Examination of Dispositional Flow State and Self-Esteem of University Students Who Do Sport and Exercise

The aim of this study is to examine the dispositional flow state and self-esteem of university students who exercise and participate in sports, according to gender, participation in individual or group sports, and exercise and sports participation status, and to reveal the relationship between dispositional flow state and self-esteem. The research is based on a correlational survey model. The study group consists of 400 students in total, 200 licensed athletes and 200 students who exercise, studying in various faculties of Akdeniz University during the 2017-2018 academic year. The Dispositional Flow State Scale-2 and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale were used as data collection tools in the research. Since the data showed a normal distribution, t-test and Pearson correlation coefficient test were used in the analysis of the data. A statistically significant difference was found in the transformation of time sub-dimension in favor of students participating in individual sports when students were compared according to whether they engaged in individual or team sports. In the comparison between students who engaged in exercise and those who participated in sports, statistically significant differences were found in favor of the sports group in the challenge–skill balance, clear goals, unambiguous feedback, and autotelic experience sub-dimensions. Moderate to low positive correlations were found between dispositional flow state and self-esteem in students who exercise and participate in sports. In conclusion, this study showed that students who participated in sports had higher scores only in the sub-dimensions of challenge–skill balance, clear goals, unambiguous feedback, and autotelic experience. As the dispositional flow state of university students increases, their self-esteem levels also increase.