The Flow Model of Intrinsic Motivation in Chinese: Cultural and Personal Moderators

Abstract

Flow Theory predicts that state intrinsic motivation peaks in activities characterized by the simultaneous perception of high challenges and high skills. Self-Determination Theory predicts that the flow model is more descriptive of persons who have more trait intrinsic motivation. Both theories postulate that the flow model is substantially invariant across cultures. Drawing from cross-cultural research pointing out the comparatively more prudent and knowledge-based approach that Chinese students adopt toward learning and exploration, it was hypothesized that for Chinese the optimal challenge/skill ratio is biased toward skills, and that the bias is stronger for those Chinese who have a more collectivist model of the self. The Experience Sampling Method was used to measure state intrinsic motivation in everyday activities on samples of 269 Hong Kong Chinese college students and 533 U.S. 12th graders. Chinese participants also completed the Work Preference Inventory, measuring trait intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, and Gudygunst's Self-Construal Scale, measuring independent and interdependent self-construals. Multilevel modeling indicated that the optimal challenge/skill ratio is biased toward skills in both samples, but the bias is markedly stronger in the Chinese sample. In the Chinese sample, a high level of trait intrinsic motivation and a low level of interdependent self-construal offset the bias. Findings reveal a cultural variation of the flow model in that Chinese tend to experience the highest level of state intrinsic motivation in mastery-practice (low-challenge/high-skill) conditions rather than in flow-conducive (high-challenge/high-skill) conditions, and this variation is partially explained by the internalization of collectivist values. The findings call for a multi-cultural development of Flow Theory and Self-Determination Theory.