Academic works on Social Flow
| Title | First Author | Abstract | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| They didn't know it was impossible so they did it. Procesos de creatividad e innovación en sistemas sociales complejos abiertos: afectividad, motivación y cognición | SC Da Costa Dutra | This research explores creativity and innovation (r=46) in open complex social systems or organizations. An interactionist perspective of creativity and innovation as a recursive process, as a process acting in a field of systemic representation and problem solving, with multilevel factors, is shared. The general model posits explanatory variables of macro, meso-social and micro-social and individual levels that are antecedents and/or play a role of moderators and mediators of creativity and innovation. Products and new creative and innovative processes emerge from the person-environment interaction. This research used a mixed methodology design, combining experimental studies, correlational studies, surveys and interviews. Cultural individualism (r=49), low power distance (r=-.27) and uncertainty avoidance (r=-.36), are macro-social factors of innovation. | 2018 |
| Trust as a Precursor of Flow: A Social Cognitive View of Flow in Elite Coach/Athlete Dyads | DB Corbatto | The purpose of the present study was to explore the influence of trust, help seeking/help giving, and relation-inferred self-efficacy on the onset of flow experience in a dyadic relationship between an elite athlete and their coach. The social cognitive theory of triadic reciprocal determinism was used to examine the relationship of the elite athlete and their trusted coach in a high-pressure athletic environment as it related to the ability of the elite athlete to achieve a flow state. Using a multiple case study approach, semistructured interviews were conducted with five coach-athlete dyads. Data were analyzed using thematic network analysis (i.e., looking for thematic ties to established theory, as well as emerging themes). Prior research has focused on flow as a personally experienced phenomenon arising due to constructs that are largely self-controlled (e.g., loss of selfconsciousness, merging of action and awareness, autotelic nature, centering of attention, feeling in control). Findings of this study, based on the triadic reciprocal determinism model, showed support for a more expansive model for flow in elite sport dyads, including behavioral, personal, and environmental influences, particularly in the area of trust. Based on findings of this study, recommendations are made for further research, including the necessity for sports flow research to move to a more applied focus using social cognitive theory. Implications of this line of research include uncovering the method by which an elite coach might create an environment in which flow experiences and improved performance outcomes might ideally occur for the athlete. | 2018 |
| Team flow in a Japanese university baseball team: Narrative study of a university baseball coach | T Fuse | 2012 | |
| Flow in a team sport setting: Does cohesion matter? | AL Mugford | … Given there is research that suggested that there is a concept of 'team flow' (Cosma, 1999) and that there is a positive relationship between performance and … happiness and optimal experience. Csikszentmihalyi recorded observations in his … | 2004 |
| Collective sport team collapse-a process model | VV Wergin | Collective sport team collapse can be described as a sudden, collective, and dramatic drop in performance of a sport team within a game. Research investigating collective sport team collapse is still in its infancy. This dissertation project reveals causes of collective team collapse and distinguishes team collapse from other social team phenomena. It furthermore quantitatively tests selected causes of collective team collapse and provides practical implications for athletes and coaching staff members. | 2019 |
| La quête du Team Flow dans les jeux vidéo coopératifs: apports conceptuels et méthodologiques | J Borderie | Recent studies have explored social forms of the optimal experience (i.e. group flow and team flow). However, knowledge about these processes and ways to identify them, is very limited. Therefore, the present thesis aims, first, to define the team flow and its conceptual dimensions, and second, to create a new method to detect the different forms of flow through observation of players’ behavior and game replays. In this vein, three studies were carried out on different cooperative games (League of Legends, Resident Evil 5…) and revealed that: 1) team flow is a phenomenon qualitatively different from individual flow and therefore posseses unique conceptual dimensions; 2) positive interdependence and shared mental models seem to play a major role in the emergence of team flow. Positive interdependence links players in action and points them in a common direction. Mental models appear to allow players to build a shared organizational framework that promotes the emergence of an effective and smooth cooperation; 3) flow, team flow and group flow are mental states that seem to be possibly detectable by observing players’ behavior and their actions in the game. The joint outcomes of these studies help to define the optimum cooperative experience, its functioning, its specific characteristics compared to the individual version of flow, as well as ways to identify these mental states in real time. After discussing the main results of this thesis, we suggest research perspectives and applications beyond the scope of gaming. | 2015 |
| Flow experiences among individuals with aphasia | TW Sather | Flow has been described as positive experiences of intense concentration, distorted time passage, and loss of self-consciousness. While flow has been reported for multiple populations in various settings, it has not been studied among individuals with aphasia. The purpose of this three paper dissertation is to examine flow experiences among individuals with mild aphasia, including environmental and personal factors associated with flow. Advocates of life participation approaches to aphasia stress the importance of interventions that support full engagement in life. Research on flow experiences and related environmental and personal factors may foster improved service delivery and outcomes for this population. In Study One, eight participants at a weekend aphasia camp completed the Short Flow State Scale – 2 and ranked activities based on self-perceived flow experiences at the camp. Results of Wilcoxon-signed rank and paired t-tests indicate high perceptions of flow and stability of flow across ratings and ranking over the course of a weekend. In Study Two, the Experience Sampling Method was used to prompt nine participants to provide ratings of skill, challenge and environmental and personal factors associated with flow (defined operationally as high skill and high challenge ratings based on z-scores calculated within individuals). They used the FlowAphasia application for iOS, designed specifically for this study. Participant ratings met definitions for the quadrant experiences: apathy (31.6%), flow (27.3%), boredom (23%), and anxiety (18.1%). For Study Three, semi-structured interviews were completed with participants from Study Two and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results indicate that participants experienced flow. Environmental factors that functioned as barriers to flow were coded as Mismatch of Demands, Task Characteristics, Other People, Physical Environments, and Non-stroke Related. Environmental factors that functioned as facilitators were coded as Task Characteristics, Other People, and Physical Environment. Personal factors identified as hindrances of flow included Avoidance, Emotional State, and Non-stroke Related. Personal factors identified as supports of flow included Strategic Management, Goal-directed Characteristics, Gaining Perspective, and Motivation to Help. Additionally, traits of the autotelic personality were observed in some participants. Implications and directions for future study are discussed in this dissertation. | 2015 |
