Bringing Laughter to EFL Classrooms: Learners’ Perspectives on Humour as an Educational Tool

Amid global transformations across various aspects of life, the education landscape has undergone profound and ongoing change in the 21st century. One such change is the emphasis on learners’ well-being, which has received as much attention as their academic performance. In response, researchers and educators have shown growing interest in integrating humour into language classrooms. Humour has been recognized as a valuable pedagogical tool that can significantly benefit both students’ well-being and learning outcomes. However, this topic remains controversial, especially in Asian EFL contexts. This paper explores the potential effects of humour in Vietnamese EFL classrooms from students' perspectives. The study employed a mixed-methods approach, comprising a survey of 207 undergraduates and in-depth interviews with 10 students. The findings revealed that humour offers various benefits and drawbacks for learners across psychological, social, and instructional domains. The study also provides pedagogical insights into the use of humour in contemporary Vietnamese EFL classrooms.