Çelik Ferdi
Department of English Language Education, Ondokuz Mayıs University, Samsun, Türkiye.
Front Psychol. 2025 Jul 21;16:1593973. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1593973. eCollection 2025.
Quantum psychology offers scholars a novel lens, to be preferred when Chaos/Complexity falls short of understanding the missing puzzle pieces in the complex interplay between cognitive and affective factors in second language acquisition (SLA). Adopting a quantum psychology approach, this study conceptualizes learner psychology as probabilistic and non-linear, proposing that flow, enjoyment, and engagement are dynamically entangled, akin to quantum principles of superposition and entanglement.
To test this, the study investigates the mediating role of enjoyment in the relationship between psychological flow and academic engagement among 162 high school students in artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted English as a Foreign Language (EFL) speaking and writing classes. Employing a quantitative, cross-sectional design, data were collected using a validated Psychological Flow Scale, Academic Engagement Scale, and Foreign Language Enjoyment Scale.
Path analysis has revealed that psychological flow does not directly influence academic engagement; however, flow significantly predicts enjoyment, which in turn positively affects engagement. The indirect effect of flow on engagement through enjoyment was significant and indicated full mediation.
These findings challenge linear models of flow and engagement in SLA. The results, interpreted through a quantum perspective, emphasize the importance of fostering enjoyable learning experiences to enhance engagement, particularly in technology-enhanced contexts like AI-assisted classrooms. Pedagogical implications include designing interactive, enjoyable, and optimally challenging tasks to promote flow and enjoyment to sustain learner engagement. Future studies should investigate more mediators and use longitudinal designs to clarify these evolving relationships.
量子心理学为学者们提供了一个全新的视角，当混沌/复杂性理论不足以理解第二语言习得（SLA）中认知与情感因素复杂相互作用中缺失的拼图时，这一视角更值得青睐。本研究采用量子心理学方法，将学习者心理概念化为概率性和非线性的，提出心流、愉悦感和参与度是动态纠缠的，类似于量子的叠加和纠缠原理。
为了验证这一点，该研究调查了162名高中生在人工智能辅助的外语（EFL）口语和写作课程中心理愉悦感在心理心流与学业参与度之间关系的中介作用。采用定量横断面设计，使用经过验证的心理心流量表、学业参与度量表和外语愉悦感量表收集数据。
路径分析表明，心理心流并不直接影响学业参与度；然而，心流能显著预测愉悦感，而愉悦感又会对参与度产生积极影响。心流通过愉悦感对参与度的间接效应显著，表明存在完全中介作用。
这些发现挑战了第二语言习得中心流和参与度的线性模型。从量子视角解释的结果强调了培养愉悦学习体验以提高参与度的重要性，特别是在人工智能辅助课堂等技术增强的环境中。教学启示包括设计互动性强、有趣且具有最佳挑战性的任务，以促进心流和愉悦感，从而维持学习者的参与度。未来的研究应调查更多的中介变量，并采用纵向设计来阐明这些不断演变的关系。
