Description
Ratings grids, emerging from personal construct theory, measure an individual’s perception
of a situation. This paper and exercises seek to demonstrate how researchers and managers can use
the grid to evaluate visitors’ perceptions of an attraction or event.
International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research
Using the ratings grid in tourism/event management
Marian H. Wooten William C. Norman
Article information:
To cite this document:
Marian H. Wooten William C. Norman, (2009),"Using the ratings grid in tourism/event management", International J ournal of Culture,
Tourism and Hospitality Research, Vol. 3 Iss 4 pp. 347 - 360
Permanent link to this document:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/17506180910994569
Downloaded on: 24 January 2016, At: 22:08 (PT)
References: this document contains references to 16 other documents.
To copy this document: [email protected]
The fulltext of this document has been downloaded 1127 times since 2009*
Users who downloaded this article also downloaded:
J udith Mair, Michelle Whitford, (2013),"An exploration of events research: event topics, themes and emerging trends", International
J ournal of Event and Festival Management, Vol. 4 Iss 1 pp. 6-30 http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/17582951311307485
J ungwoon Kim, Soyoung Boo, Yonghwi Kim, (2013),"Patterns and trends in event tourism study topics over 30 years", International
J ournal of Event and Festival Management, Vol. 4 Iss 1 pp. 66-83 http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/17582951311307520
Nasiru Idris Medugu, M. Rafee Majid, Foziah J ohar, I.D. Choji, (2010),"The role of afforestation programme in combating
desertification in Nigeria", International J ournal of Climate Change Strategies and Management, Vol. 2 Iss 1 pp. 35-47 http://
dx.doi.org/10.1108/17568691011020247
Access to this document was granted through an Emerald subscription provided by emerald-srm:115632 []
For Authors
If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service
information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit
www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information.
About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.com
Emerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than
290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional
customer resources and services.
Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)
and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation.
*Related content and download information correct at time of download.
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
Using the ratings grid in tourism/event
management
Marian H. Wooten and William C. Norman
Abstract
Purpose – Ratings grids, emerging from personal construct theory, measure an individual’s perception
of a situation. This paper and exercises seek to demonstrate how researchers and managers can use
the grid to evaluate visitors’ perceptions of an attraction or event.
Design/methodology/approach – A training exercise explains how to use the ratings grid, a type of
repertory grid, to evaluate tourist attractions or special events. A ratings grid example analyzes visitors’
impressions of an art festival (n ¼ 142). The steps taken for grid development, administration strategy,
and analysis are discussed and described.
Findings – The results suggest that visitors’ impressions of the art festival are consistent with the festival’s
communication objectives. These ?ndings suggest that the art festival presents itself to visitors accurately.
Research limitations/implications – Ratings grids are designed to examine only the elements a
researcher selects. Important elements to respondents may be overlooked using this test, and the
researcher will not get an accurate measure of respondents’ attitudes.
Originality/value – The exercise provides guidance to a useful method for measuring visitor
perceptions and allows researchers and managers to understand visitor experiences better.
Keywords Tourism, Quality assessment, Perception, Customer satisfaction
Paper type Research paper
Meanings of events
All individuals possess a unique worldview, which they create and recreate continually
based on new experiences (Shaw, 1985). As an individual encounters a situation, she
ascribes meaning to the context and her place therein. This process works in daily
occurrences as well as in special environments and situations such as a tourist attraction,
special event, or festival. Understanding meaning provides a strategy for leisure and tourism
professionals to manage events and attractions by enhancing visitor encounters that result
in more personally satisfying experiences. Personal construct theory offers one strategy to
investigate the meanings visitors derive fromtourist attractions, special events, and festivals.
Personal construct theory (PCT) offers a way to conceptualize and measure symbolic
meanings created by individuals through the consideration of the entities composing the
attraction or event (Kelly, 1955). According to PCT, the individual anticipates the way
something will be, based on his/her own internal multi-dimensional model of reality (Candy,
1981). When an event occurs, the individual attempts to ?t the experience into the existing
system of constructs, or ideas about the world. If a match cannot be made, existing
constructs are revised or new constructs are invented.
