Preliminary communication
FLOW EXPERIENCE AMONG FUTURE TEACHERS DURING STUDIES
Diana Kopacevic
; Faculty of Teacher Education, University of Zagreb, Croatia
Nataša Rogulja
; Faculty of Teacher Education, University of Zagreb, Croatia
Maja Katarina Tomić
; Faculty of Teacher Education, University of Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
According to Csikszentmihalyi (1990, pg. 4), flow is “an optimal, extremely enjoyable state which people experience when they are so involved in what they are doing that nothing else seems to matter...”. In this study flow has been measured with the Flow Questionnaire (Csikszentmihalyi & Csikszentmihalyi, 1988). The research has been conducted on the sample of 200 students. The aim of this research has been to determine whether there is a difference in the flow experience during studies among the students of the Faculty of Teacher Education (FTE) (Informatics, Primary education) and the students of the Faculty of Science (FS), Department of Mathematics (Teachers). It was also investigated which variables (knowledge and skills in computing science/informatics, subjective well-being) contribute to the more intense and more frequent flow experience during studies. Conclusions: There are no statistically significant differences in flow between students studying at the FTE and FS, and the average flow during studies for both groups was M=4.93, on the scale 1 to 8. Proportion of variance of flow explained by inspected variables was 37.6% and it is statistically significant (F=20.68; df=6; p<0.001), but the only significant predictors were positive affect (β=0,45; p<0,001) and negative affect (β=-0,25; p<0,001). The grades the students received have been used as a means of measuring knowledge and skill, however, it has been found that they stand in no connection with the intensity or frequency of the occurrence of flow.
Keywords
optimal experience; informatics; computing science; subjective well-being
Hrčak ID:
78070
URI
Publication date:
29.12.2011.
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