Exploring flow in the context of education in apparel design

Abstract

This study seeks to explore the phenomenon of how students recognize a state of flow, how differently students experience flow depending on activities in an apparel design process, and what factors encourage or discourage them from reaching a state of flow. Participants of the study include students who are taking a senior level apparel studio class to design their own line of four to six ensembles. This study employs qualitative research methodology to illustrate the phenomenon under examination. It will provide educational insight to instructors and educators in the apparel design field about how students reach a state of satisfaction in the design process. The participant sample was 12 purposefully selected individuals. Each participant was interviewed twice, once during the design process and once following the completed project. Based on the reviewed literature, survey and interview questions were designed to examine the research questions. Collected raw data were investigated through an analytical coding method to create meaningful interpretation. Finally, data were reviewed based upon the literature and merging themes. Based on the findings from the survey and the first interview, the first research question was answered. Students reported they were able to experience flow in the apparel design process and the flow state greatly enhanced their satisfaction which created positive response. Further, participants who frequently reached and sustained flow in the apparel design process exhibited characteristics that mostly satisfy Csíkszentmihályi's preconditions of flow. First, participants who had a clear goal and design direction in the design process experienced flow. Second, participants more frequently and easily experienced flow when working with activities in the design process that they are confident about. Third, all participants had intrinsic motives to work hard on their projects. The result shows that satisfying the preconditions that Csíkszentmihályi exerted is important in students reaching and sustaining a state of flow. Based on the findings from the second interview, the second and the third research questions were answered. Students' flow experience depends on kinds of activity in the apparel design process: (1) flow with analytical skills, (2) flow with intuitive and repetitive skills, and (3) flow with creative skills. Factors that encourage and discourage students' flow experience are different depending on the type of activities in the design process. Including those factors, in the analysis of the second interviews the researcher found a number of general factors, such as having a working habit, knowing the level of challenge of the work in advance, establishing one's own design aesthetics, having intrinsic purposes, having a certain length of dedicated time for a project, having confidence with technology, working closely with classmates, working in a comfortable, familiar, and creative working environment, and having a positive relationship with families and clients. Three factors that were not discussed in Csikszentmihalyi's research stand out - group work, classroom environment, and technology use, so they are explored and discussed in more depth. Since flow experience helps students be more creative and effective in the apparel design process, the study provides insight to educators in the apparel design field.