Thus, an incident’s perception relates to both expected and experienced events. While no
pre-existing tools exist to measure the unique meanings attached to a tourist attraction,
special event, or festival, the following example and exercises demonstrate using personal
DOI 10.1108/17506180910994569 VOL. 3 NO. 4 2009, pp. 347-360, Q Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1750-6182
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
PAGE 347
Marian H. Wooten is based
in the Department of Health,
Physical Education and
Recreation, University of
North Carolina at
Pembroke, Pembroke,
North Carolina, USA.
William C. Norman is based
in the Department of Parks,
Recreation and Tourism
Management, Clemson
University, Clemson, South
Carolina, USA.
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
construct theory and an associated test, the ratings grid, as techniques to identify and
measure meaning.
Personal construct theory and testing methods
Personal construct theory
PCT addresses the individual’s construction of an experience because ‘‘[t]here is a world
which is happening all the time. Our experience is that portion of it which is happening to us’’
at any given time (Kelly, 1955, p. 170). A person’s experience consists of ‘‘a set of personally
construed events’’ (Kelly, 1955, p. 171). While subjective, these constructs appear real and
true to the individual experiencing the events. Although PCT discusses the individual
speci?cally, personal construction also can be used at the group level to learn how groups
construe events.
Within the context of PCT and associated tests, the terms element and construct take on
speci?c de?nitions. Elements are ‘‘things or events which are abstracted by a construct’’
(Kelly, 1955, p. 137), in essence nouns to be described by adjectives. A construct can be
thought of as performing the same function as an adjective. Constructs indicate how ‘‘some
things are construed as being alike yet different from others’’ (Kelly, 1955, p. 105). A
construct is bipolar; one end is referred to as the likeness (or emergent) pole, and the
opposite end is referred to as the contrast (or implicit) pole. In some cases, the contrast or
implicit pole may not exist as an easily de?ned and identi?able term. Constructs are
predictive in nature. Once de?ned by the individual, constructs help predict future events. If
the individual anticipates the occurrence, the process validates the prediction and the
construct accurately describes the element.
The repertory grid and the ratings grid
The repertory grid test (RPT) was developed in conjunction with personal construct theory in
order to allowpsychologists to understand the way an individual handles and relates to other
individuals (Kelly, 1955). The test has many forms and can be applied to individuals or
groups.
While RPT’s intention is to investigate how an individual relates to other people, researchers
use this analysis for other (non-human) elements. For example, Caldwell and Coshall (2002)
studied museums in London to investigate the images museums cultivate consciously to
attract visitors because brands ‘‘have become bearers of emotional and symbolic meaning’’
(p. 383). Each respondent was provided with a list of London museums (e.g. British
Museum). Informants were not provided with constructs for evaluation; instead, each
respondent identi?ed their own constructs. Not surprisingly, the constructs varied across
informants due to the form of repertory grid testing employed. The three most commonly
named constructs dealt with ‘‘exhibits art/painting’’, ‘‘to do with history’’, and ‘‘interesting’’
(Caldwell and Coshall, 2002).
RPTencompasses a variety of forms. In each form, the test aims to ‘‘make a direct approach
to the elicitation of such constructs in the subjects whose personal-social behavior’’ is under
investigation (Kelly, 1955, p. 219). In some RPT forms, informants generate elements and
then they identify constructs based on these elements. These steps involve lengthy
interviews with each respondent. An alternative repertory grid form, known as the ‘‘ratings
grid,’’ works well and does not require the lengthy interviews.
When using the ratings grid, the manager or researcher provides both constructs (likeness
and contrast poles) and elements. Informants are asked to rate each element on a scale from
one to seven for each construct (Fransella et al., 2004). Via the ratings grid approach, the
respondent rate an element in terms of the likeness/emergent pole (1), the contrast/implicit
pole (7), or some location between the two extremes (2-6). Because managers or
researchers provide elements and constructs to the sample population, he/she must ensure
the informants understand the terminology (Fransella et al., 2004). Inappropriate
terminology results in grid administration dif?culties and comprehension.
PAGE 348
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
VOL. 3 NO. 4 2009
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
Nonetheless, providing constructs is acceptable and useful if a manager or researcher feels
that informants would not generate constructs of interest themselves, (Fransella et al., 2004).
