To take the flow of leisure seriously: a theoretical extension of Csikszentmihalyi's flow

Csikszentmihalyi's (1975b) 'flow' theory has been extensively developed and utilised, providing the leading explanation for positive subjective experiences in the study of leisure. The prescriptive tenets along with the archetypal descriptive characteristics of the flow state have been well documented. What is less explicit, however, is what occurs within experience in the instances immediately prior to the onset of flow and those immediately following: in what the author has come to term as pre-flow and post-flow experience (Elkington, 2006 and 2007). This research approaches the dearth of knowledge concerning pre- and post-flow experience from the perspective of existential-phenomenological psychology with the aim of bringing clarity to the experiential, conceptual, and theoretical uncertainty surrounding what goes before and after a state of flow and with it a more complete and holistic understanding of flow experience. The research explores the intricacies of flow experiences of participants from one activity characteristic of each of Stebbins' (2007a) amateur, hobbyist, and career volunteer serious leisure categories, namely: amateur actors, hobbyist table tennis players, and volunteer sports coaches. Using narrative meaning as an interpretative tool to generate descriptions of the specific experiential situations and action sequences that comprise pre- and post-flow produced a single representative narrative of pre- and post-flow experience, and the first empirical insights into the phenomenology of such phases of experience. Examining flow in the context of serious leisure has revealed there to be significantly more to the act of experiencing flow than depicted in Csikszentmihalyi's (1975b) original framework, re-conceptualising flow as a focal state of mind in a broader experience-process model comprising distinct, intricate, and highly-personalised phases of pre-flow, flow-in-action, and post-flow experience. Combining flow and serious leisure has evoked the affinity of serious leisure activity for flow experience and the discovery that serious leisure and flow are not two disparate frameworks, but are structurally and experientially 'mutually reinforcing' of one another, revealing an explanatory framework of optimal leisure experience. The newly-emerged process view of flow was used to provide insights into the phenomenology of flow in serious leisure, adding to the explanatory capacity of Stebbins' serious leisure theoretical framework. Conflating flow and serious leisure in this way provides for significant and exciting opportunities for knowledge transfer between these two established leisure-related frameworks and signifies new vistas for future research in both fields

Innovation or inhibition? Factors affecting student engagement with flexible assessment arrangements:a multi-disciplinary perspective.

There has been increasing interest in providing students with flexible learning opportunities in Higher Education – allowing students greater choice with respect to when, where and how they engage with course materials, as well as how they are assessed. However, studies reporting flexible assessment strategies and their impact across different modes of study remain limited with little emphasis placed on students’ perspectives on, and experiences of, the role they play in assessment processes and what they need to benefit from such practices. This paper draws upon research seeking to identify the key design and practice factors shaping student engagement with flexible assessment arrangements. The paper analysed students’ qualitative views of flexible assessment designs deployed on multiple undergraduate programmes (including Chemical Engineering, Interior Design, and Business Management). Inductive thematic analysis revealed several recurrent factors affecting students’ engagement with assessment arrangements, each including key enabling and inhibiting features for realising greater flexibility in student assessment experiences. Evidence of the most effective strategies for achieving flexible assessment arrangements are discussed including the utilisation of a variety of accessible and inclusive approaches, digital tools, and implementation of a balanced range of authentic assessment tasks enabling all students to engage meaningfully and demonstrate their learning

Innovation or inhibition? Factors affecting student engagement with flexible assessment arrangements:a multi-disciplinary perspective.

There has been increasing interest in providing students with flexible learning opportunities in Higher Education – allowing students greater choice with respect to when, where and how they engage with course materials, as well as how they are assessed. However, studies reporting flexible assessment strategies and their impact across different modes of study remain limited with little emphasis placed on students’ perspectives on, and experiences of, the role they play in assessment processes and what they need to benefit from such practices. This paper draws upon research seeking to identify the key design and practice factors shaping student engagement with flexible assessment arrangements. The paper analysed students’ qualitative views of flexible assessment designs deployed on multiple undergraduate programmes (including Chemical Engineering, Interior Design, and Business Management). Inductive thematic analysis revealed several recurrent factors affecting students’ engagement with assessment arrangements, each including key enabling and inhibiting features for realising greater flexibility in student assessment experiences. Evidence of the most effective strategies for achieving flexible assessment arrangements are discussed including the utilisation of a variety of accessible and inclusive approaches, digital tools, and implementation of a balanced range of authentic assessment tasks enabling all students to engage meaningfully and demonstrate their learning

Innate activation of human primary epithelial cells broadens the host response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the airways

Early events in the human airways determining whether exposure to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) results in acquisition of infection are poorly understood. Epithelial cells are the dominant cell type in the lungs, but little is known about their role in tuberculosis. We hypothesised that human primary airway epithelial cells are part of the first line of defense against Mtb-infection and contribute to the protective host response in the human respiratory tract. We modelled these early airway-interactions with human primary bronchial epithelial cells (PBECs) and alveolar macrophages. By combining in vitro infection and transwell co-culture models with a global transcriptomic approach, we identified PBECs to be inert to direct Mtb-infection, yet to be potent responders within an Mtb-activated immune network, mediated by IL1β and type I interferon (IFN). Activation of PBECs by Mtb-infected alveolar macrophages and monocytes increased expression of known and novel antimycobacterial peptides, defensins and S100-family members and epithelial-myeloid interactions further shaped the immunological environment during Mtb-infection by promoting neutrophil influx. This is the first in depth analysis of the primary epithelial response to infection and offers new insights into their emerging role in tuberculosis through complementing and amplifying responses to Mtb