Effects of participating in face-to-face and online intergenerational learning on flow state: A conditional growth model approach

Abstract

ABSTRACT Research has begun to pay more attention to intergenerational learning and its advantages, while what is the flow state of students of different generations when they participate in intergenerational learning? This study simultaneously measured the flow state of 16 college students (M = 23.13, SD = 1.82, ranging from 21 to 27 years old; 23.08% male) and 42 older adults (M = 68.61, SD = 9.23, ranging from 55 to 92 years old; 33.33% male) in Taiwan by recruiting them to participate in an intergenerational learning course. The current study measured the flow state of all participants after each class over a six-week period (from May 2021 to June 2021), and used the conditional growth model to analyze the trend of the flow state changed. The study design started with face-to-face classes and then changed to online classes in order to compare which type of class participants were more likely to experience digital distraction. The results of the study found that participants’ flow state levels trended downward as the class moved from face-to-face to online. In addition, the growth rate of the flow state (both positive and negative) was significantly greater for young adults than for older adults.