Humour as a Catalyst for Student Engagement in Sustainability Education: Exploring Its Role and Impact across Demographics

Abstract

The study examines the role of humour in sustainable education and examines its effectiveness as a predictor of student engagement. Sustainable education aims to equip learners with knowledge and abilities required to advance social justice, economic accountability and environmental stewardship. Although these subjects are crucial and sustainability praxis can often be perceived as overwhelming or complex, potentially leading to disengagement among students. This study investigates how humour can serve as a pedagogical tool to enhance engagement and learning outcomes in sustainable education. The impact of humour was also examined across various student’s demographics like age and gender. Through a mixed-methods approach, involving surveys and classroom observations and interviews, this study analyses the impact of humour on student engagement, comprehension and retention of various concepts and application of those concepts in real life situations leading to sustainable education. The findings reveal that humour not only increases students’ interest and attentiveness but also fosters a positive learning environment, reduces anxiety and encourages creative problem-solving. Moreover, humour was found to be a significant predictor of student engagement. The findings imply that humour can effectively enhance sustainable education by making learning more accessible and enjoyable, ultimately contributing to the development of critical thinking and proactive behaviours towards sustainability.

Keywords: Humour, Engagement and Sustainable Education

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