An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of the Barriers to the Use of Humour in the Teaching of Childhood Studies

Edward John Noon

doi:10.14297/jpaap.v5i3.255

Authors

Edward John Noon Sheffield Hallam University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14297/jpaap.v5i3.255

Keywords:

Humour, Pedagogy, Higher Education, Childhood Studies, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA)

Abstract

Whilst pedagogical humour is a common teaching strategy employed by educators across compulsory education systems, a review of the extant literature expounds that it is a tool largely neglected by instructors throughout higher education. As such, this study sought to discern the perspectives of educators concerning the barriers to the use of humour in the teaching of Childhood Studies. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with five educators on the BA (Hons) Childhood Studies programme at a Yorkshire-based post-1992 university. Verbatim transcripts of the interviews were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA).

Respondents believed that an academic’s personality held a significant bearing upon their pedagogy, and therefore their use of classroom jocularity. Educators claimed that whilst pedagogical humour did have its benefits, it was also capable of causing offence, distracting from course content, and making students feel uncomfortable. Consequently, educators generated situated understandings of when and where they were permitted to employ pedagogical humour, and what form said humour should take; they were cautious not to overuse humour, and were also less likely to draw upon it when teaching emotive or distressing content, and when teaching groups of students they were less familiar with. Educators also noted that they were less likely to draw upon pedagogical humour in the lecture theatre, despite university-wide pressure for instructors to produce more interactive lectures.

Author Biography

Edward John Noon, Sheffield Hallam University

Edward Noon is an Associate Lecturer in Early Childhood and Childhood Studies at Sheffield Hallam University. The study presented here is derived from his MRes thesis at Sheffield Hallam University, completed under the supervision of Dr. Jenni Brooks, Senior Lecturer in Sociology. Twitter – @EdwardJNoon

References

Asghar, I. H. (2008). An exploration of the experiences of being involved with psychiatric services and psychiatric admission for individuals with psychosis: an interpretative phenomenological analysis. DClinPsy: University of Glasgow.

Atherton, J. S. (2013). Learning and Teaching; Humour. Retrieved 2 January, 2017, from http://doceo.co.uk/l&t/teaching/humour.htm

Berk, R. A. (1998). Professors are from Mars, students are from Snickers. Madison: Mendota Press.

Biggerstaff, D., & Thompson, A. R. (2008). Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA): a qualitative methodology of choice in healthcare research. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 5, 173-183.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/14780880802314304

Black, L., & Forro, D. (1999). Humor in the Academic Library: You Must Be Joking! or How Many Academic Librarians Does It Take to Change a Lightbulb? College & Research Libraries, 60(2), 165-172.

doi: https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.60.2.165

Brocki, J. M., & Wearden, A. J. (2006). A critical evaluation of the use of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) in health psychology. Psychology & Health, 21, 87-108.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/14768320500230185

Bryant, J., Comisky, P. W., & Zillman, D. (1979). Teachers’ humor in the college classroom. Communication Education, 28, 110-118.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/03634527909378339

Cano, J., Garton, B. L., & Raven, M. R. (1992). Learning Styles, Teaching Styles and Personality Styles of Preservice Teachers of Agricultural Education. Journal of Agriculture Education, 33, 46-52.

doi: https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.1992.01046

Carver, M. (2013). Edgy humour in the classroom: a case study of risks and rewards. Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice, 1, 30-34.

doi: https://doi.org/10.14297/jpaap.v1i1.42

Cashin, W. (1985). Improving lectures. Retrieved 2 January, 2017, from http://ctl.byu.edu/sites/default/files/improving_lectures.pdf

Check, J. (1997). Humor in education. Physical Educator, 54(3), 165-167.

