Teacher humour as a predictor of student emotions and motivation: the mediating role of socio-emotional and motivational factors

Abstract Although prior cross-sectional research highlights the benefits of course-related humour, longitudinal evidence examining the mediating roles of socio-emotional and motivational factors in student emotions and motivation remains unexplored. Hence, this study examines how different types of perceived teacher humour are associated with student emotions and intrinsic motivation through teacher-student relationship and the interestingness of instruction in a longitudinal mediation framework. A sample of 1,273 9th-grade students (52.1% female; M age : 14.30 years; SD = .52) from 63 secondary school classes participated in this study. Data were collected across three measurement points during one school year. Two-level structural equation modelling evaluated the prospective effects from teacher humour types at Time 1, mediated through teacher-student relationship and interestingness of instruction at Time 2, on emotional and motivational outcomes at Time 3. Multilevel results indicated that course-related and self-disparaging humour were associated with more positive teacher-student relationship and enjoyment, while course-unrelated and aggressive humour were associated with less positive teacher-student relationship and higher levels of negative emotions. Both instructional features served as mediators of the associations between teacher humour and students’ emotions and intrinsic motivation. These findings underscore the importance of course-related and self-disparaging humour as potential sources for supporting positive socio-emotional and motivational learning environments, while highlighting the risks of unrelated and aggressive humour. Practical implications regarding the functionality and application of different forms of teacher humour are also discussed.