How to Classify Who Experienced Flow from Who Did Not Based on the Flow State Scale 2 Scores: A Pilot Study of Latent Class Factor Analysis
The present study examined the extent to which scores on the Flow State Scale 2 (FSS 2) could differentiate individuals who experienced flow characteristics in physical activity from those who did not. A total of 1,048 participants completed the Japanese version of the FSS 2. Latent class factor analysis (LCFA) which combines the strengths of both latent class analysis and factor analysis, was conducted on the FSS 2 responses. Four classes were identified through a series of LCFAs and the patterns of the item average scores for the nine flow attributes were found parallel among these classes. The top two classes (15.1% and 38.9% of the whole sample) were considered the groups who experienced flow characteristics during their physical activities. These results indicated that individuals who experienced flow attributes in physical activity could be differentiated from those who did not based on their FSS 2 scores. Criteria for classifying individuals into the two groups were proposed.