| The purpose of this qualitative case study research was to identify how a jiu-jitsu community of practice uses mobile devices to enhance learning and ideal performance states. The psychological state of flow delivers intense focus, peak human performance, and optimal experience. Mobile devices accompany learners throughout their day, and travel no further than arm's length even during sleep. The hip pocket multi-tool of mobile learning provides learners with a connectedness to their community of practice and acts as a supporting element to reach flow. Over a two-month period the researcher conducted multiple qualitative interviews, and observations of the participants acting within their community of practice in face to face and virtual domains. Three conclusions emerged from the findings and deeper analysis using relevant literature. Firstly, through their training sessions, members created a connectedness, or bond through internal rewards and social reinforcement facilitated by the community of practice. Secondly, their ability to recognize and accept failure as a regularly occurring event allowed them to take risk, participate in skill and ego development, as well as the overall social learning process, and experiment with creativity and self-expression. Lastly, the expert participants' intense and continued study via mobile and face-to-face sources led to the perception that they could better accommodate changes to the skill-challenge balance that past research suggests is imperative to the onset of flow. |
