A Study Of Instructional Humor Applied In Junior High School English Classroom Teaching

In recent years,due to the influence of various factors such as teaching evaluation and entrance examination to high school,the teaching in our junior high school has mainly focused much more on imparting knowledge and paid less attention on students'learning confidence,interest and attitudes.However,students in junior high school are dynamic in nature.If an instructor only emphasizes on illuminating language points and grammar as well as achieving the goal of instructional assignment but ignores classroom atmosphere and students' learning process,the teaching effects will be worse and worse.Under such a depressing condition,the instructor's proper teaching methods need to be given first priority.Student-centered,this research focuses on a teaching model that has proven to be capable of establishing a relaxing,equal and harmonious atmosphere through the application of Instructional Humor in classroom teaching.The way of learning with joy can help to cultivate students' sound character.Hence,appropriate use of instructional humor is just like seasonings that can inject vigor into classroom teaching,which is assumed as an effective teaching instrument to change this unfavorable situation in junior high school English classroom teaching.However,researches on application of IH into teaching are comparatively far from being adequate and most research results are from scholars in western countries while the correspondent research at home primarily concentrates on the accumulation of personal experiences but empirical study is quite few.This thesis incorporating both quantitative and qualitative research methods investigates the types and effects of IH in junior high school English classroom through answering the two questions:1)what are the types of IH which can be applied in junior high school English classroom?2)what are the effects of IH applied in junior high school English classroom?This paper takes the 92 second year junior high school students from Zhu Hai as target subjects.Based on the instructional humor processing theory(IHPT),a theory that incorporates elements of incongruity-resolution theory,disposition theory and the elaboration likelihood model(ELM)of persuasion,adopting tests,questionnaires,classroom observation and face-to-face interview,it does an empirical research on the application of IH in junior high school English classroom teaching.Results are showed in the followings:1)the approprite types of humor used in junior high school English classroom are content(student)-related,self-disparaging and unplanned humor;2)the application of IH improves students'comprehensive English proficiency and has a significant difference on their scores;3)IH strengthens students' learning confidence,arouses their interest and cultivates their attitudes;4)a majority of students can recognize the IH and support it;5)the instructor with humor can readily build up a harmonious student-teacher relationship;6)if appropriately used,basically,the IH will not give rise to negative effects.The above research implies that as a kind of teaching art,IH can actually be applied in junior high school English classroom teaching,which is of profound practical significance in promoting teaching quality.However,the IH proposed in this research is not for fun only but for advancing teaching development.This thesis aims at approving the effectiveness of IH used in junior high school English classroom to assist teaching so as to enrich classroom construction.