Flow Experience in the Chinese Blended Classroom: How Students and Teachers Shape English Success

Abstract

While blended learning has become increasingly institutionalised in Chinese higher education, low academic performance in English and limited participation in English-Medium Instruction (EMI) environments remain significant concerns. Although much has been researched on technological integration and linguistic challenges, little research has examined the interaction of student- and teacher-related factors to foster a flow experience and, subsequently, improve academic performance in English. This research is based on the Flow Theory (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990), which examines direct and mediated relationships among student and teacher factors, flow experience, and English academic performance within a Chinese blended classroom context. The sample data were gathered from 165 non-English majors, both first- and second-year undergraduates enrolled in mandatory College English classes, using purposive sampling. A structured questionnaire comprising 38 questions was developed and administered, and the data were analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The results show that student- and teacher-related factors have significant positive direct effects on English academic performance. The results of the flow experience are notably large and positive, and flow experience partially mediates the relationships between students’ and teachers’ factors and academic outcomes. The findings provide empirical support for the challenge-skill balance hypothesis of Flow Theory, demonstrating how the joint influence of the learners’ capabilities and the instructional requirements leads to optimal psychological involvement. The study contributes to existing knowledge by incorporating variables related to learners and instruction into a single structural model, which will help understand how psychological immersion can be applied to English language success within a blended higher education setting.