This paper examines how instructional humour can be mobilised as an inclusive pedagogical resource in senior secondary Chinese language education for non-Chinese-speaking (NCS) students in Hong Kong’s Applied Learning Chinese (ApL(C)) curriculum. Situated in a multilingual system where biliteracy and trilingualism are policy goals and Chinese proficiency is crucial for educational and occupational mobility, NCS learners continue to face substantial linguistic, affective, and equity barriers (Bhowmik & Kennedy, 2012; Curriculum Development Council, 2021; Education Bureau, 2024, 2025). While humour is not explicitly mentioned in key ApL(C) policy documents, the activity structures (role plays, group discussions, simulated workplace tasks) implicitly allow for humorous, interaction-rich practices. Drawing on research in humour and language education (Aboudan, 2009; Bell, 2009; Bell & Pomerantz, 2016; Tong & Tsung, 2020; Zhou & Lee, 2024, 2025; Tian, 2024; Ngai et al., 2025), the study adopts a mixed qualitative design combining classroom observations, teacher interviews (n = 10), and student surveys (n = 40). Instructional humour is defined as contextually relevant, content-linked humour that scaffolds language learning and engagement, distinct from self-disparaging humour. Findings show strong alignment between teacher and student perceptions: both groups rate humour as important for lowering anxiety, enhancing motivation, and creating an inclusive classroom climate, with students reporting benefits for attention, participation, and vocabulary recall, and teachers emphasising humour’s role in non-threatening feedback and “difficult conversations” about culture and identity. The study also documents “prosumption” practices, where students co-create humorous content, strengthening ownership, inclusion, and critical reflection.

Authors:
Catherine Shee-hei Wong, Hong Kong Metropolitan University, Hong Kong

About the Presenter(s)
Catherine Wong Shee-hei is currently a Lecturer in the School of Education and Languages at Hong Kong Metropolitan University (HKMU).

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