Empirical Research

A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Educational Leadership and Supervision
Something funny happened on the way to the hippocampus: The effects of humor on memory retention and student achievement
Research shows the positive effects of humor on classroom environment, student-teacher relationships, and student engagement. This article seeks to continue the discussion on the positive effects of humor on learning and memory in adult learners. Gain scores from a pretest to two post-tests was analyzed to determine if students who receive humor-embedded instruction would perform better on multiple-choice assessments on electrical theory and sound application, than students who did not receive the treatment. Gain scores were triangulated with student responses to open-ended interview questions about their experiences with humor in the classroom.  
The humor group performed as well as, or better, than the non-humor group on post-tests. The interview data supported the quantitative findings that humor indirectly and directly improves learning. Humor-embedded instruction not only contributes to a positive classroom environment, but it also increases educational retention. The use of humor acts as a stress relief, which aids in cognition and memory. Most importantly, students report that they enjoy humor. The implications for this student include teacher training on humor strategies and implementing humor into instructional design for higher education.
​Matthews, M. L. M. (2011). A funny thing happened on the way to the hippocampus: the effects of humor on student achievement and memory retention. Arizona State University. Available from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses data base (publication number; AAT 3453480).

​Publications

Matthews, M. L. M. (2011). A funny thing happened on the way to the hippocampus: the effects of humor on student achievement and memory retention. Arizona State University. Available from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses data base (publication number; AAT 3453480).
 
V’Marie, J., Blake, M., & McCartney, M. (2016) Let's get gritty: measures of student outcomes.  Southern Arizona Intercollegiate Journal (5)1. 50-53.
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Presentations
Funded/Honorarium Awarded: 
Blake, M., McCartney, M., V’Marie, J. (2016, July). ​Let's get gritty: measures of student outcomes​. Presented at the University of Phoenix - Southern Arizona Faculty Annual meeting. Tucson, AZ.
 
Fedock, B., Avella, J., McCartney, M., & Neeley, D. (2016, December). Online adjunct higher education teachers’ perceptions of using social media as instructional approaches to reach diverse learners. Presented at the 29th Annual Arizona Educational Research Organization Conference. Tempe, AZ.

McCartney, M., Mosely, L.  (2017, October). River cuts through rock: Teaching perseverance in higher education. Grit Summit. Tomball, TX.

McCartney, M., Rick, H. (2017, November). From Papyrus to Pixels: Rebranding Educators for Careers in EdTech.  Online Learning Consortium, Orlando, FL.
 
McCartney, M., Rick, H., (2016, November). Bite-sized learning In library skill development: Micro learning application. Presented at Online Learning Consortium 2016 Accelerate Conference. Orlando, FL.
 
Plough, J., McCartney, M. (2016, October). Meditation, critical thinking and critical inquiry in higher Education: A case study. Presented at the 8th Annual Association for Contemplative Mind in Higher Education Conference. Amherst, MA.

Rick, H., McCartney, M. (2017, October). 3R’s of Rebranding. NLA-MPLA 2017 Conference, South Lake Tahoe, NV.


​Unfunded:
Fedock, B., McCartney, M., Neeley, D., & Avella, (February, 2017) Online Adjunct Higher Education Teachers’ Perceptions of Using Social Media Sites as Instructional Approaches. XII International GUIDE Conference, Orlando, FL.
 
 
Matthews, M. (2006, October). Academic/CTE integration. Presented at the Paradise Valley High School Fall Faculty meeting. Phoenix, AZ.
 
Matthews, M. (2006, October). Rigor, relevance & relationships. Presented at the Paradise Valley High School Fall Faculty meeting. Phoenix, AZ.
 
McCartney, M. (2014, January). Building rapport online. Presented at the Anthem College Annual Faculty meeting. Phoenix, AZ.
 
McCartney, M. (2014, January). Edutainment in instruction. Presented at the Anthem College Annual Faculty meeting. Phoenix, AZ.
 
McCartney, M. (2014, January). Preventing plagiarism and strategies for teaching APA formatting. Presented at the Anthem College Annual Faculty meeting. Phoenix, AZ.
 
McCartney, M. (2015, December). Ha-ha and hijinks: The effects of humor-embedded instruction. Presented at the 28th Annual Arizona Educational Research Organization Conference. Tempe, AZ.
 
McCartney, M. (2016, June). Imagine if you will, the engaged online learner: Using narrative short film for remediation in student workshops. Presented at the University of Phoenix Instructional Design and Development Ignite Conference, Tempe, AZ.
 
McCartney, M. (2017, January 17). Using objectives to measure student learning and guide instructional design. Seminar presented to University of Phoenix Instructional Designers. Tempe, AZ.

 
Plough, J., Avella, J. Armstrong, A., McCartney, M. & Holland, A. (2017, January). Meditation, critical thinking and critical inquiry in higher education: A case study. Presented at The Qualitative Report 8th Annual Conference. Fort Lauderdale, FL.
 
V’Marie, J., Blake, M., & McCartney, M. (2017, January 26). Let's get gritty: measures of student outcomes​. Seminar presented for University of Phoenix College of Humanities and Science Brown Bag Webinar Series. Tempe, AZ.
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​Editorial Work

Matthews, M., Johnson, A., Ruby, T., (Eds.). (2003). The truth and lies that red tape hides: Paradise Valley High School Literary Magazine, 1, 1-69.
 
Matthews, M., McCreary, H., Shoemaker, S. (Eds.). (2006). Student of life: Paradise Valley High School Literary Magazine, 4, 1-58.
 
Matthews, M., McCreary, H., Shoemaker, S. (Eds.). (2007). Future for finding: Paradise Valley High School Literary Magazine, 5, 1-93.
 
Matthews, M., Womeldorf, M., (Eds.). (2004). Banging on gray matter: Paradise Valley High School Lterary Magazine, 2, 1-69.


​Current Scholarship Initiatives

Comparative study of instruction design models for use with non-traditional students
Collaboration with Holly Rick  & Karen Grondin with University of Phoenix Library

Preparing for your next 57 jobs: A millennial's guide to transferable skills (book)

​Misconceptions of online students report to student services on the front lines 

Preparing Online Learners to Succeed with New Student Orientations, long-term effects on course persistence


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