Collins, K., & Nicolson, P. (2002). The meaning of ‘satisfaction’ for people with dermatological problems: Reassessing approaches to qualitative health psychology research. Journal of Health Psychology, 7, 615-629.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105302007005681

Dallmayr, F. (2009). Hermeneutics and inter-cultural dialog: linking theory and practice. Ethics & Global Politics, 2, 23-39.

doi: https://doi.org/10.3402/egp.v2i1.1937

Dean, R. A., & Gregory, D. M. (2004). Humour and laughter in palliative care: an ethnographic investigation. Palliative and Supportive Care, 2, 139-148.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1478951504040192

Deiter, R. (2000). The Use of Humor as a Teaching Tool in the College Classroom. NACTA Journal, 44(2), 20-28.

Denovan, A., & Macaskill, A. (2012). An interpretative phenomenological analysis of stress and coping in first year undergraduates. British Educational Research Journal, 39 (6), 1002-1024.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.3019

Deviney, D. E., Crawford, J., & Elder, K. L. (2013). Classroom antics: Fun with a purpose. Journal of Instructional Pedagogies, 10, 1-6.

Dwyer, T. (1991). Humor, power, and change in organizations. Human Relations, 44, 1-19.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/001872679104400101

Eatough, V., Smith, J. A., & Shaw, R. (2008). Women, Anger and Aggression: An interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 23(12), 1767-1799.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260508314932

Friedman, H. H., Halpern, N., & Salb, D. (1999). Teaching statistics using humorous anecdotes. Mathematics Teacher, 92(4), 305-308.

Garrod, A. (1997). Preface. In A. Garrod, & C. Larimore (Ed.), First Person, First Peoples: Native American College Graduates Tell Their Life Stories (xv-xviii). London: Cornell University Press.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511896613.002

Halula, S. P. (2013). What Role Does Humor in the Higher Education Classroom Play in Student-Perceived Instructor Effectiveness? PhD: Marquette University.

Hefferon, K., & Gil-Rodriguez, E. (2011). Methods: Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. The Psychologist, 24, 756-759.

Horng, J., Hong, J., ChanLin, L., Chang, S., & Chu, H. (2005). Creative teachers and creative teaching strategies. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 29(4), 352-358.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1470-6431.2005.00445.x

Johnson, A. H. (1990). Humor as an innovative method for teaching sensitive topics. Educational Gerontology, 16, 547-559.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/0380127900160605

Ketabi, S., & Simin, S. (2009). Investigating Persian EFL teachers and learners’ attitudes towards humor in class. International Journal of Language Studies, 3, 435-452.

Krause, R. (2014). Humour - An ‘Important Spice to Use in Teaching’? On Humour and Its Uses in English as a Foreign Language Classrooms. Retrieved 2 January, 2017, from http://www.geisteswissenschaften.fu-berlin.de/we06/engdid/ressourcen/pdfs/hausarbeiten/Humour-in-EFLClassrooms--Rebekka-Krause-.pdf

Langdridge, D. (2007). Phenomenological psychology: Theory, research and method. London: Pearson Education.

Larkin, M., Watts, S., & Clifton, E. (2006). Giving voice and making sense in Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3, 102-120.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp062oa

Lei, S. A., Cohen, J. L., & Russler, K. M. (2010). Humor on Learning in the College Classroom: Evaluating Benefits and Drawbacks from Instructors’ Perspectives. Journal of Instructional Psychology, 37(4), 326-331.

Lovorn, M. (2008). Humor in the Home and in the Classroom: The Benefits of Laughing While We Learn. Journal of Education and Human Development, 2, 1-12.

Macagnone, K. (2013). Qualitative Action Research on the Benefits of Adding Humor and Aspects of Play in an Elementary Art Education Classroom with Sixth Graders. MSc in Education: Buffalo State College.

McLinden, M. (2013). Flexible Pedagogies: part-time learners and learning in higher education. Retrieved January 2, 2017, from https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/sites/default/files/resources/fp_ptl_report_0.pdf

Morreall, J. (1989). The rejection of humor in western thought. Philosophy East and West, 39(3), 243-265.

doi: https://doi.org/10.2307/1399447

Morrison, M. K. (2008). Using Humour to Maximize Learning: The Links between Positive Emotions and Education. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield.

