Background/Purpose
Postsecondary adults are critical to understanding the lifespan approach to physical education. Flow Theory (Csikszentmihalyi, 1975) and Phenomenology provide theoretical frameworks to investigate optimal experience, subjective knowledge, and first person perspectives of college students in a university setting who self-direct a physically active lifestyle.
Method
Participants are non-elite female and male college students (N=152) who play racquetball or tennis. Participants completed the Event Experience Scale (FSS-2), a self-reported post-event measurement of 10 flow-state dimensions (Jackson & Eklund, 2004). Follow-up, in-depth, semi-structured interviews with participants from each group (n=25) used flow-state dimensions as sensitizing concepts.
Analysis/Results
High skilled players and males reported higher mean scores in 10 and 8 dimensions. Significant main effects (p < .001) are indicated for high skilled players in 6 dimensions. Three 2-way ANOVAs, 2 (gender) x 2(sport), 2 (gender) x 2 (skill), and 2 (sport) x 2 (skill) indicate higher skill level matters most to a flow-like experience. Analytical induction and phenomenological reduction (Moustakas, 1994; Patton, 2004) reveal structural and textural themes, and the essential essence of the experiences. Data suggest 1) higher skill levels contributed to more optimal experiences, 2) males experienced a flow state in more dimensions than females, 3) subjective knowledge of movement experiences highlighted fun, challenge, academic break, fitness benefits, lifespan potential, and 4) the essential essence was a “ripple effect.”
Conclusions
Results indicate self-perception of skills and ability to meet challenges, subjective knowledge, consciousness of movement experiences, and personal meaning-making contribute to a physically active lifestyle for these participants.