Hierarchical confirmatory factor analysis of the Flow State Scale in exercise

Abstract

[Abstract]: The present study examined the factor structure and internal consistency of the Flow State Scale (FSS; Jackson and Marsh, 1996) using responses of exercise participants. The FSS is a self-report questionnaire of nine subscales designed to assess flow in sport and physical activity settings. It was administered to 1, 231 aerobic dance exercise participants. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) were used to test three competing measurement models of the flow construct: A single-factor model, a nine factor model, and a hierarchical model positing a higher-order flow factor to explain the intercorrelations between the nine first-order factors. The single-factor model showed a poor fit to the data. The nine-factor model and the hierarchical model did not show an adequate fit to the data. All FSS subscales displayed acceptable internal consistency indices (a > .70) with the exception of transformation of time (a = .65). Collectively, the present results did not provide support for the tenability of the single- factor, nine-factor or hierarchical FSS measurement models in an exercise setting. Results are discussed in the light of the need to further improve the Flow State Scale for use in an exercise setting.