GLOBALLY COMPATIBLE CLASS ROOMS COMPETENCIES: USE OF HUMOR IN CLASS ROOMS

A substantial body of research emphasizes the importance of humor in teaching processes however, research on the reasons for non-use of humor in academic contexts has enjoyed scant attention. Addressing this gap, this study examines the reasons for instructors' humor avoidance taking into account student perceived benefits of using humor in academics. Data were collected through an open-response questionnaire. Participants were asked to provide their views on: (a) the reasons some instructors avoid using humor, and (b) the benefits of using humor in classes. “Humor is not in their personality,” “they lack competence to create humor,” and “they are more syllabus-oriented” were the most frequently cited reasons for the non-use of instructor humor Particularly, verbal humor such as wordplays, funny stories, puns, and content related jokes play an important role in learners' development of (socio) linguistic and sociocultural competence.. Perceived benefits of instructor humor were placed into three major categories: Psychological, Social and Instructional. Implications of these findings are explored within the content of second language education.