| Assessment of teamwork in higher education collaborative learning teams: A validation study | ML De Hoyos Guevarra | The study was a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted in a field setting, based on survey research, and team observations, with interviews and focus groups at the end of the project that focused on the examination and measurement of face-to-face teamwork in a collaborative learning college setting. The purpose of this study was to examine the validity of the Teamwork Assessment Scale (TAS) and its relation with perceptions of personal characteristics of Instrumentality and Expressiveness as measured by (a) the Personal Attributes Questionnaire (PAQ) (Spence & Helmrich, 1978), (b) with a measure of Team Flow (De Hoyos, Dara-Abrams, & Bischoff, 2004) and (c) Team Synergy (De Hoyos & Resta, 2004). In a pilot study of online teamwork, an exploratory factor analysis of the TAS revealed the presence of two factors that underlie online teamwork as measured by the TAS (Menchaca & Resta, 2002). The factors were labeled Task Management and Social Interaction. In this study exploratory factor analyses were conducted to examine the constructs that underlie face-to-face teamwork. The TAS was adapted for use with face-to-face teams and a dimension of Trust was added to the TAS scale. Reliability of the scale was calculated and the properties of items within each scale were examined. Convergent and discriminant validity relationships with related constructs of Instrumentality and Expressiveness were assessed by means of correlation analyses. A Social Interaction Model was developed from a Socio-cultural perspective and its fit to the data collected was assessed through path analyses. The model fit the data and the study provided evidence for the validity and reliability of the TAS. Teams were observed while accomplishing their projects and four case studies provided an in depth view of the team dynamics and interactions. The case studies demonstrated that performance in teams relates to the following attributes: positive social interaction shared leadership, personal and task trust, and effective conflict management to keep the team environment positive and productive. | 2004 |
| Is it all in the game? Flow experience and scientific practices during an INPLACE mobile game | DM Bressler | 2014 | |
| Engaging in activities: The flow experience of gameplay | NE Vickery | This research examines how players engage in gameplay activities in videogames, and how these activities shape their experience of enjoyment. Three qualitative studies were conducted to produce new insights about the player experience, in a domain dominated by quantitative experiments and survey studies. Results demonstrate how conflict-based activities, narrative components, game stimuli, and immersive elements contribute to flow in games. More broadly, the research contributes to our understanding of Activity Theory, a theory that frames Human-Computer Interaction in terms of the goals and outcomes people produce through their interactions with technology. | 2019 |
| Group creativity: An interpersonal perspective | P Oztop | Creativity has received significant interest in variety of fields and disciplines with a major focus on individual level creativity. As more and more achievements started originating from groups, researchers turned their attention to creativity on group level. Current thesis explores the group creativity as well as flow experience in collaboration. It explores the group creativity phenomena and its correlates in different contexts, age groups and cultures. The overarching aim of the thesis is to extend our knowledge on group creativity and contribute to open questions in the field such as - How does (group) creativity develop? Which interpersonal and motivational processes play a role in group creativity? How can we measure group creativity? In four studies, the present research found that (social) flow can be explained by empathy and motivation of group members as well as domain of performance. To build on these results, the role of interpersonal processes in group creativity was explored with adults. While closeness was found to benefit group creativity, combination of closeness with perspective taking was harmful on creative performance. Moreover, with an aim to understand how group creativity develops, this thesis explored group creativity in children and adolescents from England and Turkey. Across these two samples, group creativity performance developed with age and advances in social perspective coordination was one mechanism explaining that development. Additionally, study conducted with Turkish children found task cohesion as a facilitator of group creativity. Major similarities in findings obtained from two samples implicated cultural universality in development of group creativity, however, slight differences in results pointed to the possibility of culture-specific differences in processes underlying group creativity. Finally, the current thesis contributed to literature by adopting and validating a collaborative story writing method as a promising measurement of group creativity. Overall, the studies presented in this thesis illustrate the role that interpersonal and motivational process play in group creativity practices of different age groups and cultures. Findings lead us to the next steps on the adventurous discovery of group creativity. | 2017 |
| How Can the Stages of Peck's Community-Making Model be Identified and Predicted for a Collegiate Basketball Team Over the Course of Consecutive Seasons? | TI Gentile | The purpose of this study was to explore how Peck's (1987) stages of Community-Making could be identified and predicted for a collegiate basketball team over the course of consecutive seasons by exploring Cohesion, Flow, and athletic performance. The study utilized a repeated measures longitudinal survey design with the members of a Division I collegiate level female basketball team (N = 13) during the athletic seasons of 1999/2000 and 2000/2001. Participants completed both the Group Environment Questionnaire (Carron, Brawley, & Widmeyer, 2002) and the Flow State Scale -2 (Jackson & Eklund, 2003) pre and post competition at several times over the course of the athletic seasons, respectively. Furthermore, athletic performance statistics were collected for the athletic seasons. The data in this study was analyzed using descriptive data analysis, trend graphs, correlational analyses, and regression analysis by way of discriminant analysis. The researcher examined the data analyses and looked for evidence of the stages of Community-Making over the course of the season via the constructs of Cohesion, Flow, and athletic performance. Given the constructs of Flow State, Cohesion, and performance, the researcher determined that the team experienced the stage of Emptiness/Community during the nine-game winning streak. Attributable to the literature (Peck, 1987) regarding the characteristics of a group in Pseudo-Community, the team for this study most likely experienced a stage of Pseudo-Community during the first four games of the season. Considering the dynamic and recursive nature of an athletic season, the researcher determined that the team may have in fact experienced a stage of Chaos both concurrently and subsequent to Pseudo-Community. In effect, it was determined that the team experienced an optimal experience during the nine-game winning streak. Due to data limitations and the sample size it was not possible to predict what would occur for a second season. However, a three stage model of team development was proposed contiguous the team's nine-game winning streak. There is a great deal that is not fully understood about the concept of team development, but suggestions are made for further research into this fascinating phenomenon. | 2009 |
| Participation in amateur orchestra and subjective well-being in Korea: A perspective from community music therapy | HJ Kang | The purpose of this mixed-methods research was to investigate which individual and external factors related to participation in an amateur orchestra influence members’ subjective well-being (SWB) and how those factors contribute to members’ SWB from a community music therapy (CoMT) perspective in South Korea. The study employed a sequential explanatory mixed-method design. Quantitative data were gathered from 126 members of nine amateur orchestras through a survey questionnaire including demographics and musical background, Perceived Values of the Amateur Orchestra Members (PVAOM), the Basic Psychological Needs Scales (BPNS), the Individualism and Collectivism Scale (INS-COL), and the Satisfaction with the Life Scale (SWLS). Results from hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that four factors were significantly associated with amateur orchestra members’ SWB: musical identity, relatedness, having a common connection among members, and vertical collectivism (VC). In order to illustrate and enhance understanding of the members’ experience related to the four factors, secondary qualitative data were collected from interviews with nine members among survey respondents. Qualitative content analysis of interview data produced the following themes: (a) in terms of VC, experiencing interdependence among members, approving authority of a leader, sharing a communal goal, sacrificing for and dedicating to the orchestra, and feeling a sense of togetherness; (b) in terms of musical identity, identifying and expressing interdependent self via playing his or her own instrument; (c) in terms of relatedness, experiencing deep interaction via playing in the orchestra music, and (d) in terms of having a common connection among members, promoting active interaction among members, enhancing community solidarity and a sense of belonging. These themes confirmed findings from the literature but indicated that respect and conformity for leaders and interdependence is more valuable in Korean contexts compared to Western contexts. Overall findings of the analysis showed the values and possibilities of amateur orchestras as a music community for SWB in Korea. This study revealed amateur orchestras as music communities where different cultural values are harmonized within contexts of everyday life. The CoMT perspective contributed to findings that music as milieu can reflect and satisfy contemporary socio-cultural needs as well as individuals’ needs while mutually interacting with participants and multilayered environments. | 2017 |
