Preaching, Humor, and Affective Learning

From my paper:

Affectus refers to the dimensions of emotions, feelings, and passions (Dreyer 259). Affective learning is considered a valuable stimulus for a person's eagerness to learn and utilize the material and competencies beyond the learning environment (Rubin, Palmgreen, and Sypher 81). One danger in Christianity is believing, but not practicing Christianity (Cousins 172-3). An essential goal of preaching is a deepened appreciation for God’s truth and a more faithful response to obedience to God (K. Anderson 110). Affective learning includes people's attitudes toward the recommended behavior of the sermon, the content and subject matter of the sermon, the preacher, and the likelihood of actually attempting to engage in behaviors recommended in the sermon.

Instructional communication research demonstrates a positive correlation between humor orientation and affective learning. College students indicated that they are likely to learn more from professors with high perceived humor orientations than they are from professors with low humor orientations (Wanzer and Frymier 57). Perceived high humor orientation is also correlated to immediacy, which is defined as physical or psychological closeness (Gorham and Christophel 46). More immediate teachers tend to use more humor and engender more learning (60). Students pay more attention to instructors with high humor orientation and are more likely to attend and participate in class when humor is frequently used (Neuliep 354 and Wanzer and Frymier 58). Humor is useful for facilitating student attention, motivation, and comprehension (Kher, Molstad, and Donahue 400-6) and makes learning fun (Hsieh, Hsiao, Liu, and Chang 207). Humor aids in creativity (Romero, Alsua, Henrichs, and Pearson 189 and Borgia, Horack, and Owles 46) and in making messages more memorable (Danbom 669-671). Humor is effective in clarifying material (Downs, Javidi, and Nussbaum 137). Torak, McMorris, and Lin asked the students if they learn better when the professor uses humor. 40 percent of the respondents answered “often” and another 40 percent replied “always” (15). When asked if humor frustrates the students, 68 percent strongly disagreed (15). Findings similar to the above research have led James to conclude, “Institutions need to aggressively train online teachers and, in fact, all teachers on how to use humor to their advantage” (94).

The above studies noted that most students learned better when humor was effectively used, but it should also be noted that each listener (Arthurs 37 and Jeter and Allen 5-20) learns differently, in part, because each learner and listener has a distinct humor orientation (Booth-Butterfield and Booth-Butterfield 205). Wanzer and Frymier compared the preferences and learning results of both low and high humor orientation students. High humor oriented students reported significantly higher levels of learning from instructors with perceived high humor orientation than they did from instructors with perceived low humor orientations (58). No significant difference in learning was found between high humor orientation students and low humor orientation students when the students had a high humor orientation instructor. Low humor orientation students were much more tolerant and learned more from low humor orientation instructors than high humor orientation students learned from low humor orientation instructors. Low humor orientation students preferred high humor orientation instructors over low humor orientation instructors (Wanzer and Frymier 58).

Wanzer and Frymier’s study, noted above, of low and high humor orientation professors and their effectiveness on low and high humor orientation students is important for both low and high humor orientation preachers in regards to the desirable higher affective learning and its “go and tell” and “go and do” results. High and low humor orientation listeners will learn equally well from high humor orientation preachers. However, high humor orientation listeners will not learn as well as low humor orientation preachers. Also, both the high and low humor orientation listener would prefer listening to the high humor orientation preacher. Low humor orientation preachers need to be mindful of this as they engage the high humor orientation listener and attempt to be more agreeable to both high and low humor orientation listeners. When humor is done in a way that is genuine and quality, it will most likely aid in affective learning to both the low humor orientation and high humor orientation listener.