A Meta-Analysis of Flow Experience

Flow experience has been widely examined in education, organizational management, digital media, and leisure, yet Taiwanese empirical work has remained context specific and theoretically fragmented. This study conducted a meta analysis of domestic flow research published from 2020 to 2025, source from Airiti Library database (from January 1, 2020 to May 31, 2025). A total of 37 quantitative studies (journal articles and master’s and doctoral theses) met the inclusion criteria. Overall associations were estimated for three domains: individual internal differences, behavioral performance, and contextual and social factors. Results showed strong positive correlations between flow and individual internal differences (r = .513, 95% CI [.480, .544]), behavioral performance (r = .533, 95% CI [.481, .580]), and contextual and social factors (r = .524, 95% CI [.496, .551]). Positive psychological resources, including self efficacy, well-being, and harmonious passion, were strongly linked to flow and were associated with greater engagement, sustained participation, and creative performance. In addition, supportive context design, interactive mechanisms, and social support facilitated both the onset and maintenance of flow. Limitations included fragmented domains, uneven sample distributions, and inconsistent measurement instruments, which constrained cross-study comparability and theoretical integration. These findings provide robust evidence that flow functions as a key mechanism connecting psychological resources, observable behavior, and environmental conditions, and they support localized theory development and practical applications across Taiwanese educational, organizational, and digital settings.