Applying humour in Malaysian university settings: The perceptions of lecturers

This study investigated lecturers’ application of humour in Malaysian university settings. Eleven local Malaysian university lecturers from different local universities participated in this qualitative study. Data was collected from individual face-to-face interview sessions. Data were analysed through content and descriptive analysis methods. The study indicates that lecturers commonly applied two forms of humour which are affiliative humour and self-enhancing humour. There are five types of affiliative humour used by lecturers which are sharing funny meme or comic, telling a humorous story, using puns or wordplay, responding to a mistake or mishap with a humorous comment to ease tension, and using irony or sarcasm in a friendly and non-offensive manner to reduce tension in the classroom. Apart from that, lecturers also used two types of self-enhancing humour which are situational humour and positive reframing humour. The result indicates that lecturers apply these forms of humour for pedagogical application in the classroom, self-coping mechanism and classroom management. • Affiliative humour and self-enhancing humour for pedagogical application in the classroom, self-coping mechanism and classroom management. • Potentially to reduce tension and anxiety within the learning environment – a more relaxed and conducive atmosphere for learning. • Pedagogically, the application of humour in teaching appears to have multifaceted benefits. • Inappropriate and offensive humour can undermine the learning environment. • Fostering a positive and supportive learning environment through humour – enhance student engagement and learning outcomes.