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Themes related to self-awareness and gaining an expanded worldview
While these themes may be related to learning and cognitive development, the
emphasis is on gaining a sense of oneself in relation to the world and the availability
of alternative perspectives. Foreman-Wernet and Dervin use the term ‘selfawareness
and social judgment’ while White and Hede summarise this theme as
‘perception’, related to Walmsley’s ‘worldview’.
Themes related to well-being, fulfilment, respite, catharsis, restoration
and escapism
Here the qualitative studies address a component of cultural experiences that is
curiously absent in quantitative measures of individual impact: the sense of fun,
joy, pleasure, relaxation, and regeneration. Three of the authors use the term
‘well-being’ to summarise this theme. White and Hede associate well-being with
‘respite, catharsis and restoration’, while Walmsley additionally cites ‘escapism’.
Everett and Barrett’s use of the term ‘intrinsic benefits’ maps to this theme. While
the quantitative studies discussed above do not include measures that address
these aspects, they frequently appear in marketing literature reviewed in the next
section.
One additional theme that strikes us as a significant addition to the literature is
‘self-expression’. Only Foreman-Wernet and Dervin observe self-expression in
their respondents’ reflections, but this may result from the fact that the other
studies focus on reception rather than the creative production or participation
in cultural activities. Further, a creative voice is unlikely to emerge through a
single cultural experience; rather, it develops over years of exposure and engagement
in arts and culture. Inspiration and facilitation of creative self-expression
must certainly be considered among the impacts that can occur through arts and
culture.
Overall, there appears to be less consistency among the themes identified in the
qualitative literature than there is between indicators that have been used in survey-based
studies. Undoubtedly, this results in part from the fact that open ended
interviews and other qualitative methods allow respondents to express themselves
in their own terms, so that the themes that are identified in the participants’ narratives
depend on the particular vernacular of the informants. Further, while the
quantitative studies discussed above all use post-performance surveys to study
audiences at performing arts events, the qualitative studies address a much greater
range of cultural activities, assessed at various points of temporal remove, and
using different data collection methods. It should therefore come as no surprise
that there is a greater diversity in the findings.
Measuring Individual Impact: Qualitative Research 88
UNDERSTANDING the value and impacts of cultural experiences