Scaffolding Humor Comprehension Through Pause-and-Discuss in Indonesian EFL Classrooms
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31849/qmfc2w18Keywords:
Collaborative learning , Culture specificity , humor in education, Pause and discuss, scaffolded teachingAbstract
This study aims to explore the effectiveness of a pause-and-discuss approach in integrating stand-up comedy into English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instruction. This qualitative case study utilized twenty-six undergraduates from an English class at an Indonesian university. Data comprised a Likert-scale survey, open-ended written reflections, and classroom discussions. Survey responses were summarized using descriptive statistics, and the qualitative data were thematically coded based on Saldana’s (2016), with triangulation across sources. Results indicate that while learners initially experienced difficulties in processing humor due to idiomatic language, rapid delivery, and cultural references, the pause-and-discuss strategy enabled them to scaffold comprehension collaboratively, improve vocabulary retention, and enhance pragmatic awareness. Exposure to authentic stand-up performances developed learners’ intercultural competence, allowing them to compare cultural perspectives and negotiate meaning beyond textbook learning. While previous studies on humor pedagogy in EFL context have provided descriptive account without cross-source validation, this research fills that gap through a triangulated design validating the pedagogy, whereas existing studies offer descriptive accounts without cross-source checks. Broader implications suggest that humor can be deliberately integrated into curriculum design and that teacher training programs should include preparation for scaffolding humor in EFL contexts, making classrooms more engaging, culturally responsive, and learner-centered.
References
Alsakaker, S. M. (2025). Effects of using humor in teaching speaking skills on EFL learners’ speaking anxiety. Forum for Linguistic Studies, 7(1), 799–807. https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i1.7995
Attardo, S. (2017). The Routledge handbook of language and humor. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315731162
Askildson, L. (2005). Effects of humor in the language classroom: Humor as a pedagogical tool in theory and practice. Arizona Working Papers in SLAT, 12, 45–61.
Bakar, F., & Kumar, V. (2023). How students perceive the teacher’s use of humour and how it enhances learning in the classroom. The European Journal of Humour Research, 10(4), 187–199. https://doi.org/10.7592/ejhr.2022.10.4.656
Bell, N., & Pomerantz, A. (2015). Humor in the classroom: A guide for language teachers and educational researchers. Routledge.
Cai, Y., & Zhao, C. (2023). Metacognitive strategies and self-efficacy co-shape L2 achievement: A multilevel structural equation modeling approach. System, 117, Article 103099. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2023.103099
Creswell, J. W., & Plano Clark, V. L. (2023). Revisiting mixed methods research designs twenty years later. In Handbook of mixed methods research designs (Vol. 1, Issue 1, pp. 21–36). SAGE. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781529682663.n6
Dewaele, J. M., Witney, J., Saito, K., & Dewaele, L. (2017). Foreign-language enjoyment and anxiety: The effect of teacher and learner variables. Language Teaching Research, 22(6), 676–697. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168817692161
Dja’far, V. H. (2022). Using authentic materials to enhance language learning: Benefits and practical considerations. Transformational Language, Literature, and Technology Overview in Learning, 2(1), 16–22. http://dx.doi.org/10.55047/transtool.v2i1.1374
Elezović, S. J. (2022). Humour in adult foreign-language instruction: Perceptions of student-teachers from a teaching faculty. Nasleđe Kragujevac, 51(2022), 81–96. https://doi.org/10.46793/naskg2251.081je (doi.ub.kg.ac.rs)
Etikan, I., Musa, S. A., & Alkassim, R. S. (2016). Comparison of convenience sampling and purposive sampling. American Journal of Theoretical and Applied Statistics, 5(1), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajtas.20160501.11
Frymier, A. B., & Wanzer, M. B. (2021). Humor competence in the classroom. In The Social Psychology of Humor (pp. 130–147). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003042440
Gerwin, J. (2025). The role of dialect in comedy performances: Focus on enregisterment and humor. English Language & Linguistics, 28(4), 751–773. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1360674324000492
Heidari-Shahreza, M. A. (2021). Humor in the language classroom: Pedagogical benefits and practical considerations. TESOL Journal, 12(2), Article e572. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.572
Heidari-Shahreza, M. A. (2024). Humour-integrated language learning (HILL): Defining, defending and developing an emerging field. The European Journal of Humour Research, 12(2), 176–196. https://doi.org/10.7592/EJHR.2024.12.2.881
Huang, X., & Li, H. (2024). A study on oral anxiety in foreign language classes. Journal of Education, Humanities and Social Sciences. 29(1), 265-269. https://doi.org/10.54097/68kgv585
Jiang, H., & Qin, Y. (2023). EFL teachers’ identity and power in China: A discursive analysis of their humor. International Journal of English Linguistics, 13(3), 35–48. https://doi.org/10.5539/ijel.v13n3p35
Joudi, N. S., & Ayoub, N. N. (2024). Potent roles of humor in EFL classes in higher education: An exploratory study of Lebanese perspectives. European Scientific Journal, 20(4), 146–162. https://doi.org/10.19044/esj.2024.v20n4p146
Krashen, S. D. (1982). Principles and practice in second language acquisition. Pergamon.
