An examination of Csikszentmihalyi's concept of flow in Western Australian school leaders' work and learning

Abstract

Flow is one’s psycho-physiological response to success in challenging situations and an important motivational factor. Using Csikszentmihalyi’s nine dimensions of Flow in this study, a purposive sample of school leaders (N=8) was interviewed about their Flow experiences. The data analysis showed that the school leaders utilised only four of the nine Flow dimensions. The misfit of Csikszentmihalyi’s model is important in school leadership studies, and this research will provide better understanding of school leaders’ motivation.