The Place of Irony in the University Classroom

Abstract

This article presents the findings of a research project developed to understand the place of irony in university classrooms, through a qualitative study consistent with the interpretive-understanding paradigm. The study is interpretive, because it tries to observe something; specifically, to find meanings, in this case, the meaning of something verbalized in an academic setting. Understanding refers to capturing the relationships within a phenomenon and the search for meanings to better understand the problem. The findings indicate university teachers use irony in the classroom, with different nuances, but most notably prototypical irony that has a negative effect on the person to whom it is directed; namely, the student. In the case of college education, this implies recognizing the young person as a subject of communication who requires clues from the teacher to deal with the paradoxical world. These clues can be provided through the use of constructive and affectionate irony with positive intentions.