Can learning for exams make students happy? Faculty related and faculty unrelated flow experiences and well-being/Može li nas učenje za ispit učiniti sretnima? Iskustva zanesenosti na fakultetu i dobrobit studenata

Abstract

Flow is a highly enjoyable, optimal psychological state people feel when they are so focused at task that it amounts to complete absorption in an activity. Flow was found to be related to desirable educational outcomes as well as higher well-being.

The aim of this study was to assess how often students experience flow at the faculty (during lectures, seminars and exercises, learning, preparing for presentations and other study related activities) and in everyday life, and to assess the relationship between flow experiences of students and their well-being.

Sample comprised 176 second-year female students at University of Zagreb, Faculty of Teacher Education. In addition to questions about faculty related and unrelated flow-experiences, participants filled two questionnaires: The Satisfaction with Life Scale (Diener et al., 1985) and Flourishing Scale – FS (Diener et al., 2009).

Results revealed that students, at least occasionally, experience flow at faculty related activities. The flow is the most frequent while preparing for seminars and similar tasks as well as while preparing for exams, while it is the least frequent during lectures. Flow experiences in non-academic activities are more frequent than in academic activities. However, only flow in academic activities is positively correlated to students’ well-being while there were no significant correlations between non-academic flow experiences and well-being. The only significant predictor of well-being was flow experienced during preparation of exams. That leads to conclusion that flow experienced during activities related to achievement at the faculty are more important for students’ well-being than flow during activities in other areas of life.

Key words: flourishing; flow; life satisfaction; university students; well-being;

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Zanesenost je vrlo ugodno, optimalno psihološko stanje koje ljudi doživljavaju kada su toliko usmjereni na zadatak da njime postaju posve zaokupljeni. Dosadašnja istraživanja pokazala su da je zanesenost  povezana s poželjnim obrazovnim ishodima, kao i s većom dobrobiti.

Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je ispitati koliko često studenti doživljavaju zanesenost na fakultetu (tijekom predavanja, seminara i vježbi, učenja, priprema za prezentacije i drugih aktivnosti vezanih uz studij) i u svakodnevnom životu, te ispitati odnos između iskustva zanesenosti kod studenata i njihove dobrobiti.

U istraživanju su sudjelovale 174 studentice druge godine Učiteljskog fakulteta Sveučilišta u Zagrebu. Osim pitanja o zanesenosti (u akademskoj i neakademskoj domeni) primijenjena su još dva instrumenta: skala zadovoljstva životom (Life satisfaction scale, Diener i sur., 1985) i skala psihološkog napretka (Flourishing scale, Diener i sur., 2009).

Rezultati su pokazali da, barem povremeno, studentice doživljavaju zanesenost povezanu s aktivnostima na fakultetu. Iskustvo zanesenosti javlja se najčešće tijekom priprema za seminare i sličnih aktivnosti, a najrjeđe je tijekom slušanja predavanja. Doživljaj zanesenosti češći je tijekom neakademskih nego tijekom akademskih aktivnosti. No samo doživljaj zanesenosti u akademskim aktivnostima je pozitivno povezan s dobrobiti, a zanesenost povezana s neakademskim aktivnostima nije značajno povezana s dobrobiti. Jedini značajni prediktor dobrobiti je zanesenost povezana s pripremom ispita. To dovodi do zaključka da je stanje zanesenosti u akademskim aktivnostima vezanim uz postignuće važnije za studentsku dobrobit od stanja zanesenosti prilikom aktivnosti u ostalim područjima života.

 Ključne riječi: dobrobit; psihološki napredak; studenti; zadovoljstvo životom.