Date of Award

5-2016

Document Type

Thesis

College

Richard W.Riley College of Education

Degree Program

Physical Education, Sport, and Human Performance

Degree Name

Master of Science

Thesis Advisor

Joni Boyd

Committee Member

Seth Jenny

Committee Member

David Schary

Keywords

flow, sport psychology, peak performance

Abstract

Flow is a psychological state that is often described as everything coming together or an effortless performance. A variety of studies have examined the flow state to better understand how to measure flow, to gauge athlete’s experiences with flow, and even to gauge new methods to promote flow. However, few studies look at flow within sportspecific setting. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether differences exist between the flow experiences of team athletes and the flow experiences of individual athletes. Sixty-four NCAA Division I athletes participated in the study. All athletes completed the Flow State Scale, as well as six open-ended follow-up questions about their flow experience. An independent t-test was calculated to compare total flow within team athletes and total flow within individual athletes. Mean flow scores for team and individual were not significantly different (p = .422). Results of this study are beneficial for sport psychologists and other researchers to better understand the flow state and how it is experienced within specific sport settings.

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