New Perspectives in Science Education

When students are deeply focused on a school task and enjoy it (experiences flow), their willingness to perform similar tasks and the quality of the work done is higher. The objective of this study is to analyse the factors that favor the appearance of flow in tasks designed to develop procedural scientific knowledge in Preservice Primary School Teachers (PPST). For this purpose, preservice teachers were video-recorded working in groups to solve volume and capacity measurement tasks. Collected data were analysed following an observation template which considers both, student’s actions and the guidance of the teacher. Based on Flow Theory and Self-Determination Theory six main factors were analysed: feedback, clarity of the goal, the level of challenge and skills, perceived competence, autonomy and the relationship established with their work group and the teacher. Results of this analysis suggest that immediate and formative feedback and having positive relationship between the members of the group are essential factors to flow. Both factors make PPST participants to perceive that their contributions helped the group to accomplish the task, which increase their perception of the competence and that their skills match the challenge of the task. As soon as they feel both greater competence and challenges and skills balanced, students used to participated more often, which helped to increase concentration and enjoyment (flow).

Keywords: Procedural scientific knowledge, experiences flow, preservice training;