The document discusses research into incorporating humor in the classroom to motivate students. It notes problems with narrow focus on testing and lack of fun for students. The research tested using humor in lectures, assessments, and assessment directions. Results from exam scores and informal assessments found the data was not statistically significant to draw definitive conclusions about humor's impact. However, researchers observed students with less fatigue and more excitement with humor. The study will continue to refine humor use and obtain more data to draw stronger conclusions.

1. Motivating students: Stimulating and sustaining student interest with the incorporation of humor within the classroom Research Applications: AEE 5104

2. Problem.. Schools have narrow focus on discipline Heavy emphasis solely on standardized testing, objectives, and competencies in today’s classroom Teachers have lost sight of making the learning environment fun for students

3. Problem.. Reviewing the literature the following voids were found: Lack of research pertaining to humor within education Lack of research with definitive results Challenging to measure the true affect of humor on students within the classroom

4. Humor has shown to facilitate attention and motivation, improve teacher-student rapport, and make curriculum more enjoyable Humor allows students to feel more at ease, and decreases stress, and increases students retention of material Humor increases retention, creativity, and critical thinking Literature Findings

5. Facilitating Planned Humor Teachers can develop their skills to incorporate humor within their instructional strategy Use cartoons, ask questions with humorous answers, rewrite bits of text humorously, incorporate humor within direct lecture All subjects have the potential for humor

6. Humor should be based in a positive light Steer clear of sarcasm Humor is a skill that can be practiced and perfected Teachers don’t need to be a comedian to effectively incorporate Incorporating Humor

7. Loudoun County Public Schools Dominion High School Stone Bridge High School Marketing Education Courses Purpose was to determine the impact of humor on students The Context

8. Data Collection Method One Incorporate humor into direct lecture Use jokes, stories, and quips throughout lesson Measure affect humor on retention through short assessments Method Two Incorporate humor directly into assessments Place humor into directions to facilitate motivation Measure effectiveness of humor by students reading directions in entirety

9. Findings Using Exam Scores Exam scores used to gauge student retention Using t-test and p-score was proven to be statistically insignificant A lower p-score was needed to determine if humor within the classroom is effective

10. Findings Using Informal Assessments Informal assessment scores determine amount of knowledge that was retained after a lecture Assessment consisted of questions pertaining to direct lecture Based on t-test and p-score was not statistically significant enough to draw a definitive conclusion

11. Exam Scores vs. Handouts

12. Findings Based on Humor Incorporated in Directions Humor placed within directions One class received humor-filled directions and the control group did not receive any humor Based on a one-tailed individual t-test and p-score the data was not statistically significant

13. Results: Humor Incorporated in Directions

14. Conclusions Research evidence was not statistically significant enough to draw definite conclusions Researchers observed positive change when humor was incorporated in the curriculum Humor directly affects students attention, retention, and excitement for curriculum

15. Conclusions Team believes there is value in incorporating humor into the curriculum The team will continue research into next academic year Students showed less fatigue, anxiety, and tension during the humorous lessons

16. Recommendations Research team will add more assessments to gauge impact of humor on other factors Educational approach rather than assessment based Further investigation in order to draw more conclusive evidence Refine humor and implementation Team will be more experienced and more capable of implementing humor within their own classrooms Increased collaboration Obtain more data to draw conclusions