Date of Award

12-21-2012

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)

First Advisor

S. Kim Genovese

Abstract

With the rapid development in nursing education systems, nurse educators struggle to find effective teaching strategies for their students. Using humor as a teaching strategy with nursing students can be helpful in improving many areas of their education. The review of literature showed a lack of studies on the effect of using humor in nursing education. The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of using humor as a teaching strategy on the educational retention and attention of sophomore nursing students. The setting for this study was a college of nursing at a Midwestern university. The participants were sophomore nursing students who were randomly assigned to a group of humorous and non-humorous lectures. The participating students completed prequizzes and postquizzes. Both quizzes had the same six multiple-choice questions and one question on a Likert-type scale that asked the students to rate their level of attention. The participants who experienced the humorous lectures were also asked to complete the Humor Questionnaire (HQ). The data were analyzed using the SPSS 18.0 statistical package. Paired-sample t test was conducted to analyze and compare the prequiz and postquiz scores. The paired-sample t test demonstrated a significant difference in the prequiz and postquiz scores (p < 0.5) of the students in the humorous lecture. Also, there was a statically significant increase in the level of attention among students who participated in the humorous lectures (p < 0.5). Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the Humor Questionnaire. Sophomore nursing students appreciate educators who use humor and wish that there were more use of humor in their nursing classes. The results suggest that using humor in nursing classrooms increases

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