| Creating environments that foster student motivation | S Gardiner | Student motivation has been determined to be a factor in engagement, behavior, attendance, and other important educational concerns. However, many educators do not understand the levels of motivation, the limits of extrinsic motivation (including rewards, praise, and punishment), and the ways to support intrinsic motivation. Helping to increase that understanding of student motivation is the purpose of this study. To do so, a qualitative historical analysis design was used to examine public documents from local schools, the school board, and the state department of education to discover what has been done historically to promote student motivation and what can be done to improve the ways that educators increase intrinsic motivation in students. Data from these documents were collected and analyzed using a combined chronological and thematic approach. A conceptual framework, based on the theory of flow by Csikzentmihalyi and the self-determination theory of Deci and Ryan, created the lens for examining the data in relation to student motivation. The findings of the study indicate that when parents and educators understand the benefits and limitations of the levels of motivation and apply the concepts of flow and self-determination theory, they can create environments that foster the growth of motivation and engagement in students. Recommendations include applying these findings in the classroom to support autonomy and the optimal experiences of flow. Implications for positive social change from this study include an understanding of intrinsic motivation, which could improve the culture and effectiveness of the school by creating an atmosphere that allows intrinsic motivation in students to grow and flourish. | 2012 |
| Citius, Altius, Fortius: Finding Optimal Motivation for Flow in Sport | D Vaughn | The present study examined whether playing “for the love of the game†or “for what the game brings you†affects the frequency with which elite-level American football players experience flow. Since the beginning of flow research, Csikszentmihalyi (1975) identified intrinsic motivation as an essential characteristic of the flow experience. However, Csikszentmihalyi (1975) and others (Mannell et al., 1988; Kowal & Fortier, 1999) have also suggested that extrinsic motivation may contribute to the experience of flow. The present study sought to shed light into the developmental nature of motivation and flow among elite-level American football players and whether potential differences in motivation and flow exist as their careers progress. This study (N = 118) is the first to examine the motivation orientation and flow experiences of National Football League (NFL) players and NCAA Division I football players, and hypothesized that trait-level Intrinsic Motivation Orientation (IMO) and Extrinsic Motivation Orientation (EMO) would contribute positively to flow. Moreover, it was hypothesized that EMO would reflect a positive relationship with flow frequency among elite American football players and this relationship would be moderated by a player’s level of IMO. These hypotheses were not supported. Furthermore, it was hypothesized that as American football players reach higher levels of competition, intrinsic motivation and flow frequency would increase. These hypotheses were significantly supported. Finally, through a series of posthoc exploratory tests, the present study also examined the relationship of situational motivation on the intensity of flow state experience in the NFL player sample’s “most memorable†flow experience in a game. The results of the exploratory studies indicated that self-determined extrinsic motivation significantly predicted intensity of flow experience and intrinsic motivation did not express a significant relationship with intensity of flow experience. Most noteworthy was the finding that for NFL players, both intrinsic motivation and flow frequency were significantly higher as professionals than when they were amateurs. However, NFL players also reported significantly high levels of extrinsic motivation, and low intrinsic motivation, when actually competing in games associated with their most memorable flow experiences. The present study presents an important contribution to the advancement of research in flow and motivation in elite sport. | 2016 |
| Flow experiences of EFL instructors in Turkey | Ö Belce | This study investigated flow experiences of EFL instructors in Turkey by focusing on absorption, work enjoyment, intrinsic work motivation, skills, activities, and time of the day through age, ethnicity, educational level, gender, sexual orientation, and years of experience variables. The study was conducted over a six-week period with 283 EFL instructors working 30 universities. The data were collected via an online survey consisting of three sections. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. The results indicated that EFL instructors experience flow in language classes. The findings also showed that work-related flow can be predicted by skills, activities, time of the day, age, educational level, and years of experience. However, no significant relationship was found between flow and ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation. | 2019 |
| The Negative Aspects of Flow: Examining Relationships Between Flow and Unethical Behavior | D Aleksić | Page 1. UNIVERSITY OF LJUBLJANA FACULTY OF ECONOMICS DARIJA ALEKSIĆ THE NEGATIVE ASPECTS OF FLOW: EXAMINING RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN FLOW AND UNETHICAL BEHAVIOR DOCTORAL DISSERTATION Ljubljana, 2016 Page 2 … | 2016 |
| Group Flow in the BYU Animation Studio | JL Duncan | This dissertation encompasses three articles concerning Sawyer's (2007) theory of group flow in the context of higher education, including a literature review, and two interpretive studies. In the literature review and in the first interpretive research article, the results of the research illuminated the applicability of themes of group flow in collaborative settings in higher education in themes of vision, ownership and contribution, and communication. The final article provides a description of the roles of student lead and professor in this environment and the unique ways that they may have encouraged those themes in the studio. The context for this study was the BYU Animation Studio, using video footage of students working in the computer lab, in their Daily meetings, and video interviews with students and professors in the program. The footage focused on one year of the senior project, with a core group of students coordinating efforts to create an animated short. Students involved in the senior film were mostly juniors and seniors coming from different academic departments, including Fine Arts, Engineering, and Computer Science. In the descriptive article, we gained further insights into the experience of group flow in a higher education setting. Several of the themes from the data resonated with the literature on group flow. Students working on the project had both project and people-oriented goals. They took initiative to solve problems and work through personal conflicts with group decisions, and made efforts to share their knowledge with other students. As group members communicated, they often validated and built off of others' ideas, putting the interests of the group above personal interests. In the same context, using the same methods, we were able to observe ways that student leads and teachers tried to enhance the group experience. Student leads and teachers made different contributions in that respect. Student leads contributed the actual project vision, breaking up the project into tasks for which students could volunteer and take initiative. Student leads also promoted friendship and communication within the group. Professors taught collaboration skills, and supported student initiatives. Professors also provided opportunities for students to collaborate across departments, while practicing collaboration between faculty members. | 2016 |
