Flow Experience in Blended Learning: Behind the Inconsistent Effects of Flexibility and Interaction

Abstract

Despite the growing importance of blended learning environments in management education, the extant research provides inconsistent results. While many studies find positive effects of blended environments or their central characteristics (i.e., flexibility and interaction) on learning effectiveness, dropout rates remain high and learners prefer face-to-face encounters over online activities. As the cognitive mechanisms behind learning effectiveness have been neglected thus far, we draw on educational psychology to derive an explanation for these contradictions. We introduce flow theory, which describes a learner’s complete immersion in an activity, and we propose that experiencing flow mediates the positive effects of flexibility and interaction on blended learning effectiveness. The results of an experiment with 115 graduate management students support our hypotheses. We contribute to management education research on blended learning environments by looking beyond the direct effects of format characteristics on learning outcomes. We reveal cognitive characteristics, especially flow experience, as an important mediator. Consequently, management education scholars should consider indirect effects from related disciplines when investigating blended learning environments. Furthermore, instructors should ensure that they integrate flexibility and interaction into blended learning environments, and they should account for cognitive learner characteristics.