Online learner’s ‘flow’ experience: an empirical study

Abstract

This study is concerned with online learners' 'flow' experiences. On the basis of Csikszentmihalyi's theory of flow, flow was conceptualised as a complex, multimentional, reflective construct composing of 'enjoyment', 'telepresence', 'focused attention', 'engagement' and 'time distortion' on the part of learners. A flow model was put forward with regard to virtual class environment in a traditional university context, comprised with flow antecedents, flow and flow consequences. Based on the model, a virtual-course flow measure was developed and administered to 525 undergraduate students engaged in virtual classes in order to examine the empirical relationships between measured flow antecedents, flow experiences and flow consequence-course satisfaction in this case. The analysis of the data showed that: (1) students' perceptions of their level of 'skill' and 'challenge' specific to each course are critical to determining the level of flow, (2) flow is a significant predictor of course satisfaction and (3) other than flow, individual differences such as 'gender' and 'having a clear goal' can make a significant difference in the level of flow in a virtual course. These findings are discussed along with the implications for bringing up a computer-mediated environment more conducive to flow and learning.

Experimenting with electromagnetism using augmented reality: Impact on flow student experience and educational effectiveness

“…As this self-motivated learning is considered the best way to learn (Ghani & Deshpande, 1994), a main challenge in education is to foster learners' flow state. In this regard, research in web-based learning environments has shown that there is a positive correlation between the flow state that students might reach when using these environments and their learning outcomes (Liao, 2006;Shin, 2006;Webster, Trevino, & Ryan, 1993). Positive results have also been highlighted by studies that analyzed the performance of students within multi-user virtual environments and gamebased learning environments (Faiola, Newlon, Pfaff, & Smyslova, 2013;Papastergiou, 2009).…”

Flow Experience in Cyberspace: Current Studies and Perspectives

“…In these empirical studies, the participants often get confused when requested to classify the standard of the skills they possess or the level of the task challenges they choose (Chen et al, 1999;Shin, 2006). The more vaguely the applied activity (related to the use of computers and the web sources) is formulated, the greater the participants' confusion is, which is probably the reason most of the current research projects in the field refer to the specialized, that is, nonuniversal tasks performed in cyberspace.…”

“…The currently available experience leads to useful recommendations aimed at avoiding some possibly restrictive decisions as well as lessening the negative influences on the visitors and customers of the existing e-shops and at perfecting the design and the usability of the would-be e-marketing sites (Pace, 2004;Rettie, 2001;Siekpe, 2005). The educational applications of the optimal experience methodology have always been thoroughly investigated, and the cyberspace field is not an exception (Chan & Ahem, 1999;Konradt & Sulz, 2001;Konradt et al, 2003;Pearce et al, 2005;Shin, 2006). A flow experience is a significant predictor of the learners' satisfaction with the teaching courses (Shin, 2006).…”

“…The educational applications of the optimal experience methodology have always been thoroughly investigated, and the cyberspace field is not an exception (Chan & Ahem, 1999;Konradt & Sulz, 2001;Konradt et al, 2003;Pearce et al, 2005;Shin, 2006). A flow experience is a significant predictor of the learners' satisfaction with the teaching courses (Shin, 2006). But the positive effects of the flow experience on a learner's task, Pearce and Howard (2004) state, need to be differentiated from the possibly interfering effects originating in the use of cyberspace-related artifacts that compete for a learner's attention (such as webpages, simulation models, etc.).…”

Inquiry and flow in science education

“…The notion of taste has been used by Per Anderhag, Per-Olof Wickman and Karim Hamza (2015) to understand how teachers help students learn to like science and it is likely that the more authentic inquiry experience for the Off-Campus in its totality led to developing their taste for science. Furthermore, Karen Beard and Wayne Hoy (2010) found that a positive academic attitude (as opposed to a general disposition) contributes for teachers to experience flow in their own learning processes, and Namin Shin (2006) reports that students' self-perception of their skills in relation to a particular challenge is important for flow. This raises questions of how the experiences of teachers and students are interrelated in inquiry teaching, and in particular what the students (and teachers) actually learned about scientific inquiry itself, for example as assessed in the work of Judith Lederman et al (2014).…”