| An exploration of flow through the leisure pursuits of adult science fiction fans. | CC Little | The purpose of this ethnographic, cross case study analysis was to a) explore why individuals have a sustaining interest in science fiction-related leisure activities, b) describe the role, if any that Csikszentmihalyi's theory of flow plays in the continuation of these activities, c) explain how these interests initially developed, and d) determine if science fiction related knowledge transfers to other domains. Results from interviews with 10 adult science fiction fans revealed that elements of flow were found across cases and that science fiction-related knowledge transferred to other domains. Patterns found relating to flow, development, change and evolution and transfer clustered into one of three overarching categories that contributed to the development of and sustaining interest in science fiction-related leisure activities. Practical significance as it relates to the role of interest in learning as well as possible avenues for future research was discussed. | 2006 |
| Optimal experience in the choral rehearsal: A study of flow and affect among singers | MD Jaros | The present study had five purposes: to examine whether participants in a highschool choral ensemble experience flow, to determine whether flow or other affective states occurred consistently within an individual rehearsal, to determine whether flow or other affective states occurred consistently throughout the rehearsal sequence, to determine whether previous singing experience affects flow or other affective states, and to determine whether gender affects the presence of flow or other affective states. Singers in this study experienced all nine dimensions of flow: merging of action and awareness, sense of control, concentration, loss of self-consciousness, time transformation, unambiguous feedback, challenge-skill balance, clear goals, and autotelic experience. Mean scores (scaled from zero to four on a five-point Likert-type scale) ranged from to 2.396 to 3.765 indicating that, on average, participants experienced all dimensions of flow sometimes or frequently. Positive affective states did occur consistently within an individual rehearsal. On average, a discernable pattern of rise in affect occurred in the later portion of rehearsals. Based on this information, ensemble directors may wish to pace their rehearsals in ways that benefit from this pattern. Flow occurred consistently throughout the rehearsal sequence, increasing steadily across the first three days, but declining for three of the four remaining days (rehearsal six constituted the exception). A significant day by time interaction was revealed for all three affect measures: excited, involved and satisfied. The most salient feature of these interactions was the spike in affect during the third measure on day six. The high score of day six appears to have been caused by the emotional and physical response to a particular repertoire choice. The results indicate that repertoire choice may effect rehearsal structure, which in turn effects flow and affect among singers. Previous singing experience does effect the experience of flow but not affect. No significant effect of gender was found on any of the flow dimensions or affect scales. In the final chapter of the dissertation, each of these findings is carefully examined. | 2008 |
| An exploratory study of academic optimism and flow of elementary school teachers | KS Beard | The goal of this research was to examine individual teachers’ beliefs about their experiences, abilities, students, and academic tasks through two concepts evolving out of positive psychology - flow and academic optimism. Researchers have theorized and found correlational support for the idea that flow is an optimal psychological state underlying peak performance. This study examined two competing models of flow. Jackson (1998) defined flow as a holistic, subjective experience encompassing all nine of Csikszentmihalyi’s original elements. Quinn (2006) conceived of flow as a causal model, with antecedents and consequences defining flow as the merging of awareness and application. The results from CFA and SEM of 260 elementary school teachers, demonstrated that Jackson’s model provided a better explanation of flow for teachers. For teachers, flow is a holistic and integrated concept with nine aspects. | 2008 |
| Development of a facilitation toolbox to foster creativity and innovation climate within teams | M Pfenninger | Innovation is a necessity for every business and a key driver of competitiveness in today’s economic world. Researchers and practitioners are in search of ways to enhance creativity and innovation within organizations. IN.flow facilitation GmbH is a consultancy, facilitating organ-izational transformation towards innovation culture. One of IN.flow’s focuses is anchoring crea-tivity and innovation within teams, because the complex problems organizations face today cannot be solved by an individual, but by teams. The basis for enhancing and providing con-stant team creativity and innovation flow is a team climate fostering creativity and innova-tion. The goal of this thesis is to elaborate the factors, fostering team climate that fosters creativity and innovation. According to these factors, a facilitation toolbox is developed con-taining tool cards, an IN.flow facilitator uses during customer workshops. In addition, an in-tervention concept is developed that helps the facilitator to plan his/her team intervention in order to grow and anchor a team climate fostering creativity and innovation. The methodology used for the development of this facilitation toolbox and intervention concept is the four-step innovation Design Thinking methodology called Double Diamond. The first two phases of the Double Diamond are called “discover†and “define†and contain in this thesis a literature review and narrative interviews with innovation experts. The results of these phases are nine factors fostering team climate for creativity and innovation and good practice examples from the interviewees. The factors are clarifying and ensuring commitment to shared vision, task orientation, managing conflicts and minority dissent constructively, psychological safety, trust, cohesion, support for innovation, participation in decision-making and reflexivity. The third phase of the Double Diamond is called “development†and contains in this thesis two interactive workshops. The first workshop is a brainstorming workshop with facilitators from different fields like coaching, change facilitation and Design Thinking in order to summarize facilitation tools for the toolbox. The second workshop is a co-creative workshop during which customer journey mapping helps to develop the intervention concept for IN.flow facilitators. The developed toolbox contains 55 tool cards providing information to which factor(s), out of these nine, the tool contributes, how to apply it, how long it approximately takes, material and space needed, a recommendation when to apply it during the intervention and the source/theory the tool is based on. The developed intervention concept is called “3 month innovation journey†and is divided into three phases, which are initiation, innovation, and integration. In addition, a questionnaire is developed that helps the facilitator to recognize the current situation of the team regarding the nine factors fostering team climate for creativity and innovation and plan his/her intervention accordingly. As innovation positively effects a firm’s market share, profitability, sales growth, revenues, patent citation rates, market leadership, firm renewal and efficiency, this thesis provides a modest contribution to these effects, because IN.flow facilitators and other Design Thinking facilitators can use this toolbox and intervention concept in order to enhance team climate fostering creativity and innovation. It is called a modest contribution, because many other factors besides team climate, like leadership, organizational structures, salary, and many more need to be aligned in order to reach constant creativity and innovation flow within organizations. | 2019 |
