Naturalistic Study of Humorous Activity in a Third, Seventh, and Eleventh Grade Classroom.

Abstract

The frequency and nature of classroom events that evoked laughing and/or smiling in a third, a seventh and an 11th grade classroom were recorded. Results revealed that the frequency of humorous events decreased as grade level in creased and was lower than other classroom behaviors, including those tradi tionally labeled as disruptive. Differences between boys and girls were small and infrequent. The majority of humorous events occurred when peers were, and teachers were not, in a position to react. Children who produced humorous events in the seventh, and to a lesser degree in the 11th grade also tended to produce disruptive behaviors; no such relationship was found for third graders. Children who produced humorous events in the upper two grades also were reprimanded more frequently than children who did not, although if the teacher responded positively to such events he or she was likely to behave in other posi tive ways toward the child producing them. Results are discussed in terms of both their educational and developmental implications.