The challenge–skill balance and antecedents of flow: A meta-analytic investigation

Internal and External Factors Underlying Variations in Adolescents’ Daily Optimal Experiences

“…Adolescents who perceived an activity to be more challenging and requiring more skills, and simultaneously felt more positive affect and more effortless attention also experienced higher levels of optimal experience by feeling more involved, more in control, more satisfied, and perceiving time as passing more quickly than usual, confirming hypotheses 1, 2, and 4. These findings are in line with our expectations and with previous research using ESM, in which perceiving higher challenges/higher skills, feeling positive emotions, and being in an effortless state of attention are related to experiencing a flow state (Asakawa, ; Csikszentmihalyi & Nakamura, ; Fong et al., ). It is important to note that our study provides valuable additional information by showing that these associations were present in adolescents’ overall experience, as well as in their momentary experience, evidencing between‐person and intraindividual differences, respectively.…”

“…Conditions for the Flow Experience: The Challenge-Skill Relationship Csikszentmihalyi's (1975) flow theory states that there are three conditions that must be met for the occurrence of a flow experience: a balance between perceived challenge and perceived skill, clear goals, and immediate feedback in the activity being performed. The challenge-skill condition has received the greatest amount of attention from researchers (Fong, Zaleski, & Leach, 2014). Some studies have shown that the existence of challenge-skill balance is a determinant for attaining a flow state (Keller, Ringelhan, & Blomann, 2011).…”

The Role of an Interactive Visual Learning Tool and Its Personalizability in Online Learning: Flow Experience

“…Therefore, in the context of online learning, control may be not as important as some other dimensions of flow. Consistent with this logic, Fong et al (2015), after analyzing 46 studies specifically investigating the relationships between skill-challenge balance and flow, concluded that the skill-challenge balance effects on flow is weakest in work or education contexts (vs. leisure or personal contexts). Fong et al (2015) also noted the skill-challenge balance seemed to be more important for older populations (i.e., aged 30 and over).…”

“…According to the model of flow (Csikszentmihaly & Csikszentmihaly, 1988), when the challenge and skill do not match, the individuals will feel anxiety (low skill-high challenge), boredom (high skill-low challenge) or apathy (low skill-low challenge). In a meta-analysis study of antecedents of flow, Fong, Zaleski, and Leach (2015) found the skill-challenge balance to be a strong antecedent of flow among nine antecedents investigated. Therefore, in order to make students fully engage in online learning and experience flow, the skill-challenge balance should be achieved.…”

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“…In fact, the perception of a balance between the challenge at hand and the individual's skills is considered as a core precursor for flow occurrence (Nakamura & Csikszentmihalyi, 2002). Accordingly, findings of a recent meta-analysis have shown that matching skill and challenge is strongly related with flow state (Fong, Zaleski, & Leach, 2015). Although unresolved debates still remains about which and how many conditions are necessary for flow to occur (Swann et al, 2018), the challenge-skill condition is theoretically (Moneta, 2012) and empirically well supported.…”