O'Siochru, Cathal (2021) When I grow up I want to be a comedian! Assessing the impact of comedy and laughter training on the emotional and social well-being of schoolchildren. Educationalfutures The Journal of the British Education Studies Association, 12 (1). pp. 4-30. ISSN 1758-2199
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Abstract
This study assessed the impact of a comedy and laughter training programme on the social confidence and well-being of 145 UK-based primary school students. Scores in self-efficacy, social-confidence and happiness were taken once before and twice following (immediately after and eight weeks later) the programme for both students on the programme and a control group. The statistical analyses found no significant difference on any of the three variables between the two conditions, across the three occasions nor was there any interaction between the variables. These results appear to show that participating in comedy and laughter training did not result in improvements in the students’ confidence or well-being. While the training did not produce the benefits expected, the findings do offer insights into the challenges facing any attempt by educators or researchers to employ or enhance humour in an educational setting. Consequently, in the discussion we explore these findings in relation to issues such as the definition of a “sense of humour” and potential areas of future research such as comparing positive and negative humour are discussed.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | humour, comedy, training, education, students, self efficacy, happiness, shyness |
| Faculty / Department: | Faculty of Education and Social Sciences > School of Education |
| Depositing User: | Cathal O'Siochru |
| Date Deposited: | 21 Apr 2023 12:03 |
| Last Modified: | 12 Nov 2024 11:42 |
| URI: | https://hira.hope.ac.uk/id/eprint/3863 |
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