilizing humor can help create a relaxed environment for students who take
courses that a general viewed as being most disliked or dreaded, such as chemistry,
statistics, mathematics, or research methods. (Lei, Cohen, & Russler, 2010) Popular
culture, peer view, and past horror stories may contribute to a students tendency to single

out theses classes as non-desirable. These types of subject area are occasional avoided
by students due to a lack of self-confidence and have at times been conditioned into a
particular aversion for certain subject areas. (Lei, Cohen, & Russler, 2010) Humor
elements woven into the instructional construct can create a different outlook, a greater
appreciation and interest, and facilitate comprehension and internal motivation. (Lei,
Cohen, & Russler, 2010) These humor benefits may have practical uses as coping
strategies for individuals pursing professional and graduate degrees.
Humor is an appreciated tool for instructors to facilitate student learning if using
it appropriately, constructively, and in moderation. (Lei, Cohen, & Russler, 2010, p. 326)
When an instructor uses humor excessively, this may undermine their credibility and
weaken their presentation of material. Students may become bored or frustrated by the
constant use of inappropriate and ineffective humorous material. (Lei, Cohen, & Russler,
2010) Any type of humor that degrades a students ethnicity, religion, political party
affiliation, sexual orientation, physical appearance and intelligence level is deemed
inappropriate and is not encouraged. (Lei, Cohen, & Russler, 2010) More appropriate
humor topics include those course-related, college stereotypes, unintentional humor, and
harmless teasing that does not seek to belittle or shame students. (Lei, Cohen, & Russler,
2010)
A theory connecting instructional humor and learning was first proposed by
Wanzer, Frymier, and Irwing. The nature of the humorous message and how
it is interpreted determine whether the humor facilitates learning or
not. The Instruction Humor Processing theory statesthatwhenaninstructorsendsouta
humorousmessage, students must first recognize the incongruity in the

message in order to view it as humorous; the congruity must then be


resolved or interpreted. (Wanzer, Frymier, & Irwing, 2010) If the
incongruity is not resolved, the student will not understand the humor
and will most likely be distracted or confused by the attempt. If the
student is able to interpret the incongruity, he or she may perceive the
message as humorous, and laughter follows. (Wanzer, Frymier, &
Irwing, 2010)
The humor is then determined to be either positive or negative.
If positive humor contains elements that enhances a students ability
to process course content or is relevant, then students will be more
likely to internalize the instructional message and learning will be
enhanced. (Wanzer, Frymier, & Irwing, 2010) Negative humor is most
likely to reduce motivation, but may also reduce the chance for
learning to occur by distracting students away from the course
material. (Wanzer, Frymier, & Irwing, 2010) Students typically do not
expect their instructors to use humor in the classroom. For this reason,
the use of self-disparaging humor by instructors was found to result in
more attention paid to the humorous message, ultimately increasing
students retention of course information. (Wanzer, Frymier, & Irwing,
2010)
Through the examination of the research provided in this paper, humor in the
classroom has shown to be a beneficial tool for both instructors and students. Not only

are there physiological benefits for students in stress and anxiety relief, but also cognitive
advantages as well. If retention and learning are enhanced by positive humor, instructors
should investigate the possible incorporation of humorous content into their learning
objectives. Future areas of research may include whether the gender of the receiver is a
factor in interpreting whether a joke, riddle, pun is humorous, if undergraduate students
appreciate the use of humor differently than graduate students, and if medical or law
schools instructors find humor applicable considering the intense nature of a students
courses of study.

References
Frymier, A.B, Wanzer, M. B, & Wojataszczyk, A. M. (2008). Assessing
studentsperceptions of inappropriate and appropriate teacher humor.
Communication Education, 57(2), 266-288.
Lei, S. A., Cohen, J .L., & Rassler, K. M. (2010) Humor on learning in the college
classroom: Evaluating benefits and drawback from instructors perspectives.
Journal of Instructional Psychology, 37(4), 326-331.
Torok, S. E., McMorris, R .F, & Lin, W.C. (2004). Is humor an appreciated teaching
tool? Perceptions of professors teaching styles and use of humor.College
Teaching, 52(1), 14-20.
Wanzer, M. B., Frymier, A. B., & Irwin, J. (2010). An explanation of the relationship
between instructor humor and student learning: Instructional humor processing
theory. Communication Education, 59(1), 1-18.

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