The Relationship between Self-regulation and Flow Experience in Online Learning: A Case Study of Global Competition on Design for Future Education

Low learning engagement and high dropout rates have been common problems in online learning. From the perspective of learners’ emotional experience, this paper investigated the self-regulation and flow experience of online learners through questionnaires to explore the relationship between them. The data were collected from the students in three countries of China, Tunisia and Serbia. They have participated in a three-week online course for Global Competition on Design for Future Education (GCD4FE). The results showed that the goal setting and the task strategies of Chinese students were significantly higher than that of students in Tunisia and there was a positive impact of self-regulation on flow of three countries. Consequently, some strategies can be taken to improve students’ self-regulation in online learning, so as to promote positive emotional experience to increase online learning engagement and reduce dropout rate.