Development of a systematic humor pedagogical framework to enhance student learning outcomes across different disciplines in Hong Kong

Teachers’ content-related humor is highly relevant for student outcomes in higher education (HE). Yet, teachers’ use of different types of humor and frequency and other factors make generalizations about the effective use of humor on students’ learning hard to establish. Specifically, little research attention has been paid to the impact of the use of a systematic humor pedagogical framework across different disciplines in HE. Here, we developed a standardized planned humor pedagogical framework, termed Planned Humor Incorporation System for Teaching and Learning Enhancement (PHISTLE), to systematically incorporate content-related humor into teaching practices to consistently generate beneficial learning outcomes across different disciplines. To evaluate the effectiveness of the system, we investigated the impact of content-related humor as exhibited in the identification with teachers’ teaching style on students’ learning outcomes in the sciences, humanities and social sciences disciplines. Retrospective pre-post surveys were distributed and semi-structured interviews were conducted to gain insights into the ways humor was used and their effects. Pearson correlation analysis of the surveys and thematic analysis of interview transcriptions indicate that content-related humor as exhibited in the teaching style was positively correlated to students’ learning competence, personal attributes, and future behaviors, and may contribute to a more relaxed and stress-free classroom environment. Therefore, the strategic use of PHISTLE can likely generate positive learning outcomes in a replicable and generalizable manner.