The key is to assure that constructs are understandable and meaningful to informants
(Fransella et al., 2004). Pre-testing the ratings grid on representative individuals is
recommended. Construct and element identi?cation may come from pre-tests or printed
materials related to the activity or event under investigation.
Bene?ts to the use of personal construct theory and repertory grid testing
PCT and the repertory grid procedure offer a several bene?ts to managers. The theory
avoids problems associated with using a humanistic approach to understand an individual’s
point of view. These problems include using of an ‘‘arcane vocabulary’’, verifying
statements, and ascertaining the actual individual(s) being studied (Walmsley and Young,
1998). While other questionnaires use categories formed by the researcher or manager,
repertory grid testing allows informants to form categories, so that researchers or managers
understand how respondents structure and perceive their environment (Caldwell and
Coshall, 2002; Coshall, 2000; Embacher and Buttle, 1989). When pre-determined constructs
and elements are employed, the respondent still possesses great ?exibility to rate an
element according to personal understanding of the construct’s likeness/contrast. An added
bene?t is that either word/verbal phrases or photographs can be employed (Coshall, 2000).
Criticisms of the repertory grid
Read (1994) describes the potential problems with the repertory grid’s reliability and validity.
The repertory grid’s individualized nature and method’s ability to cater to speci?c individuals
and speci?c populations suggest test replication is problematic (Babbie, 2002). Repertory
grid testing may generate problems with validity (Babbie, 2002) because informants cannot
verbalize complex values and emotions (Marsden and Littler, 2000) and the high degree of
structure imposed on informants ‘‘in terms of how their meanings are elicited, analysed and
represented’’ (Marsden and Littler, 2000, p. 140). Studies employing a version of repertory
grid testing may exhibit researcher bias in interpreting constructs because the researcher
must interpret another individual or group’s psychological space (Middleton and Spanias,
1999). Lastly, interpretation can be dif?cult, so well-articulated models are needed to guide
interpretation (Middleton and Spanias, 1999).
Administration of ratings grids
The ratings grid used in the training exercise, may be administered in many forms such as a
series of questions or a grid with blanks (see Appendix). In the ?rst instance (see Figure 1),
the respondent considers a statement such as: ‘‘On a scale from one to seven, where one
equals tall and seven equals short, how would you rate person x on height?’’ This question
can be administered as an interview or as a self-administered questionnaire. In the example
used in the training exercise, a respondent completes the blank ratings grid using
constructs and elements provided by the researcher (see Figure 2). Another effective
Figure 1 Sample questions
VOL. 3 NO. 4 2009
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
PAGE 349
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
procedure is an interview format. The researcher asks the respondent to consider each
element across all constructs before moving to the next element.
Example: Kentuck Festival of the Arts
The following example comes from a study designed to understand better the attitudes of
cultural tourists and festival goers. Researchers investigated the meanings generated by
visitation to an art-themed special event, the Kentuck Festival of the Arts, held annually in
Northport, Alabama (Wooten, 2006). Because the festival director wanted to ?nd out whether
attendees described this special event in the terms similar to the descriptions used by
festival organizers, the ratings grid was deemed appropriate. Providing constructs and
elements forced informants to consider certain dimensions of meaning which they may not
have elicited on their own. The ratings grid aids in interpretation because only a ?xed
number of likeness-contrast pairs and elements are considered.
To create the ratings grid (i.e. constructs and elements), the researcher studied the event
web site, met with the festival director, and performed content analysis of festival advertising
materials and media guides. Based on these sources of information, a code and retrieve
method was used to generate constructs for the ratings grid (see Richards and Richards,
1994). In this method, text is labeled according to items of interest (coding) and sorted into
categories for retrieval. This procedure is doable using computer software or manually, as
was the case in this example. Reoccurring terms were identi?ed and grouped based on
similarity to produce the following potential likeness poles for constructs. Likenesses were
identi?ed as: celebration, contemporary, creativity, demonstrative, education, experience,
Figure 2 Ratings grid for the Kentuck Festival of the Arts
PAGE 350
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
VOL. 3 NO. 4 2009
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
folk, handmade, local/regional, self-taught, Southern, traditional, unique, and visionary (see
Figure 2).
