The Impact of Humorous Pedagogical Agents on Student Engagement and Academic Performance in Science Education.

Background: The integration of pedagogical agents (PAs) into educational settings has become widespread, yet the impact of humorous versus non‐humorous PAs on student academic performance and engagement remains underexplored. Although research highlights the benefits of PAs, the specific role of hum...

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Publicado en:Journal of Computer Assisted Learning Vol. 41; no. 5; pp. 1 - 18
Autores principales: Ashrafzade, Fateme, Mahdavinasab, Yousef, Mohammadhasani, Nasrin, Moradi, Mahsa
Formato: pictorial research tables/charts randomized controlled trial Journal Article
Publicado: Wiley-Blackwell Oct2025
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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      dt: Oct2025
      vid: 41
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      pub: Wiley-Blackwell
      place: Malden, Massachusetts
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        10.1111/jcal.70107
        188234205
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        atl: The Impact of Humorous Pedagogical Agents on Student Engagement and Academic Performance in Science Education.
      aug:
        au:
          Ashrafzade, Fateme
          Mahdavinasab, Yousef
          Mohammadhasani, Nasrin
          Moradi, Mahsa
        affil: Department of Educational Technology, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran
      sug:
        subj:
          Students, Elementary Psychosocial Factors
          Science Education
          Wit and Humor
          Student Attitudes
          Academic Performance
          Human
          Quasi-Experimental Studies
          Randomized Controlled Trials
          Schools, Elementary
          Pretest-Posttest Design
          Iran
          Questionnaires
          Analysis of Covariance
          Descriptive Statistics
          Data Analysis Software
          Chi Square Test
          Post Hoc Analysis
          Confidence Intervals
          Male
          Female
          Child
          Child: 6-12 years
          Male
          Female
      ab: Background: The integration of pedagogical agents (PAs) into educational settings has become widespread, yet the impact of humorous versus non‐humorous PAs on student academic performance and engagement remains underexplored. Although research highlights the benefits of PAs, the specific role of humour in enhancing educational outcomes is not well studied. Objectives: This study evaluates the effectiveness of humorous PAs compared to non‐humorous PAs in improving academic performance and student engagement among fifth‐grade students in science education. Methods: A quasi‐experimental design with pre‐test and post‐test measures was used. A sample of 78 fifth‐grade students from District 4 of Tehran during the 2022–2023 academic year participated in the study. Three classes, balanced by the school based on academic performance, were randomly selected, and each was assigned to one of three groups: humorous PA (n = 28), non‐humorous PA (n = 25) and no PA (n = 25). Data were collected using a researcher‐developed learning test and the Reeve Student Engagement Questionnaire (2013), and analysed using ANCOVA. Results: The humorous PA group showed higher levels of student academic performance and engagement outcomes compared to the non‐humorous PA and no PA groups. The 'humorous PA' group achieved the highest scores in both engagement and academic performance. Conclusions: These findings suggest that incorporating humour into PAs can significantly enhance educational experiences and effectiveness. The study highlights the importance of considering the personality and style of PAs to optimise student engagement and academic performance.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        pictorial
        research
        tables/charts
        randomized controlled trial
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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