| Flow and learning in computer-mediated learning environments: A meta-analytic review | DP Auld | Flow, as first introduced by Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi, has been demonstrated to yield optimal experiences for those engaged in flow-inducing activities. Recent examination of flow and its impact on learning outcomes has been the focus of research within computer-mediated learning environments, CMLEs. Yet, what constitutes the flow phenomenon and the methods to accurately measure it are inconsistent, such as its operationalization and measurement. A random-effects meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the different definitions and measurements of flow within CMLEs and to determine the overall effect of flow on direct and indirect learning outcomes among adult learners. The final analysis included 56 research papers, with 97 cases comparing flow to learning with 9,976 unique participants. A large effect size (r = .43, 95% CI [.23, .59]) between flow and learning outcomes was found, particularly those that were indirect as opposed to direct in nature. The findings also highlighted inconsistencies in the assessment and operationalization of the flow construct. Common among these inconsistencies was a deviation from Csikszentmihalyi’s recommendation for situated and non-delayed assessment and an operationalization that was inconsistent and varied across the studies. These inconsistencies are discussed. | 2014 |
| Serious leisure, participation and experience in tourism: Authenticity and ritual in a renaissance festival | H Kim | This study examined the Texas Renaissance Festival as perceived and experienced by (serious) visitors for whom this was a form of regular, repeated and highly meaningful participation. Specifically, the focus was to gain understanding of the notion of serious leisure as defined by Stebbins, in the context of festivals, and to understand the meanings associated with festival participation. Following a qualitative (constructivism paradigm) research frame, the data were collected through participant observation and 37 in-depth interviews for highly committed tourists to the Texas Renaissance Festival. The collected data were analyzed through Grounded Theory techniques specified by Glaser (1978). In regard to the characteristics of participation, the results indicated that their continuous participation in the Texas Renaissance Festival displays qualities of serious leisure: 1) identification; 2) long-term career; 3) unique ethos; 4) significant personal effort; 5) perseverance; and 6) durable personal benefits. As they become more seriously involved in the festival participation, they tend to be a part of a well-integrated subculture of which prominent values include personal freedom, hedonism, and anti-materialism. The experiences constructed through the serious festival participation were reminiscent of tourism existential authenticity specified by Wang (1999) as two levels: intrapersonal authenticity (gaining one’s true self) and interpersonal authenticity (gaining true human relationship). A search of such authentic experiences at the festival seems to be partly driven by the perceived alienation in everyday life. When these aspects were examined from an interpretive and meaning-based approach, attending the festival in a serious manner is not just a simple matter of escaping from the reality (e.g., alienation) of everyday life, but is an active quest for an “alternative†to their lives at home as many indicated. Thus, the serious participation in a tourism activity such as the Texas Renaissance Festival could be best understood as a dynamic process of attaining existential state of Being in response to diverse sociocultural conditions. Several significant theoretical propositions were made based on the results derived from this study. Additionally, marketing and management implications associated with staging tourism events and festivals were discussed. | 2005 |
| The development of collective resonance in small work groups | D Ainsworth | The purpose of this study was to examine the factors that contribute to the development of collective resonance in small, intact work groups. Collective resonance has been defined as “a felt sense of energy, rhythm, or intuitive knowing that occurs in a group of human beings that positively influences the way they interact toward a common purpose†(Levi, 2003, p. 2). Some theorists argue that groups that enter this state gain access to a higher level of intuitive wisdom. Better understanding this phenomenon may help groups function at greater levels of effectiveness. Because collective resonance has received little attention in research, this was an exploratory study to examine the occurrence in work groups that function in face-to-face settings. Case study methods informed the study design, which investigated four groups (N = 4) that regularly experienced collective resonance. The objectives were to (a) explore the nature of the phenomenon as experienced by group members, (b) uncover factors that accounted for its development within the groups, and (c) determine if there was a relationship between the phenomenon and group performance. Data were collected using a questionnaire and both individual and focus-group interviews. These data were analyzed and cross-case synthesis was conducted to examine findings consistent across each group. Findings revealed that groups experienced collective resonance as (a) a nonconscious shift, (b) an alternate state of consciousness, (c) connection to others, (d) energy and excitement, (e) enhanced cognitive and creative function, and (f) intensified presence. Further, findings discovered both factors and a specific process groups followed to combine these factors, which led to the development of collective resonance. Findings also revealed an association between the phenomenon and group effectiveness as measured by Hackman’s three dimensions of work group performance: (a) the measure of the quality and efficiency of group outputs compared to a standard, (b) the measure of group member satisfaction, and (c) the measure of group growth and development. Last, by integrating these findings with those of previous research, a new definition of collective resonance is offered. | 2010 |
| The Case for Joy in Learning: Teacher and Students' Perceptions of Flow Experiences in Upper Elementary Classrooms | R Stern | This dissertation focused on intrinsic motivation in elementary schooling, with Csikszentmihalyi’s flow theory and the conditions and dimensions leading to optimal learning, serving as the theoretical framework. This qualitative case study investigated: 1.) How do teachers create flow-producing learning experiences for upper elementary students and 2.) How do upper elementary students experience flow in their daily school lives. Fieldwork included observation, collection of work product, and interviews of thirteen students and two exemplary teachers. Students were also asked to take digital photos of artifacts or spaces that related to their learning, and that they were proud of or found exciting. This case study makes a significant contribution to the literature by providing evidence that enjoyable, flow-like learning can be experienced in upper elementary classrooms. Analysis of data indicated that teachers created flow-like conditions by modeling habits of the mind, providing challenges at student readiness levels, offering feedback, and modeling enjoyable learning experiences. Student participants reported enjoyment in the learning process under conditions that allowed them to move freely in the classroom, concentrate, yet have the opportunity to obtain immediate feedback, and become immersed in, with control over, learning tasks. Fueled by intrinsic motivation, flow-producing learning experiences in upper elementary classrooms also have the potential to put students on the path to lifelong learning before middle school. More research on intrinsic motivation in elementary schooling needs to be conducted to maximize learning experiences. | 2019 |
| Se quer que seja bem feito, faça em equipe: flow e desempenho em equipes de tecnologia da informação | PJ Moura Júnior | Work teams are seen as flexible structures for collective work organization, with superior ability to improve organizational performance when compared to traditional hierarchical structures. Work teams in information technology (IT) can be perceived as high-performance drives, dynamic and productive, especially important in times of organizational change or leading complex and critics organizational (re)designs. Specifically in the software development field (an IT specialization) these teams performance is a measure of quality, functionality/applicability and reliability of IT artifacts, as their main outcomes. It is also expected that software development teams could be self-managed, so that the main concerns relating to the composition, internal processes, tasks, and performance are of intrinsic nature. This document reports the course of actions for building issues for the thesis demonstration, one that establishes that teams working with intrinsic motivations have better performance than teams that rely solely on extrinsic motivations or controls. Drawing on flow theory (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990) as a theoretical guidance for explanation of intrinsic motivation, antecedents and consequents of flow on work teams were identified and an instrument was developed for flow measurement in work teams, specifically on IT teams, with also a model proposition for the measurement of flow influence on IT teams performance. Discussions on the findings suggest (1) theoretical implications, especially compilation of empirical evidence linking flow, antecedents and consequences, as a complement and update for classic studies of the same nature, and instrument offering focused on collective perceptions and developed specifically for flow measurement on IT work teams; and (2) practical implications, highlighting the perception of interest in the matter by the practitioners (managers and developers) and rationale offered to subsidize maintaining positive vibe in teams as a way for turnover reduction and widening the appeal to new members, for instance. | 2015 |
