Audiences' Willingness to Participate in Welsh‐Language Media Philippa
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Audiences’ willingness to participate in Welsh‐language media Philippa Law Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy February 2013 School of Languages, Linguistics & Film Queen Mary, University of London Audiences’ willingness to participate in Welsh‐language media Abstract Contemporary media audiences expect to be able to interact with content, but in a minority language context, audience participation presents challenges related to audiences’ linguistic confidence. This thesis focuses on Wales, where media producers have suggested that audiences are often reluctant to interact with broadcast and online content in Welsh. To begin to understand this unwillingness, and how it might be overcome, the concept of willingness to participate (WTP) is coined as an extension of willingness to communicate (McCroskey & Baer 1985). First, interviews with producers are analysed qualitatively to identify potential influences on audiences’ WTP. The analysis aims to assess the relative importance of various factors: audiences’ feelings of apprehension, self‐perceived competence, language background and Welsh language ability, as well as the modality of participation (oral/written) and the level of demand placed on the audience. Second, a questionnaire is designed and administered to 358 Welsh speakers, to examine audiences’ perceptions of different opportunities to participate in media content. A path model of WTP is proposed and tested using quantitative data from the survey. The results support the hypothesis that audiences’ apprehension and self‐perceived competence predict WTP and that audience response varies according to the media context. While audiences’ Welsh language skills are important in explaining their WTP, other aspects of language background, such as Welsh language acquisition context, are found to be less important. Third, the survey sample is grouped according to common patterns of WTP, to test whether the above effects are consistent across the population or whether different ‘types’ of audience exist. Using a combination of cluster analysis and thematic analysis of audience comments, four types of audience are proposed and described in detail. Finally, implications for sociolinguistic theory, language maintenance and media production practice are considered and recommendations made. 2 Parodrwydd cynulleidfaoedd i gyfranogi mewn cyfryngau Cymraeg Crynodeb Mae cynulleidfaoedd cyfryngau cyfoes yn disgwyl gallu rhyngweithio â chynnwys, ond yng nghyd‐destun iaith leiafrifol, mae cyfranogiad y gynulleidfa yn cyflwyno heriau cysylltiedig â hyder ieithyddol cynulleidfaoedd. Mae’r thesis hon yn canolbwyntio ar Gymru, lle mae cynhyrchwyr ym myd y cyfryngau wedi awgrymu bod cynulleidfaoedd yn aml yn amharod i ryngweithio â chynnwys ar‐lein ac sydd wedi ei ddarlledu yn Gymraeg. Er mwyn dechrau deall yr amharodrwydd hwn, a sut gellid ei oresgyn, bathwyd y cysyniad o barodrwydd i gyfranogi fel estyniad o’r parodrwydd i gyfathrebu (McCroskey a Baer 1985). Yn gyntaf, dadansoddir cyfweliadau â chynhyrchwyr mewn modd ansoddol er mwyn canfod dylanwadau posibl ar barodrwydd cynulleidfaoedd i gyfranogi. Nod y dadansoddiad yw asesu pwysigrwydd cymharol amrywiol ffactorau: teimladau pryderus cynulleidfaoedd, eu cymhwysedd hunan‐ganfyddedig, eu cefndir ieithyddol a’u gallu yn y Gymraeg, yn ogystal â moddolrwydd y cyfranogiad (llafar/ysgrifenedig) a lefel yr hyn y gelwir amdano gan y gynulleidfa. Yn ail, dylunnir holiadur a’i ddefnyddio gyda 358 o siaradwyr Cymraeg, er mwyn archwilio canfyddiadau cynulleidfaoedd o wahanol gyfleoedd i gyfranogi mewn cynnwys cyfryngol. Cynigir model llwybr o barodrwydd i gyfranogi a’i brofi trwy ddefnyddio data meintiol o’r arolwg. Mae’r canlyniadau yn cefnogi’r hypothesis bod lefelau pryder cynulleidfaoedd a’u cymhwysedd hunan‐ ganfyddedig yn rhagfynegi eu parodrwydd i gyfranogi, a bod ymateb y gynulleidfa yn amrywio yn ôl y cyd‐destun cyfryngol. Er bod sgiliau Cymraeg cynulleidfaoedd yn bwysig o ran egluro eu parodrwydd i gyfranogi, ceir bod agweddau eraill ar eu cefndir ieithyddol, megis cyd‐destun caffael y Gymraeg, yn llai pwysig. Yn drydydd, caiff sampl yr arolwg ei grwpio yn ôl patrymau cyffredin o barodrwydd i gyfranogi, er mwyn profi a yw’r effeithiau uchod yn gyson ar draws y boblogaeth neu a oes gwahanol ‘fathau’ o gynulleidfaoedd. Gan ddefnyddio cyfuniad o ddulliau clystyrol a thematig i ddadansoddi sylwadau cynulleidfaoedd, cynigir pedwar math o gynulleidfa a’u disgrifio’n fanwl. Yn olaf, ystyrir y goblygiadau o ran theori sosio‐ieithyddol, cynnal iaith ac ymarfer cynhyrchu ym maes y cyfryngau, gan gyflwyno argymhellion. 3 Table of contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... 2 Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................... 8 1 Chapter 1: Introduction ........................................................................................................... 9 1.1 The Welsh language ....................................................................................................... 11 1.2 Welsh‐language broadcast and online media ............................................................... 16 1.3 Personal motivation ....................................................................................................... 19 1.4 Aims of the thesis ........................................................................................................... 21 1.5 Thesis structure .............................................................................................................. 21 1.6 Associated publications ................................................................................................. 23 2 Chapter 2: Research context and theoretical framework.................................................... 24 2.1 Definitions of key terms ................................................................................................. 24 2.2 Research context: Minority language media ................................................................. 27 2.3 Defining a research agenda ........................................................................................... 38 2.4 Theoretical framework: “Strongly participative” media ................................................ 41 2.5 Theoretical framework: Key psychological constructs .................................................. 48 2.6 Summary ........................................................................................................................ 58 3 Chapter 3: Producers’ perspectives on audience participation in Welsh‐language media 60 3.1 Methods ......................................................................................................................... 61 3.2 Producers’ perspectives on Welsh‐language media ...................................................... 64 3.3 Producers’ perceptions of audiences’ willingness to participate .................................. 72 3.4 The scope of the study ................................................................................................... 76 3.5 Summary ........................................................................................................................ 80 4 Chapter 4: Design, administration and analysis of audience survey ................................... 81 4.1 Self‐report data .............................................................................................................. 82 4.2 Development of measurement tools ............................................................................. 83 4.3 Description of the questionnaire ................................................................................... 93 4.4 Administration of the survey ......................................................................................... 94 4.5 Processing the data ........................................................................................................ 98 4.6 Evaluation of measurement tools .................................................................................. 98 4.7 Evaluation of data collected ........................................................................................ 109 4.8 Methods of analysis: Structural equation modelling (SEM) ........................................ 112 4.9 Methods of analysis: Audience segmentation ............................................................. 116 4.10 Summary ...................................................................................................................... 121 4 5 Chapter 5: Contributory factors in audiences’ willingness to participate in Welsh‐language media ........................................................................................................................................... 122 5.1 Results: Demographic patterns in the survey data ...................................................... 123 5.2 Results: Welsh language background .......................................................................... 125 5.3 Results: Focus on L1 Welsh speakers ........................................................................... 135 5.4 Results: Responses to the four scenarios .................................................................... 137 5.5 Modelling WTP: Preparatory work .............................................................................