Enhancing student well-being and focus: The role of playful study design and strengths use

Although students' proactive behaviors are known to positively impact their performance, the mechanisms and conditions shaping this relationship remain largely unexplored and not well understood. In the present study, using proactivity theory as an overarching framework, we propose that two forms of proactive behaviors – strengths use and playful study design – may enhance students' flow experiences. In turn, student's flow is hypothesized to be positively associated with subsequent attentional outcomes. Furthermore, drawing on reward sensitivity theory, we test moderation conditions and propose that individual differences in reward sensitivity moderate the relationship between proactive behaviors and flow. To test these hypotheses, we employed an experience sampling method (N_between = 117, N_within = 1,085) in combination with a computerized task to assess subjective attentional focus and objective attentional performance. Multilevel analyses revealed that strengths use and playful study design were positively associated with student flow experiences. There were mixed findings regarding flow and its attentional outcomes. Flow was positively related to subjective attentional focus but was not significantly related to objective attentional performance. These findings largely support our hypotheses and underscore the potential of proactive behaviors to positively impact students' daily well-being and their implications on attentional outcomes.