Immersed in learnıng: Exploring flow in digital escape room games for EFL teachers

Flow is a psychological state characterized by deep immersion and focus, where individuals experience heightened engagement in a task and suppress external distractions. This cross-sectional survey study investigates the flow experiences of pre-service EFL teachers participating in a digital escape room game over a four-week period. A total of twenty-four pre-service teachers, aged between twenty and thirty-six, were involved in the study. Data were collected using the eGame Flow Scale, which measures seven key dimensions of flow: concentration, goal clarity, feedback, challenge, autonomy, immersion, social interaction, and knowledge improvement. Upon completion of the game sessions, participants assessed their flow experiences through the scale. Descriptive statistics and correlation analysis were employed to interpret the data. The findings indicate that participants perceived digital escape room games as highly effective in fostering concentration, clear goals, timely feedback, appropriate challenges, autonomy, immersion, and social interaction, all of which contributed to knowledge acquisition. Correlation analysis further revealed that knowledge improvement had significant associations with concentration, feedback, challenge, and autonomy. These results underscore the pivotal role of feedback, challenge, and autonomy in enhancing knowledge and sustaining engagement in digital escape room games.