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Getting in the flow: adolescent test-takers, motivation, and optimal performance

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Abstract

The validity of inferences made with test results depends on meeting the assumptions of the test users, one of which is the presumption of optimal performance (i.e., test-takers are doing their best). Flow theory identifies the conditions under which optimal performance is achieved and can be used to inform test users about the degree to which optimal performance has been attained. This sequential explanatory mixed-methods study examined the presence of flow in 159 middle-school test-takers during a high-stakes standardized test of math and reading achievement. Strong evidence was obtained for multiple facets of validity for measuring flow, including internal consistency reliability; structural validity via confirmatory factor analysis; concurrent and predictive validity via correlations among state and trait flow, test anxiety, and test performance; and convergent validity via structured participant interviews. Flow theory provides a road map to test stakeholders for fostering motivation and optimal performance in adolescent test-takers.

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Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank Dr. John Ritzler, Dr. Joanna Martin, and Mr. Sean Finn for their assistance in data collection and the UMKC School of Education Interdisciplinary Writing Group for their feedback on prior drafts of this manuscript. This manuscript is based on data collected for a doctoral dissertation written at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

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This research was supported in part by a Maurice Tatsuoka Scholarship, College of Education, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

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    Jacob M. Marszalek

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Marszalek, J.M. Getting in the flow: adolescent test-takers, motivation, and optimal performance. Educ Asse Eval Acc 34, 241–273 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11092-021-09377-5

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