SELF-EFFICACY, HUMOR AND PROSOCIAL TENDENCIES IN COLLEGE EDUCATORS

Abstract

This quantitative research study analyzed the interdependence among the self-efficacy, styles of humor and prosocial tendencies in college teachers. Purposive sampling was carried out with a sample (N=150) college teachers (72% female), was 25 to 60 years old (M= 35.91, SD= 9.75) to take some portion of government and private colleges. The research design was the correlational type and standardized tests were utilized: General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE), Humor Styles Questionnaire (HSQ), and Prosocial Tendencies Measure-Revised (PTM-R). The results gave evidence of positive and significant results of self-efficacy with both humor styles, and prosocial tendencies, and association between humor styles and prosocial tendencies. Regression showed an unequal level of self-efficacy as it predicted styles of humor and prosocial tendencies. Mediation analysis confirmed that prosocial tendencies mediated partially the association between self-efficacy and humor styles (indirect effect B = .585, 95 % CI [.280, .985]). Such findings demonstrate that high levels of self-efficacy by college teacher encourage prosocial behavior, which in turn enhances the adaptive humor styles such as self-enhancing humor. The study recommends the importance of incorporating prosocial and humor-grounded approaches in any teacher preparation programs to create emotionally tough and pro-socialized learning settings.