Nasiri, F., & Mafakheri, F. (2015). Higher Education Lecturing and Humor: From Perspectives to Strategies. Higher Education Studies, 5 (5), 26-31.

doi: https://doi.org/10.5539/hes.v5n5p26

Norrick, N. R. (2009). A Theory of Humour in Interaction. Journal of Literary Theory, 3(2), 261-284.

Olajoke, A. S. (2013). Students’ Perception on the Use of Humor in the Teaching of English as a Second Language in Nigeria. International Education Research, 1(2), 65-73.

doi: https://doi.org/10.12735/ier.v1i2p65

Poirier, T. I., & Wilhelm, M. (2014). Use of Humor to Enhance Learning: Bull’s Eye or Off the Mark. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 78(2), 27.

doi: https://doi.org/10.5688/ajpe78227

Powell, J. P., & Andresen, L. W. (1985). Humour and Teaching in Higher Education. Studies in Higher Education, 10, 79-90.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/03075078512331378726

Reid, K., Flowers, P., & Larkin, M. (2005). Exploring the lived experience. The Psychologist, 18, 20-23.

Shatz, M., & LoSchiavo, F. (2005). Learning through laughter: Using humor in online courses boosts participation. Industrial Engineer, 37(9), 66.

Shaw, R. (2001). Why use interpretative phenomenological analysis in Health Psychology? Health Psychology Update, 10(4), 48-52.

Simon, J. K. (1971). J. K. Simon: A Conversation with Michel Foucault. Partisan Review, 38, 192-201.

Smith, J. A., & Osborn, M. (2008). Interpretative phenomenological analysis. In: J. A. Smith (Ed.), Qualitative psychology: a practical guide to research methods (pp. 53-81). London: Sage.

Smith, J. A., & Osborn, M. (2015). Interpretative phenomenological analysis. In J. A. Smith (Ed.), Qualitative psychology: a practical guide to research methods (pp. 25-53). London: Sage.

Smith, J. A., Flowers, P., & Larkin, M. (2009). Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis: Theory, Method and Research. London: Sage.

Smith, J. A., Harre, R., & Van Langenhove, L. (1995). Idiography and the case study. In J. A. Smith, R. Harre, & L. Van Langenhove (Ed.), Rethinking Psychology (pp. 59-69). London: Sage.

Smith, J. A., Jarman, M., & Osborne, M. (1999). Doing Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. In M. Murray, & K. Chamberlain (Ed.), Qualitative Health Psychology: Theories and Methods (pp. 218-240). London: Sage.

doi: https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446217870.n14

Strong, P. M. (1983). Review essay the importance of being Erving: Erving Goffman, 1922–1982. Sociology of Health and Illness, 5(3), 345-355.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9566.ep10491854

Stroud, R. (2013). The Laughing EFL Classroom: Potential Benefits and Barriers. English Language Teaching, 6(10), 72-75.

doi: https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v6n10p72

Tait, G., Lampert, J., Bahr, N., & Bennett, P. (2015). Laughing with the lecturer: the use of humour in shaping university teaching. Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice, 12(3), 1-15.

Tanay, M. A. L., Roberts, J., & Ream, E. (2013). Humour in adult cancer care: a concept analysis. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 69(9), 2131-2140.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.12059

Walla, L. A. (1988). Relationship of Teaching Styles and Learning Styles to Classroom Environment. Retrieved 2 January, 2017, from http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/aglecdiss/70/

Weaver, R., & Cotrell, H. (1987). Ten specific techniques for developing humor in the classroom. Education, 108(2), 167-179.

Wright, G. B. (2011). Student-Centered Learning in Higher Education. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 23(3), 92-97.

Zhang, L. (2007). Do personality traits make a difference in teaching styles among Chinese high school teachers? Personality and Individual Differences, 43(4), 669-679.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2007.01.009

Ziegler, J. B. (1998). Use of humour in medical teaching. Medical Teacher, 20(4), 341-348.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/01421599880779