2008 Volume 17 Issue 1 Pages 45-50
In the present study, the contents of care (who used humor and how) and its effects and responses were investigated in scenes selected from humor conferences during two years of child nursing training with the objective of examining the learning experience of students at humor conferences. Among a total of 183 humor scenes, 64 scenes were identified as "scenes involving smiles and a sense of relief in which students, instructors, or medical personnel consciously used humor that resulted in effects or responses such as joyous smiles, reduction of tension, and a sense of relief among the audience. Analysis of these scenes revealed the following : 1) students consciously used humor in various care settings during child nursing training ; 2) students understood that the conscious use of humor during care resulted in effects such as reduction of tension among children and families as well as enhanced motivation to undergo treatment and tests ; 3) students were aware that laughter among children and families eased the mood and narrowed the psychological distance between each other ; 4) students were also aware of the conscious use of humor by instructors and medical personnel ; and 5) laughter during conferences led to the reduction of tension between students and instructors. These findings indicate that the sharing during conferences of care methods that involve the conscious use of humor contributes to the enhancement of the practical ability of students.
