The link between childhood environment and learning flow through future orientation and self-control: adolescents with adverse childhood perform worse, but survive in unsatisfactory current environment

Learning flow is an optimal state of engaged learning and total immersion, which is conducive to many academic outcomes. Although studies have examined how learning flow emerges, few have focused on the early foundations of its development. Drawing on Life History Theory, this study examines whether and how childhood environment is related to adolescents’ learning flow. The findings of a large-scale survey conducted among 2451 Chinese secondary school students (45.1% boys, M_age = 13.85 years, 54.2% rural, 17.3% town, 28.5% city) showed that, in general, harsh or unpredictable childhood environment was negatively associated with adolescents’ learning flow, in which the poorer future orientation and self-control served as multiple mediators in most cases, but not childhood harshness predicted worse self-control. Nevertheless, in an unsatisfactory current environment (versus a satisfactory current environment), the relationship between childhood unpredictability and learning flow became positive, and higher childhood harshness was related to better self-control, as well as the negative relations between harsh or unpredictable childhood environment and future orientation were alleviated. This study provides the first empirical evidence highlighting the role of adverse childhood environment in shaping learning flow and provides support for the adaptation of adolescents with childhood adversity in unsatisfactory environments.