The Impact of Humorous Pedagogical Agents on Student Engagement and Academic Performance in Science Education

ABSTRACT Background The integration of pedagogical agents (PAs) into educational settings has become widespread, yet the impact of humorous versus non‐humorous PAs on student academic performance and engagement remains underexplored. Although research highlights the benefits of PAs, the specific role of humour in enhancing educational outcomes is not well studied. Objectives This study evaluates the effectiveness of humorous PAs compared to non‐humorous PAs in improving academic performance and student engagement among fifth‐grade students in science education. Methods A quasi‐experimental design with pre‐test and post‐test measures was used. A sample of 78 fifth‐grade students from District 4 of Tehran during the 2022–2023 academic year participated in the study. Three classes, balanced by the school based on academic performance, were randomly selected, and each was assigned to one of three groups: humorous PA ( n = 28), non‐humorous PA ( n = 25) and no PA ( n = 25). Data were collected using a researcher‐developed learning test and the Reeve Student Engagement Questionnaire (2013), and analysed using ANCOVA. Results The humorous PA group showed higher levels of student academic performance and engagement outcomes compared to the non‐humorous PA and no PA groups. The ‘humorous PA’ group achieved the highest scores in both engagement and academic performance. Conclusions These findings suggest that incorporating humour into PAs can significantly enhance educational experiences and effectiveness. The study highlights the importance of considering the personality and style of PAs to optimise student engagement and academic performance.