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Should mathematics teachers be humorous? A study based on the instructional humor processing theory
Tommy Tanu Wijaya1, Min Feng2, Yiming Cao1
1School of Mathematical Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
Frontiers in Psychology
|December 29, 2025
Summary
Teacher humor, particularly math-related humor, boosts student engagement by strengthening teacher-student relationships. Appropriate humor styles enhance classroom management and learning outcomes in mathematics.
Area of Science:
- Educational Psychology
- Classroom Management
- Mathematics Education
Background:
- Teacher humor is recognized as a key element in effective mathematics classroom management.
- Humor influences student learning outcomes and engagement levels.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the links between different types of teacher humor and student engagement.
- To investigate the moderating role of teacher-student relationships in these associations.
Main Methods:
- Survey administered to 326 secondary school students.
- Analysis using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM).
Main Results:
- Mathematics-related humor and other-disparaging humor positively impacted teacher-student relationships and indirectly boosted student engagement.
- Mathematics-unrelated humor negatively affected teacher-student relationships.
- Six of seven hypotheses were found to be significant.
Conclusions:
- Teachers can leverage specific humor styles to foster stronger teacher-student bonds.
- Strategic use of humor is recommended for enhancing student engagement in mathematics classrooms.
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