Humor As Motivation For Adult Learners

By Alice Adams

In developing its ProTraining Safety Series 1 for professional drivers, CODEGA has chosen to step outside the
usual boundaries of adult education.  This choice is based, in part, on the lack of successful outcomes of traditional learning formats and the median age and mixed media experiences of today’s transportation professionals.

CODEGA'S choice of using non-traditional learning tools also is based on a variety of research over the last decade that validates the use of humor, not only in establishing a climate conducive to adult learning but as motivation for the adult learner to embrace new data and concepts.

Of particular interest is humor in "dread courses." These are courses which learners may want to omit from their routine, due to lack of time, energy or interest.  This dread commonly is found in adult learners who lack self-confidence or a lack of confidence to learn new material. 

Researchers have found that appropriate and timely humor in the learning process can positively impact overall learning outcomes.

According to research conducted by Dmitriy Korobkin, humor can diminish adult learner anxiety and reduce the threatening nature of an adult learning by changing the tone of the instructional process. It can be used as a powerful tool to put the adult learner at ease and make the overall learning process more enjoyable. 

By reducing anxiety, humor improves the receptiveness of the adult learner to any material and, ultimately, has a positive impact on performance when learning is applied to the professional environment.

The role of the instructional approach in adult learning has been the subject of considerable discussion. Researchers H. R. Pollio and W. E. Humphreys, as one of many examples, found effective learning revolves around the connection established between the instructional materials and the adult learner…and this connection was highly influenced by the quality, tone and method of informational delivery.

In the optimal setting for adult learners, there is interaction between the learner, the information and the presenting media…and researchers describe the most effective learning environments as relaxed, energetic and enthusiastic.

Today’s most successful classroom environments are led by instructors that are performers as well as subject matter experts and, according to researchers S. Ferguson and J. Campinha-Bacote and others, humor is often identified as instrumental in developing a positive learning environment.

When the learning environment is a supportive social climate, adult learners are more receptive to learning and humor becomes a magical catalyst when learner, information and media come together.

At CODEGA, we are striving for professional drivers of all ages to be positive and excited about the learning materials our modules offer…and by creating a positive-yet-creative tone by using appropriate humor, we believe we will achieve some of the most successful learning outcomes witnessed by the industry.