Flow experience in Qur’an memorization among university student living in pesantren

Malisa Falasifah

Abstract


Flow is a state of optimal experience characterized by full concentration, intrinsic motivation, and a sense of control during an activity. This study explores the flow experience of female university students in Islamic boarding schools (pesantren) while memorizing the Qur’an. Using a qualitative phenomenological approach, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with five respondents and analyzed manually using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The findings revealed three superordinate themes: absorption in memorization, effortless control supported by spiritual discipline, and intrinsic reward linked to faith and fulfillment. These themes reflect how respondents experience deep focus and enjoyment while engaging in Qur’an memorization. Several internal factors such as personal motivation, clarity of goals, and emotion regulation enhanced their ability to enter the flow state. At the same time, external factors like quiet environment, peer encouragement, sand parents support also played a significant role. Respondents adopted specific strategies to sustain flow, including seeking meaning in memorized verses, environmental preparation and emotional regulation. The study highlights the unique spiritual and cultural context of Qur’an memorization, showing that flow can be deeply influenced by religious commitment and community support. These results contribute to the understanding of flow in non-Western, faith- based learning environments and provide insight into how spiritual practices can support optimal psychological experiences in education.
Keywords: Flow Experience; Qur’an Memorization; Santri; University Students; Pesantren.

Copyright ©2025. The Authors. Published by Psikoislamika: Jurnal Psikologi dan Psikologi Islam. This is an open access article under the CC BY NO SA. Link: Creative Commons — Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International — CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Keywords


flow experience; quran memorization; santri, university students, pesantren

Full Text:

PDF

References


Abuhamdeh, S. (2021). On the relationship between flow and enjoyment. In C. Peifer & S. Engeser (Eds.), Advances in flow research (pp. xx–xx). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-53468-4_6

Adha, N. (2018). Hubungan antara self-efficacy dengan flow pada mahasiswa Psikologi UIN Sultan Syarif Kasim Riau dalam menghafal Juz 30 [Undergraduate thesis, UIN Sultan Syarif Kasim Riau].

Aherne, C., Moran, A. P., & Lonsdale, C. (2011). The effect of mindfulness training on athletes’ flow: An initial investigation. The Sport Psychologist, 25(2), 177–189. https://doi.org/10.1123/tsp.25.2.177

Bakker, A. B. (2008). The work-related flow inventory: Construction and initial validation of the WOLF. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 72(3), 400–414. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2007.11.007

Bian, Y., Yang, C., Gao, F., Li, H., Zhou, S., Li, H., Sun, X., & Meng, X. (2016). A framework for physiological indicators of flow in VR games: Construction and preliminary evaluation. Personal and Ubiquitous Computing, 20(5), 821–832. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00779-016-0953-5

Bisri, H. (2016). Pengelolaan tahfidzul Qur’an model ponpes LKID. Ta’dibi, 5(1), 67–77.

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa

Creswell, J. W. (2013). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.

Creswell, J. W. (2013). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1975). Beyond boredom and anxiety. Jossey-Bass.

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. Harper & Row.

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2011). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience [Lecture material]. University of Erfurt.

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2014). Flow and the foundations of positive psychology. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9088-8

Demerouti, E. (2006). Job characteristics, flow, and performance: The moderating role of conscientiousness. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 11(3), 266–280. https://doi.org/10.1037/1076-8998.11.3.266

Dietrich, A. (2004). Neurocognitive mechanisms underlying the experience of flow. Consciousness and Cognition, 13(4), 746–761.

Eisenberger, R., Jones, J. R., Stinglhamber, F., Shanock, L., & Randall, A. T. (2005). Flow experiences at work: For high need achievers alone? Journal of Organizational Behavior, 26(7), 755–775. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.337

Ghani, J. A., & Deshpande, S. P. (1994). Task characteristics and the experience of optimal flow in human–computer interaction. The Journal of Psychology, 128(4), 381–391. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.1994.9712742

Hasanah, N. (2021). Hubungan self-efficacy dengan flow pada santri penghafal Al-Qur’an. Jurnal Psikologi Islam, 5(2).

Indasah, S. N., Diponegoro, A. M., & Mujidin. (2021). The meaning of flow for the review of Al-Qur’an: A phenomenology study in the city of Yogyakarta. American Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Research, 5(2), 25–28.

