Preliminary results of a survey of teacher attitudes and experiences regarding the teaching of English humour

Abstract

A survey of 54 English teachers in Japan, both native seakers of English, was conducted to investigate their attitudes towards, and experiences of,teaching English humour in EFL classes, including factors such as teacher confidence and materials used. Preliminary analysis of responses-limited in this paper to numerical results from required survey questions only-suggests that although the teaching and learning of English humour is perceived to be difficult and challenging, in terms of cultural knowledge and English proficiency demands on both teachers and learners, it is also seen to be beneficial in those areas. Whereas only around two-thirds of respondents had attempted to teach humour, with those who had not done so mostly citing personal and practical rather than pedagogical reasons for this, the vast majority of teachers surveyed were interested both in the teaching of English humour, and in learning about it themselves. The limitations of the current study are examined, and potential for future research is suggested.