Flow experiences in everyday classes of Spanish college students: the fit between challenge and skill

Abstract

This study is concerned with the flow state as a high intrinsic motivation experience. Following Csikszenmihalyi´s theoretical model (1990), we analyze in which contents within the social psychology subject, students experience more flow. Participants were Spanish college students from a general course on Social Psychology. They completed a diary study during 12 master classes through the academic semester. The results showed that students experienced different states of consciousness in different sessions: relaxation, apathy, flow and anxiety, respectively. These findings provide new insight into the relationship between an academic subject and students, facilitating the creation of new and innovative strategies for learning. The ultimate goal is to modify and improve the dynamics and learning activities for the teaching course, increasing the experience of flow in class (and reducing the levels of anxiety, apathy or relaxation).