Galvanic Skin Responses and Flow: Insights from Multimodal Learning Analytics in Personal Learning Environment

Abstract

While digital learning offers advantages, it also presents challenges, including distractions from irrelevant websites. Such distractions characterize the personal learning environment (PLE), posing difficulties for learners and educators. Flow, an intrinsic motivation, is positively associated with learning outcomes, keeping learners engrossed and less influenced by external factors. Nevertheless, most prior research on flow has relied on surveys, and has overlooked the physiological aspect of flow during online learning. This study investigates the physiological signals of galvanic skin response (GSR) during flow experience in PLE. Using a natural online learning experiment, this study employed multimodal learning analytics to measure learners' cognitive processes objectively. The GSR, an indicator of cognitive load, was specifically used to measure and visualize physiological changes with different flow experiences in PLE. The results indicated that individuals with a high flow experience exhibited more stable emotional and stress responses than those with low flow tendency. This study is among the first to uncover the physiological shifts and stress reactions with flow experiences during the online learning process, offering a fresh perspective on flow theory via multimodal learning analytics.