| The effect of personality traits on work flow experiences of employees at four organizations | KP Desiderio | The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of personality traits on work flow experiences of employees at four organizations, including corporate employees, law enforcement personnel, public school administrators, and university professors. Investigating participants’ personality traits—namely, introversion and extraversion— and the effect on flow experiences at work lends to fill a research gap in the human resource development (HRD) literature. In an effort to examine the effect that introversion and/or extraversion have on flow experiences of employees at the four organizations studied objectively, a quantitative methodology was used with a causal-comparative design. The sample for this study included voluntary employees from four different organizations; data was collected through two surveys, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the WOrk-reLated Flow (WOLF), and analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software. Given the importance of investigating psychological aspects of employees in HRD, in this case personality, an opportunity surfaced to examine the effects of introversion and extraversion specifically on work flow experiences. Prior research emphasizes the intrinsic nature of flow, so this research investigated both introverts and extraverts’ flow experiences at work. Moreover, there was a gap in the literature in terms of identifying whether personality attributes affect work flow; this study aimed to address that void in the research. Personality traits of employees should be considered from a leadership perspective when encouraging flow at work. In assessing the personality trait(s) of employees at the four organizations studied, the MBTI was used to measure introversion and/or extraversion; work flow experiences were measured using the WOLF inventory. The primary research question for this study was: “What is the effect of personality traits on work flow experiences of employees at four organizations?†From this question, several others were investigated, as follows: ! “What is the effect of personality traits on work flow experiences of corporate employees?†! “What is the effect of personality traits on work flow experiences of law enforcement personnel?†! “What is the effect of personality traits on work flow experiences of public school administrators?†! “What is the effect of personality traits on work flow experiences of university professors?†The independent variable in this study was personality traits, namely introversion and extraversion, and the dependent variable was work flow experiences. The MBTI and WOLF instrument(s) were distributed to employees at the four organizations studied. The actual response rate was 23 corporate employees, 25 law enforcement personnel, 23 public school administrators, and 17 university professors, for a total of 87 employees from the four organizations. All the surveys returned, except one corporate employee packet, were completed properly and used in this study. The one incomplete survey packet was not used, bringing the corporate employee data to a total of 22 participants. The demographic information collected was limited to gender; the total included 22 male introverts, 29 male extraverts, 12 female introverts, and 21 female extraverts. One public school administrator and two corporate employees did not include their gender and were not used in the study, so the total number of overall participants included in the analysis of personality traits by gender was 84. Although gender was not part of this study, the findings further contribute to the literature. This study was designed to investigate whether personality traits had an effect on work flow experiences of employees at four organizations—corporate employees, law enforcement personnel, public school administrators, and university professors. Based on the results of this study, no statistical significance was found in the voluntary employees that participated; HRD professionals may use the findings to create an environment conducive to work flow, provided that the extraverts in the study experienced flow in a similar manner as the introverts. | 2009 |
| Self-Transcendence and Flow in Military Intelligence | JG Woods | 2019 | |
| Positive, active, older but youthful, women, and" FitDance": Uplifting motivation and adherence in community dance exercise | EPT O'Brien | This qualitative research study investigated active, older, but youthful, women and their participation in a community exercise program, FitDance. This dance-fitness fitness program began in 1991, in cooperation with the New Jersey Governor’s Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Community Alliance, with a goal of lowering alcoholism and addiction in senior adults. FitDance has been shown to actively contribute to members’ and their families’ health and well-being by providing effective aerobic dance-exercise training, enjoyment, and community. FitDance was found to improve mental and physical health. FitDance framed older adulthood as a time of potential, wisdom, and growth, (Ranzijn, 2002) beyond decrements. FitDance study participants demonstrated high program adherence levels, with some members training for over 15 years, and two, for over 20 years. This study investigated the value of the FitDance program qualities, including PEEPS: Positive, Enjoyable, Exercise Practice Strengths, and what made participants stay active, engaged, and satisfied with this appreciative group exercise program over time (Cooperrider & Fry, 2013). This study revealed how FitDance has had a positive impact on participants, families, communities, and society. This research considered how this program’s attributes, including priming flow (Csikszentmihalyi, 1997), can be generalized to allow other groups, across domains, to achieve similar positive social-emotional results. This study’s threefold purposes were, first, to present eight active, vibrant, functionally fit, women, ages 71-81, who FitDance, and who are positive role models of motivation, program adherence (training twice weekly from between 5-19 years), and selfdetermination (Deci & Ryan, 2002). The second purpose was to look at the FitDance model and how it uplifted mental and physical wellness. The mental health benefits were an important factor emphasized by both participants and their children; efforts to sustain and preserve cognitive and mental health were highly valued. The third purpose examined how FitDance has built a positive community through a social fitness model. The social fitness aspect, combining an enjoyable atmosphere in a professional setting, was deemed an important contributor to motivation and adherence. Participants unanimously revealed that the FitDance program was a place where people felt welcomed, positively engaged, challenged, sincerely praised, and connected to fellow participants. Adult children who were surveyed about their mother’s activity, fitness level, and experience in FitDance substantiated their mother’s general vibrancy and her program satisfaction. The stated goals of the FitDance program were to promote vibrant aging, social connections, and well-being by increasing motivation and adherence in community exercise. These goals were realized. Community group dance-exercise programming has the potential to move masses of people toward health and thriving; this is especially important in gerontological terms, impacting fiscal, and especially quality of life measures. Similar to Aristotle’s investigation of virtue, and views about living the good life (Aristotle/Sachs, 2002), PEEPS: positive enjoyable, exercise practices harnessing strengths, matter. With PEEPS, FitDance offers health and healing against the epidemic of inactivity (Blair, 2009, Sallis, 2009), the age wave (Dychtwald & Flower, 1989), and builds uplifting face-to-face, social capital in a digital world (Putnam, 2000). | 2015 |
