Abstract
This study investigated the personal traits and contextual conditions associated with optimal experience among college students. The design of the study involved an experience sampling methodology; 101 college students completed experience surveys at eight times during the day for a period of one week, resulting in a total 5,640 observations. Results from hierarchical linear modeling analyses showed that withinindividual variance comprised 70% of the total variance in optimal experience, and the contextual factors such as one’s activities, companions, and perceptions of autonomy, importance, and the interaction of challenges and skills explained 39% of the withindividual variance in optimal experience. Additionally, about 30% of the variation was attributable to mean differences in optimal experience among participants. Age and career self-efficacy were associated with average levels of optimal experience. Career self-efficacy also impacted the degree of association between contextual factors and optimal experience within individuals. These findings reveal that there is substantial variation in optimal experience both within persons and across persons. Implications for practice, research, and theory are also discussed.