Jannah, I., Raihana, P. A., & Ali, M. (2019). Strategi coping remaja penghafal Al-Qur’an berasrama dalam menghadapi kejenuhan. SUHUF, 31(2).

Kallio, H., Pietilä, A., Johnson, M., & Kangasniemi, M. (2016). Systematic methodological review: Developing a framework for a qualitative semi-structured interview guide. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 72(12), 2954–2965. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.13031

Martin, A. J., & Jackson, S. A. (2008). Brief approaches to assessing task absorption and enhanced subjective experience. Motivation and Emotion, 32(3), 141–157. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-008-9094-0

Mills, T. S., & Rosiana, D. (2014). Hubungan antara self-control dan flow pada santri tahfidz Qur’an X Bandung. In Prosiding Psikologi Sivitas Akademika Unisba.

Moneta, G. B., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1996). The effect of perceived challenges and skills on the quality of subjective experience. Journal of Personality, 64(2), 275–310. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6494.1996.tb00512.x

Monson, C. H. (2013). Spiritual flow: The influence of religious experience on psychological well-being [Doctoral dissertation]. Electronic Theses and Dissertations.

Muflihah, A., & Nasution, A. F. (2025). Tahfidz education in Islamic boarding schools: Problems in following ziyadah tahfidzul Qur’an. Mimbar Pendidikan, 10(1), 23–31.

Nafisah, N. (2018). Gambaran flow pada remaja penghafal Qur’an [Diploma thesis, UIN Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung].

Nah, F. F. H., Yelamanchili, T., & Siau, K. (2017). A review on neuropsychophysiological correlates of flow. In F. F. H. Nah & C. H. Tan (Eds.), Proceedings of the international conference on HCI in business, government, and organizations. Springer.

Norsworthy, C., Jackson, B., & Dimmock, J. A. (2021). Advancing our understanding of psychological flow: A scoping review. Psychological Bulletin, 147(8), 806–827. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000337

Nowell, L. S., Norris, J. M., White, D. E., & Moules, N. J. (2017). Thematic analysis. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406917733847

Peifer, C., & Engeser, S. (Eds.). (2021a). Advances in flow research. Springer International Publishing.

Peifer, C., & Engeser, S. (2021b). Theoretical integration and future lines of flow research. In C. Peifer & S. Engeser (Eds.), Advances in flow research (pp. 417–439). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-53468-4_16

Peifer, C., Schulz, A., Schächinger, H., Baumann, N., & Antoni, C. H. (2014). The relation of flow-experience and physiological arousal under stress. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 53, 62–69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2014.01.009

Rahmad, & Hadi, S. (2024). Faktor-faktor yang berpengaruh terhadap target hafalan Al-Qur’an pada program tahfidz di perguruan tinggi Islam. Didaktika: Jurnal Kependidikan, 13(1), 1115–1132.

Scoresby, J., & Shelton, B. E. (2011). Visual perspectives within educational computer games. Instructional Science, 39(3), 227–254. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-010-9126-5

Sejati, S., Yusniarti, N., Amalia, A. R., Krismonia, T., & Mutiah. (2024). Dinamika psikologis mahasiswa penghafal Al-Qur’an ditinjau dari Surah Fāṭir ayat 32. Jurnal Ilmiah Multidisiplin Keilmuan Mandira Cendikia, 2(7), 1–13.

Smith, J. A., Flowers, P., & Larkin, M. (2009). Interpretative phenomenological analysis: Theory, method and research. SAGE Publications.

Timesprayer. (2025). The number of Muslims around the world. https://timesprayer.com/en/muslim-population/

Ulrich, M., Keller, J., & Grön, G. (2016). Dorsal raphe nucleus down-regulates medial prefrontal cortex during experience of flow. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2016.00169

Wahid, W. A., & Aisyah, S. (2014). Kisah-kisah ajaib para penghafal Al-Qur’an. Diva Press.




DOI: https://doi.org/10.18860/psikoislamika.v22i2.34153

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Indexing By:

  

 

 

 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

pSIKOISLAMIKA by http://ejournal.uin-malang.ac.id/index.php/psiko is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.