| Computerized adaptive testing and the experience of flow in examinees | J Marszalek | In recent years, comparisons between computerized adaptive tests (CAT) and paper-and-pencil tests (P&Ps) have focused less on equivalency and more on the construct validity of shifting between the modalities. Examinee motivation is one area of concern, including test and computer anxiety. One type of motivation, flow, has a characteristic pattern of development similar to the pattern of item selection in CAT. Flow theory posits that positive reinforcement is gained through the sensation of achieving optimal performance. This study attempts to determine whether CAT facilitates flow in examinees, enabling them to perform better than on P&Ps. Covariates like test and computer anxiety, academic achievement, and certain personality traits are taken into account. A quasi-experimental design was used to compare 94 middle-school CAT examinees to 65 middle-school P&P examinees on their responses to the Flow State Scale 2 (FSS-2), and regression modeling revealed a significant interaction between test modality and test anxiety on state flow, and significant effects for trait flow, typical study time, gender, and ethnicity when controlling for other covariates. Significant effects on specific flow dimensions were also found. The effect of flow on test performance was examined, but may have been limited by sample size. Reliability and dimensionality was confirmed for several instruments, some for the first time with an adolescent population: FSS-2, the Dispositional Flow Scale 2, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children, the Test Anxiety Inventory-Short Form, and the Computer Attitude Scale. Interviews with students were also conducted to confirm the validity of measuring flow in testing situations. Implications of the results are discussed. | 2006 |
| * Adventure as a transformative experience | AL Roberts | Theoretical and conceptual literature on adventure and the people who participate in it abounds, much of which presents adventure as an avenue to significant personal growth. Other literature portrays adventurers as immature, self-absorbed, sensation-seeking “adrenaline junkies.†However, little a. tual research exists to support either conclusion. This qualitative study sought out those individuals who identified adventure as a means by which they had transcended perceived limitations and achieved personal transformation. It asked participants to illuminate the meaning of adventure for themselves and to identify those elements of the experience that were necessary to make adventure a transformative experience. Six men and 1 woman of European descent, ages 22 to 62, were interviewed in depth about their adventures and the meaning these experiences held for themselves and those around them. Participants provided additional data in the form of journals, letters, photographs, brief autobiographical statements, family histories, and informal conversations. Combined with in- depth interviews, these sources produced data of extraordinary richness and depth, which were analyzed using complimentary methods of heuristic and narrative analysis. Participants distinguished between the content and process of adventure. Specific content varied widely depending of the type of adventure. However participants identified as the process of adventure several necessary components that must be present to result in a transformative experience. These components were constant across various types of adventure activities and all participants. The necessary components of a transformative adventure were viewed as constantly evolving and reciprocal in nature. They included risk, genuine challenge, natural environment, connections, closure. When these components are present and successfully resolved, the outcome of the adventure is a shift in consciousness: a personal transformation. Participant elaborated on their own process, the analysis of which led to the development of the adventurer’s journey model. It exhibited close correspondence to mythology’s Hero’s Journey model. Furthermore, participants demonstrated how they expand the process of adventure to include the smallest daily activities, making adventure a lifestyle rather than a singular “event.†Results emphasized the importance of process when utilizing adventure as a means to personal transformation. This process corresponds to classic models of the Hero’s Journey, suggesting that today’s adventurers have found ancient answers contemporary problems. | 2005 |
| On experiences as economic offerings | SHG Poulsson | In her PhD project at BI Norwegian Business School, researcher Susanne H. G. Poulsson has studied the nature of experiences, and what it is that creates value for consumers who buy experience products. This is a pioneer work in the new and relatively unexplored field of experience economy. Poulsson has conducted field studies of 15 very different attractions and activities in five countries on three different continents. She has explored everything from high culture to extreme sports, Zen gardens, luxury safaris, museums, galleries and dark bingo halls. The researcher has conducted in-depth interviews with visitors to the selected activities in order to uncover and identify the underlying factors and mechanisms that help create value in this type of products. | 2014 |
| Persuasive packaging: An eye-tracking approach to design | RA Hurley | This dissertation details the development of a consensus-centered strategy for managing packaging design projects that enables designers from various fields to participate (seriously play) in the development process. The Work/Flow developed was quantified though a series of empirical eye-tracking experiments to determine if objects produced through the system resulted in longer fixation durations than the control. It was determined that packages developed through the Work/Flow were significantly more persuasive than the control (P | 2011 |
| Being sound: FLOSS, flow and event in the composition and ensemble performance of free open computer music | J Brooks | This commentary describes my recent approach to writing compositions for the ensemble performance of computer music. Drawing on experimental music and improvisation, I contend that such music is best considered in terms of people’s situated and relational interplay. The compositional and performative question that permeates this thesis is ‘what can we do, in this time and space, with these tools available to us?’. As themes of equality and egalitarian access underpin this work throughout, I highlight my engagement with Free Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) ideology and community, reflecting on how this achieves my aims. I describe my writing of text score compositions, making use of the term bounded improvisation, whose purposeful requirements for indeterminate realisation extends most current computer-based performance practice. Though no single strand of this research is perhaps unusual by itself, such an assemblage as that outlined above (incorporating composition, computer coding and ensemble performance practice) is, when allied to an understanding of electronic and computer music praxis, currently an underdeveloped approach. Such an approach I have thus chosen to term free open computer music. I incorporate two further pre-existing conceptual formulations to present a framework for constructing, reflecting on, and developing my work in this field. Firstly flow or 'immersed experience' is useful to explicate difficult to capture aspects of instrumental engagement and ensemble performance. Secondly, this portfolio of scores aims to produce well-constructed situations, facilitating spaces of flow which contain within their environments the opportunity for an event to take place. I present the outcomes of my practice as place-forming tactics that catalyse something to do, but not what to do, in performative spaces such as those described above. Such intentions define my aims for composition. These theoretical concerns, together with an allied consideration of the underpinning themes highlighted above, is a useful framework for refection and evaluation of this work. | 2016 |