Ladilova, A., & Schröder, U. (2022). Humor in intercultural interaction: A source for misunderstanding or a common-ground builder? A multimodal analysis. Intercultural Pragmatics, 19, 71–101. https://doi.org/10.1515/ip-2022-0003
Lems, K. (2011). Pun work helps English language learners get the joke. English Journal, 100(4), 71–76. https://doi.org/10.1002/TRTR.01027
Mansfield, G. (2014). Mind the gap between form and function: Teaching pragmatics with the British sitcom in the foreign-language classroom. Language Learning in Higher Education, 3(2), 373–393. https://doi.org/10.1515/cercles-2013-0020
Mai, T. C. T. (2024). Impacts of humor as a communication strategy for teachers in the EFL classrooms. In M. Shelley & O. T. Ozturk (Eds.), Proceedings of ICRES 2024 – International Conference on Research in Education and Science (pp. 871–881). ISTES. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED673141
Naznean, A. (2024). The role of humour in teaching foreign languages: A study on enhancing English language learning. Journal of Pedagogy – Revista de Pedagogie, 72(1), 105–124. https://doi.org/10.26755/RevPed/2024.1/105
Neff, P., & Dewaele, J. M. (2023). Humor strategies in the foreign-language class. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 17(3), 567–579. https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2022.2088761
Nguyen, M. T. T. (2016). Learning to communicate in a globalized world: Developing intercultural competence through a content-based approach. System, 61, 43–54. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688210390265
Peng, C. (2025). The power of humor: Its impact on cognitive load and affective filtering in EFL learning. International Educational Research, 8(2), 15–29. https://doi.org/10.30560/ier.v8n2p15
Pomerantz, A., & Bell, N. D. (2007). Learning to play, playing to learn: FL learners as multicompetent language users. Applied Linguistics, 28(4), 556–578. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amm044
Prichard, C., Rousse-Malpat, A., & Girard, H. (2025). Humor convergence based on humor type: A quantitative study of L2 humor responses. HUMOR: International Journal of Humor Research, 38(3), 355–380. https://doi.org/10.1515/humor-2024-0087
Purwanti, E., Ulinnuha, F., & Gendroyono. (2024). Humour in Indonesia EFL classroom: A qualitative study. Teaching English as a Foreign Language Journal, 3(1), 68–81. https://doi.org/10.12928/tefl.v3i1.1110
Raskin, V. (1985). Semantic mechanisms of humor. Reidel. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-6472-3
Reddington, E. (2015). Humor and play in language classroom interaction: A review of the literature. Teachers College, Columbia University Working Papers in TESOL & Applied Linguistics, 15(2), 22–38. https://doi.org/10.7916/salt.v15i2.1271
Saldãna, J. (2016). The coding manual for qualitative researchers (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.
Sandelowski, M. (2000). Whatever happened to qualitative description?. Research in nursing & health, 23(4), 334-340.
Sarkar, I., & Siraj, A. (2022). Exploring Indian stand-up comedy through the lens of ideology, identity and gender: A discourse analysis. Comedy Studies, 13(1), 41–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/2040610X.2022.2040781
Savina, Y. (2023). Multimodality of incongruity as a cognitive mechanism of creating humour: Case study of political stand-up comedy. Alfred Nobel University Journal of Philology, 2(26/2), 59–75. https://doi.org/10.32342/2523-4463-2023-2-26/2-4
Such, B. (2021). Scaffolding English language learners for online collaborative writing activities. Interactive Learning Environments, 29(3), 473–481. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2019.1579233
Sulistyowati, R. I., Januarta, G., & Setiadi, S. D. (2024). Analysis of humor language techniques from male and female participants in the Kompas TV Stand Up Comedy competition. Esteem Journal of English Education Study Programme, 7(2). 599-608. https://doi.org/10.31851/esteem.v7i2.15525
Tianli, Z., Mansor, N. S., Liu, G., & Junhua, P. (2024). A systematic review of humor employed in teaching English as a second language in Asia. SAGE Open, 14(2). 1-18 https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440241250125
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvjf9vz4
Wang, Z. (2024). An overview of L2 learners’ comprehension of conversational implicatures. Journal of Linguistics and Communication Studies, 3(3). 89-97. https://doi.org/10.56397/JLCS.2024.09.11
Weisi, H., & Mohammadi, V. (2023). Humour in the classroom. The European Journal of Humour Research, 11(1), 78–94. https://doi.org/10.7592/ejhr.2023.11.1.739
Zhang, Y. (2021). Embodied dimensions of foreign-language anxiety: Evidence from physiological responses. Applied Linguistics, 42(5), 853–874. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amaa012
Zheng, W. (2023). Humor experience facilitates ongoing cognitive tasks: Evidence from pun comprehension. Frontiers in Psychology. 14. 1-9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1127275
Zhou, W., & Lee, J. C. (2025). Teaching and learning with instructional humor: A review of five decades research and further direction. Frontiers in Psychology. 16. 1-18 https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1445362
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
- Author retains the copyright and grants Elsya Journal the right of first publication of the work simultaneously licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal
- The author is able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book) with the acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- The author is permitted and encouraged to post his/her work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of the published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
Elsya Journal is licensed under 