Self-Directed Learning Across the Lifespan Regarding Psychological Flow—A Topical Assessment of Recent Publications with High Recall and High Precision

ABSTRACT: Csikszentmihalyi’s psychological flow and self-directed learning have a well-researched and direct connection. Lacking is an investigation of this relationship across the lifespan—the aim of this review. A search of seven primary databases and one supplementary database (searched eight different ways) with the keywords “self-directed learning, lifespan, psychological flow”—for English-language empirical research studies in peer-reviewed publications—provides this assessment of recent publications with high recall and high precision. The hypothesis is that distinct topics are recognizable, concerning the relationships among self-directed learning, lifespan, and psychological flow, regarding how self-directed learning promotes psychological flow throughout the lifespan. As a quasi-scoping review, the standardized PRISMA-ScR is the methodology. The supplementary database search, without Boolean functions, and yielding the highest returns, produced the five results included. Corroborating the hypothesis, three Csikszentmihalyi-inspired topics synthesize the results: (1) feeling better in the moment, (2) body and mind are in harmony, and (3) improving the quality of life. Based on the synthesis, the level of meaning the learner ascribes to their work determines the relationship among the three keywords. The conclusion is that the relevance of flow to self-directed learning throughout the lifespan depends on learner engagement in supporting their work-related purpose and meaning regarding the learning material.