| Antrenör iletişim becerileri ile sporcuların sürekli optimal performans duygu durumları arasındaki ilişkinin sporcu algılarına göre incelenmesi | K Sümer | This study sets out to analyze the relationship between the coaches and athletes in relation to the perception of athletes and to investigate the relationship between the athletes' flow experience and its predictive effects. In addition, the level of perceived coach communication skills, athletes' emotions in flow experience, athletes' sports age, trainers’ coaching age, athletes’ weekly training time as well as their working time with their coaches are among the points evaluated in the current study. This study also tries to gain an insight into whether the level of coach communication skills and athletes’ flow experience differ with respect to athletes and coaches’ gender, athletes' type of sport and their competitiveness level. Recruited by accessible sampling method, the participants who were athletes taking part in national and international competitions in different parts of Turkey consisted of 216 women (X̄age = 18.9 ± 3.59) and 312 men (X̄age = 23.5 ± 5.49) (528 athletes in total) with an age range of 17-44 (X̄age = 21.6 ± 5.32). “Coach Communication Skills Scale According to Athletes’ Perception†(CCSSAP) was administered to specify the communication status of the athletes with their coaches, while “Dispositional Flow Scale-2†(DFS-2) was conducted to identify the flow experience of athletes. Pearson Correlation analysis, linear regression, t-test and MANOVA tests were run for data analysis. In the light of the obtained findings, there is a significant difference in the perceived coach communication skills of the athletes according to the gender of the coaches [t (171.97) = 5.392, p <.01 yet="" no="" significant="" difference="" was="" found="" for="" the="" gender="" of="" coaches="" and="" athletes="" in="" terms="" flow="" experience="" athletes.="" addition="" there="" is="" a="" coach="" communication="" skills="" according="" to="" sports="" type="" p="" on="" other="" hand="" between="" sport="" type.="" competitiveness="" level="" as="" result="" were="" be="" predictor="" findings="" also="" reveal="" that="" athletics="" age="" weekly="" working="" time="" with="" their="" trainers="" coaching="" increase="" well="" perceived="" levels="" tend="" decrease.=""> | 2019 |
| Teachers changing higher education: From coping with change to embracing change | I Kunnari | This dissertation explored higher education teachers’ experiences in developing their professional practices and how change can be achieved successfully. The pedagogical development process in one university of applied sciences was the context of three sub-studies, which investigated teachers’ experiences utilizing strength-focused theoretical constructs, following the positive approach. This study also served the development of competence-based higher education, and the more specific focuses for the sub-studies were driven from the field. The data for this qualitative and practice-based study were collected using interviews and questionnaires. Study 1 investigated the socio-psychological wellbeing for learning constructed in teacher-student relationship. Fifteen experienced teachers were interviewed when developing their guidance practices. The focus was on teachers’ optimal pedagogical practices facilitating socio-psychological wellbeing in terms of building students’ feelings of relatedness, competence and autonomy. The findings describe teachers’ holistic approach to guidance and how they consciously facilitated students’ socio-psychological wellbeing by attuning their pedagogical practices according to the needs of students. The teachers also felt that this had an impact on their own wellbeing. Study 2 focused on teachers’ needs for successful change in the phase of educational innovation in integrating research, development and innovation (RDI) activities into learning. Altogether 46 teacher-developers’ experiences related to the sources of enthusiasm and interest as well as the support needed were studied using a questionnaire. The main source of interest and enthusiasm for teachers was social interaction and networking, but rigid structures and traditional practices made collaboration difficult to organize. The findings also indicated that the teachers’ changing and challenging environment offers opportunities to learn and develop, but simultaneously the facilitation of the teachers’ feelings of relatedness, competence and autonomy is needed. In Study 3 the implementation of traditional courses and subjects were transformed to integrated competence-based learning entities and teachers were organized to work as teams. To deepen the understanding of how teachers can find successful ways to work and manage in the change, the perspective was broadened to a group level by exploring teacher teams’ experiences about their collective efficacy and resilience in developing new collaborative practices. Five teacher teams’ experiences were collected using team interviews and individual follow-up questionnaires. The findings indicated that increased teacher collaboration had a positive impact on managing the change. The teacher teams experienced trust in overcoming challenges as well as collective agility and flexibility; this supported collective efficacy and resilience within the team. Students’ motivation and engagement encouraged teachers to craft their professional practices, but time management and workload made it more difficult. The challenges in creating new practices created an opportunity for teacher teams to overcome and develop together. The findings of this study suggested that the successful change in the higher education teachers’ professional practices is based on their capacity to craft their job. Teachers can learn new practices while developing them. They can improve the fit between their own personal way of working and the continuously evolving environment by crafting their work in a flexible and creative way. They can build new kinds of relationships with their students and colleagues based on trust, relatedness and connectedness. They can find new focuses on what tasks in their work are the most essential ones and what tasks need to be put aside as time-management is a challenge. They also need to change the way they think about their job, relying on collaboration and networking. To embrace this change, teachers need to be considered as learners themselves and the ownership of development must be in their own hands to sustain engagement. Teachers with a variety of competences can collaboratively craft their work to be meaningful, but the organizational frame must prevent fragmentation and give value to innovativeness and creativity. | 2018 |
| Co-creating value in video games: The impact of gender identity and motivations on video game engagement and purchase intentions | A Alhidari | When games were first developed for in-home use, they were primarily targeted almost exclusively at children and males. However, today’s marketplace manifests a more diverse population plays Internet-enabled games that can be played virtually anywhere. The average gamer is now 30 years old. Many gamers, obviously, are much older. Yet more strikingly, and more germane to this study’s purpose, 47% of the U.S. gamer population is female, as compared to 40% in 2010. Despite these trends the gaming industry remains a male-dominated culture. The marketer’s job is to facilitate game engagement and to motivate gamers to play. The notion of “engagement†is not new in business. The term was developed in the last decade. Many studies were devoted to understand, explain, and define the term. It suggests that within interactive, dynamic business environments, consumer engagement (CE) represents a strategic position that companies can use to enhance their sales growth, competitive advantage, and profitability. Moreover, there are three levels of engagement in any experiential consumption (i.e., playing video game): presence, flow, and psychological absorption. The findings of this study affirm that consumer engagement, including presence, flow and psychological absorption are explanatory factors that impact gamer’s purchase intentions. Our results show that consumers experience different mental engagement in an interactive environment (i.e., playing video games) compared to passive environments (i.e., visiting a website). These findings change our understanding of consumers’ engagement and flow state. We also found that male and female gamers experience different engagement level. However, we did not find a significant result that masculinity and femininity traits impact gamers’ engagement or intention. We argue that macroeconomic factors results in sales fluctuation may have resulted in reject in this hypothesis. Thus, marketers shed a light into the consumer’s interactive environment and flow states in that environments. Consumers not only determine the value in using a product as Vargo and Lusch suggested, but they also create that value. Also, consumer experience is an ongoing process that does not have a specific point to start, making the value creation a temporally accumulative process that includes past, present, and future experience. Therefore, the value created by consumers is not created while physically interacting with a device to play, but it may include imagined and indirect interaction with the product. Therefore, consumers (i.e., gamers) need to maintain a balance between presence and psychological absorption (i.e., flow) to get the best experience in play video gaming. Empirical evidence suggest that consumers’ flow state engagement is the most important variable in determining their ensuing purchase intention for video games, regardless of game genre. | 2015 |