Postgraduate Research Flow Experience Scale: Development and Preliminary Validation.

BACKGROUND: This study developed the Postgraduate Research Flow Experience Scale and examined its psychometric properties, including reliability and validity. METHODS: The development of a preliminary scale draft was guided by initial interviews with 42 participants. Item analysis and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) were subsequently conducted on data collected from 133 participants. Finally, psychometric evaluations, including reliability and validity tests, were performed using data from 944 participants. RESULTS: The final version of the Postgraduate Research Flow Experience Scale consists of 15 items distributed across three dimensions: Clear Goals, Concentration, and Autotelic Experience. This scale demonstrated satisfactory psychometric properties, including construct validity, criterion validity, internal consistency reliability, split-half reliability, and composite reliability, meeting established psychometric standards. CONCLUSION: The Postgraduate Research Flow Experience Scale developed in this study demonstrates robust psychometric properties, establishing its suitability as a measurement tool for assessing flow experience in postgraduate scientific research.