Several elements were selected due to their prominence on the Kentuck Festival of the Arts
web site (Kentuck Festival of the Arts, 2004). These elements included: artists, craftsmen,
art, crafts, children’s art activities, ten minute plays, music, and food. Two additional
elements related speci?cally to the setting of the festival were included: the host community
of Northport, Alabama and the festival grounds, a public park known as Kentuck Park (see
Figure 2).
Using the likeness poles of constructs identi?ed, pre-testing was undertaken at two regional
art festivals in the southeastern United States by undergraduate and graduate students from
a university in the southeastern United States. Pre-testing at festivals identi?ed additional,
relevant constructs and ensured understandability of terminology. Four undergraduate
classes helped generate contrasts for the likeness poles identi?ed because university
students were thought to be similar to visitors to cultural attractions in terms of education
(Hughes, 2000). Finally, graduate recreation and tourism students examined the instrument
to identify any potential errors or dif?culties. They suggested informants be provided with a
list of likeness/contrast pairs to eliminate confusion due to the test instrument’s repetitive
nature (see Table I). Pre-testing generated the following seven constructs (likeness-contrast
pairs) that were incorporated into the ?nal survey: Traditional-non-traditional,
Contemporary-classic, Southern-non-Southern, folk-cosmopolitan, unique-ordinary,
rural-urban, and avant-garde-mainstream. The ?nal instrument had seven constructs and
ten elements; the ?nal item listed in the element column, the festival itself, was added as a
global measure of the event (see Figure 2). To avoid respondent fatigue in completing the
grid, three versions of the grid were used at the festival.
Four survey administrators systematically selected informants from the study population at
the Kentuck Festival of the Arts during October 15-16, 2005. Informants were approached as
they departed the festival through one of two exits via a systematic sampling procedure with
a randomized starting point. Each respondent was presented a list of likeness/contrast pairs
(see Figure 2) to aid in data collection and completed the grid and questionnaire as an
interview. Survey administrators reported 142 total complete intercepts, 84 refusals, and one
person who had completed the questionnaire already, yielding an effective response rate of
63.1 percent.
Following data collection, mean scores for each element were calculated (see Table II).
Using this information, the festival could be characterized by each element and construct, so
that the following description of festival meanings emerged.
Artists
Mean scores indicated that festival goers viewed artists as slightly non-traditional, somewhat
contemporary, somewhat Southern, somewhat folk, somewhat unique, slightly rural, and
slightly avant-garde. Aside from traditional, informants used likenesses to describe Kentuck
Festival artists.
Table I List presented to respondents for use at Kentuck Festival of the Arts
Likeness Contrast
1 ¼ Traditional 2 3 4 5 6 7 ¼ Non-traditional
1 ¼ Contemporary 2 3 4 5 6 7 ¼ Classic
1 ¼ Southern 2 3 4 5 6 7 ¼ Non-Southern
1 ¼ Folk 2 3 4 5 6 7 ¼ Cosmopolitan
1 ¼ Unique 2 3 4 5 6 7 ¼ Ordinary
1 ¼ Rural 2 3 4 5 6 7 ¼ Urban
1 ¼ Avant-garde 2 3 4 5 6 7 ¼ Mainstream
VOL. 3 NO. 4 2009
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
PAGE 351
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
T
a
b
l
e
I
I
S
u
m
m
a
r
y
o
f
m
e
a
n
s
c
o
r
e
s
f
o
r
r
a
t
i
n
g
s
g
r
i
d
M
e
a
n
C
o
n
s
t
r
u
c
t
C
o
n
t
r
a
s
t
A
r
t
i
s
t
s
C
r
a
f
t
s
m
e
n
A
r
t
A
c
t
i
v
i
t
i
e
s
c
r
a
f
t
s
C
h
i
l
d
r
e
n
’
s
a
r
t
T
e
n
-
m
i
n
u
t
e
p
l
a
y
s
M
u
s
i
c
F
o
o
d
N
o
r
t
h
p
o
r
t
K
e
n
t
u
c
k
P
a
r
k
K
e
n
t
u
c
k
F
e
s
t
i
v
a
l
o
f
t
h
e
A
r
t
s
T
r
a
d
i
t
i
o
n
a
l
N
o
n
-
t
r
a
d
i
t
i
o
n
a
l
4
.
