Flow Theory as a Potential Theoretical Foundation for Reading at an Instructional Level Among Students in Sixth Grade

• Published in: Psychology in the schools Vol. 62; no. 9; pp. 3602 - 3614
• Main Authors: Welland, Jonie B., Burns, Matthew K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.09.2025
• Subjects: flow; Frustration; instructional level; Intermediate Grades; middle school; Middle schools; reading; Reading comprehension; Students; Time on Task
• DOI: 10.1002/pits.23561
• ISSN: 0033-3085

ABSTRACT Multiple studies have demonstrated a positive effect of having students read books or passages that represent an instructional level of 93%–97% known words, but little is known about the potential theoretical underpinnings of those findings. The current study examined the relationship between instructional level and Csikszentmihalyi's Flow Theory, which posits that a balance between challenge and skill fosters a gratifying state of focus, intrinsic enjoyment, and heightened concentration. We randomly assigned 259 sixth‐grade students to different levels of task difficulty and task duration and found that task difficulty had a small and insignificant effect on the degree to which students experienced flow while reading, but students in the frustration condition demonstrated significantly lower levels of flow (g = 0.32) than students in the instructional level condition, and experiencing flow while reading led to significant increases in time on task and reading comprehension. These findings suggest that flow theory could be studied as a potential theoretical foundation for the instructional level and highlight the value of fostering flow states in middle school students to potentially enhance reading outcomes. Practitioners and educators could provide reading materials that create a balance between skill and challenge to create optimal learning experiences. Study limitations and directions for future research are discussed. Summary Middle school students who experienced flow while silent reading were more on task and had higher reading comprehension. Students may be more likely to experience flow when reading passages that are not too difficult.