Interview data information for Zhonglu Qinqiang
Description
This study, grounded in grounded theory, explores the audiovisual digital dissemination of Zhonglu Qinqiang opera in the era of intelligent media. It hypothesizes that the effectiveness of its communication is influenced by both internal challenges in cultural transmission and external environmental support. Through in-depth interviews with 15 frontline practitioners and systematic textual coding, the study extracted 43 concepts, 27 subcategories, and 7 main categories, ultimately constructing a model of influencing factors. Findings indicate that current difficulties lie primarily in talent gaps, audience disengagement, and weak market mechanisms. However, strategies such as “breaking the circle” of traditional dissemination and “intelligent integration” have emerged as key pathways for innovation. This research offers transferable insights and theoretical support for the digital transformation of intangible cultural heritage opera genres.
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Steps to reproduce
To gather the data for this research on the digital dissemination of Zhonglu Qinqiang, we adopted a qualitative approach based on grounded theory, allowing themes to emerge inductively from field data rather than being imposed a priori. The data collection process involved semi-structured in-depth interviews and field observation, targeting a purposefully selected sample of 15 frontline practitioners who are actively engaged in the inheritance and dissemination of Zhonglu Qinqiang. These participants included performers, new media content creators, scholars, local cultural officials, and television producers. Each interview lasted between 45 to 90 minutes, and all sessions were recorded with consent. The audio recordings were then transcribed verbatim, resulting in a textual corpus of over 130,000 words. The research also incorporated field notes from on-site observations of Qinqiang performances and digital production practices, offering additional contextual understanding. For data analysis, we employed the three-phase grounded theory coding process—open coding, axial coding, and selective coding—to identify recurring concepts and structure them into categories and themes. All coding and analysis were conducted using MAXQDA, a qualitative data analysis software that enabled systematic comparison, categorization, and theory development. Theoretical saturation was tested by reserving a subset of interview data for final-stage validation, confirming that no new categories emerged and the coding scheme was robust. This step-by-step methodological framework provides a reproducible path for future researchers interested in cultural communication, digital media studies, or the dissemination of traditional performing arts.
Institutions
- Xi'an International University