LIMITATIONS

The research topic is about intangible heritage in the performing arts in Taiwan; however, the investigations involving interviews and observations were taken mainly in the Kaohsiung area on the grounds of available time and budgets. This might not represent every circumstance existing in different cities or counties in Taiwan. The findings can only reason and establish theories from specific to general through the participants’ conceptual perspectives rather than comparing the similarities and dissimilarities of implementation between various areas.

In interviews, many participants did not have a clear understanding of ‘intangible heritage’. They could not discuss further their perspectives on the term. Accordingly, I tried to

imbue them with such a new idea and speculated about their definitions from their talks and expressions to generalise conclusions. This might result in guiding or distorting aspects and subjective interpretations. In addition, such inductive arguments take a limited amount of data to provide a universal conclusion, which could provide a whole picture in some aspects.

For transcribing, it is preferable to draw on non-verbal expressions and verbal discussions to bring about a deeper understanding of the points of data (Braun & Clarke, 2006: 94). Nevertheless, most transcripts of investigations only captured the spoken aspects of the interviews and did not emphasise the body languages and ‘feel’ of the participants (Gibbs, 2007: 11). As mentioned, they used Mandarin and Taiwanese as the main languages of the

interviews, and very few of them spoke in grammatical prose. Further, regarding the literature review on theme operas, Taiwan Opera and Hand Puppetry, there are insufficient English publications, so documentary research was based on translations, as well. After translating into English, the meanings might not be completely accurate.

4.7 CONCLUSION

This thesis includes 9 research phases: (1) Identifying a research topic; (2) Literature review; (3) Formulation of research questions; (4) Determining of research methods; (5) Selecting a research sample; (6) Consideration of ethical issues; (7) Data collection; (8) Data analysis; (9) Writing up of research. In addition to identifying a research topic of interest, it was crucial to decide the research questions, which takes into account of certain features, such as feasibility, interest, novelty, ethics, and relevance. In addition, interviews, non-participant observations, and documentary research were selected as research methods for this study to respond to the research questions. In particular, semi-structured or unstructured interviews were conducted as part of the qualitative research.

When selecting the 23 participants for the fieldwork, purposive sampling and snowball sampling were used to collect the primary data. After collecting the data, inductive reasoning was used as the broad approach to analyse the data, because there were no pre-determined

theories at the beginning. For ease of analysis, transcribing was the initial step to prepare the data. With coding and finding themes, information can be filtered and allowed to emerge in a structured way for further interpretation. However, the number of samples was limited and language expressions might lead to some differences by virtue of translation. Participants’ comprehension might influence the qualitative analysis as well, if those are somewhat neglected. These factors might be further limitations of this study.

In Chapter 5, the international and individual definitions and perceptions will be addressed. Documentary research was used to review international discussions on the issues, and existing official and academic perspectives on intangible heritage in Taiwan. Additionally, the qualitative interviews were used to understand the views and attitudes of practitioners and administrators towards intangible heritage in the performing arts.

In Chapter 6, the key issues are the practices of Taiwanese Opera and Hand Puppetry from the past up to the present. Before discussing the investigations, it is essential to understand their histories and development using documentary research on the subjects. Thereafter, the qualitative interviews will go deeper into the experiences of the participants, of what they are doing and what they expect to do. In addition to the descriptive content of their responses, non-participant observations will also help to illustrate and demonstrate visible images, properties, and events (e.g. staging, rehearsals, performances).

Likewise, the same methods will be applied in Chapter 7. Through qualitative interviews with practitioners, they may reflect their current problems with existence and continuity. In theory, they may also share the views on the transmission of traditions, cultures, and arts as being intangible heritage. By following their activities (e.g. training courses, workshops, and symposiums), non-participant observations helped me understand their practical efforts to pass on the skills and artistry of performing arts.

The political administration and implementation of safeguarding intangible heritage is the leading issue in Chapter 8. The significance of the documentary research here is to examine the laws and regulations now in force, and investigate the advantages and disadvantages of policymaking in Taiwan. Qualitative interviews provide opportunities to contrast the views of practitioners with those of officials on treating intangible heritage in performing arts. All methods used in this study not only focus on the proposed research questions but also comprehensively examine the phenomena and ecology in the field for further discussions in Chapter 9, and to highlight what is important and what could be avenues of possible future research in theatre and heritage studies in Chapter 10.