Stand Up Comics: Instructional Humor and Student Engagement
Journal of Instructional Research Volume 5 (2016) 14 GRAND CANYON UNIVERSITY (IHPT) incorporates elements of IncongruityResolution Theory, Disposition Theory, and the Elaborations Likelihood Model (ELM) of persuasion (Wanzer, Frymier Irwin, 2010) The IHPT contends that appropriate forms of instructional humor are positively associated with student learning. Martin, Phulik Doris, Larsen, Grey, humor as they noted "humor is used as a means of relating to others in prosocial and positive ways, it is adaptive" (p. 50) Adopting appropriate varieties of instructional humor allows for instructors to utilize their own conceptual framework to assess their students' interests and areas of concern; thereby, creating a uniquely personalized classroom experience and community. Personalized instruction incorporating humor encourages student engagement and results in increased information retention. Merolla (2006) explained this connection as "arousal framed explanations" to elucidate on the relationship between humor and recall. Humor has been described as an attention gaining strategy in the educational setting, and often serves as a means of generating positive response and retention. Torok, McMorris, and Lin (2004) found 74% of college students surveyed indicated they appreciated the use of humor by their instructors (p. 16) Additionally, 40% of those surveyed acknowledged humor "often" facilitated their learning in the classroom, and 40% of students responded that humor "always" helped them be successful in their learning (Torok, et. al. 2004, p. 16) These numbers should not come as much of a surprise to educators who have tried to connect with apathetic students sitting glassyeyed in their seats. This concept also is supported of Instruction: Gain Attention (2015) "These were based on the information processing model of the mental events that occur when adults are presented with various stimuli" (Gagne, 2015) However, the caveat is that to be most effective in helping students create associations, any attention getter needs to be relevant to the instruction that follows. Students seem to crave entertainment, not just in their technology, pop culture, and social media, but in their education as well. The days of the Ivory Tower as the source of knowledge, generously meted out to motivated learners in ninety minute lectures, may have bid a fond farewell to its era of effectiveness. Research has now found instructors' usage of closely related content based humor is positively correlated with student learning. This type of humor should enhance student motivation and information processing in its approach (Wanzer, Frymier Irwin, 2010) Segrist Hupp (2015) put forward the idea "instructor's use of humor was positively associated with students' perceptions that the instructor has a 'positive attitude' toward them, 'wanted them to succeed' and displayed a 'genuine concern for them" (p. 14) However, not every instructor is a born comedian, deftly wielding their humor to cut down student apathy. The lack of natural comedic tendencies does not mean every instructor cannot incorporate a more personal brand of comedy in their courses. "A trait based perspective of humor holds that individuals who are high in humor orientation see more situations as appropriate for their humor attempts" (Merolla, 2006, p. 176) Some instructors are naturally gifted in a witty turn of phrase or a well timed quip. The engage with the material their instructors present with an equally natural inclination. The instructors' skill in humor delivery can be a meaningful factor in students' responses to the utilized comedy. But, like any other skill, instructional delivery of humorous content can be improved through practice, planning and the incorporation of humor in a variety of presentation formats (i.e. videos, comic strips, PowerPoints) PRACTICAL APPROACHES TO HUMOR APPLICATION Dewitt and Vergut's (2001) selectionist theory of humor production entailed sensitivity to social environments as critical in the enactment of humor (p. 39) Educators are known to be, as a whole, species, so the idea of displaying a sensitivity to social environments is a familiar one (Conley, Travers, and Bryant, 2013) Wanzer, Frymeir, understanding how humor is processed within the context of education involves heightened awareness of the humorous stimuli in the classroom setting. Humor attempts are labeled "highly appropriate" when they relate closely to the course content (2010) A course can be designed to incorporate content appropriate comedy through the use of visual systems of information delivery such as