6
6
3
.
9
2
4
.
6
6
3
.
9
2
3
.
4
2
3
.
8
0
3
.
2
3
2
.
9
1
2
.
7
8
2
.
7
0
3
.
7
2
C
o
n
t
e
m
p
o
r
a
r
y
C
l
a
s
s
i
c
2
.
8
9
3
.
5
4
3
.
0
3
3
.
7
9
4
.
0
9
3
.
4
0
3
.
9
4
4
.
2
8
4
.
3
6
4
.
5
7
4
.
0
0
S
o
u
t
h
e
r
n
N
o
n
-
S
o
u
t
h
e
r
n
2
.
9
9
2
.
9
2
3
.
3
0
2
.
9
8
3
.
2
1
4
.
8
0
2
.
6
9
3
.
0
6
2
.
3
7
2
.
7
2
2
.
8
0
F
o
l
k
C
o
s
m
o
p
o
l
i
t
a
n
2
.
8
2
2
.
6
4
3
.
0
9
2
.
7
8
3
.
3
5
4
.
6
0
2
.
7
1
3
.
4
4
3
.
4
2
3
.
1
4
2
.
9
6
U
n
i
q
u
e
O
r
d
i
n
a
r
y
2
.
2
1
2
.
6
7
2
.
3
1
2
.
9
6
3
.
4
4
5
.
0
0
3
.
6
9
5
.
0
5
3
.
9
9
4
.
0
1
2
.
7
5
R
u
r
a
l
U
r
b
a
n
3
.
5
1
3
.
1
6
3
.
1
6
3
.
1
5
3
.
4
4
5
.
0
0
3
.
1
6
3
.
9
8
3
.
3
0
2
.
9
7
3
.
4
1
A
v
a
n
t
-
g
a
r
d
e
M
a
i
n
s
t
r
e
a
m
3
.
0
5
3
.
8
4
3
.
9
1
3
.
9
1
4
.
3
0
5
.
2
0
4
.
2
6
5
.
2
7
4
.
6
8
4
.
8
2
3
.
7
6
N
o
t
e
:
a
B
a
s
e
d
o
n
a
s
c
a
l
e
w
h
e
r
e
1
¼
c
o
n
s
t
r
u
c
t
a
n
d
7
¼
c
o
n
t
r
a
s
t
PAGE 352
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
VOL. 3 NO. 4 2009
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
Craftsmen
Informants described craftsmen as slightly traditional, slightly contemporary, somewhat
Southern, somewhat folk, somewhat unique, slightly rural, and slightly avant-garde. All
likenesses used by the Kentuck Festival of the Arts manifested themselves in informants’
perceptions of craftsmen to some degree.
Art
Art at the Kentuck Festival of the Arts was perceived to be slightly non-traditional, slightly
contemporary, slightly Southern, slightly folk, somewhat unique, slightly rural, somewhat
unique, and slightly avant-garde. With the exception of traditional, informants used all
likenesses found in the Kentuck Festival of the Arts’ literature to describe art at the festival.
Crafts
Based on their visit to the Kentuck Festival of the Arts, informants described crafts at the
festival as slightly traditional, slightly contemporary, somewhat Southern, somewhat folk,
somewhat unique, slightly rural, and slightly avant-garde. All likenesses appearing
prominently in the festival’s literature were used by visitors to describe festival crafts.
Children’s art activities
Few informants opted to rate children’s art activities (n ¼ 55). Respondents rated this
element in terms of ?ve likenesses and two contrasts. They described children’s art activities
as: slightly traditional, slightly classic, slightly Southern, slightly folk, slightly unique, slightly
rural, and slightly mainstream.
Ten-minute plays
Like children’s art activities fewinformants opted to rate ten minute plays. The ?ve individuals
(n ¼ 5) who rated the plays generally perceived them in terms of contrasts rather than
likenesses. The ten-minute plays were perceived as slightly traditional, slightly
contemporary, slightly non-Southern, slightly cosmopolitan, slightly ordinary, slightly
urban, and slightly mainstream.
Music
About one-half of the sample rated music heard at the Kentuck Festival of the Arts (n ¼ 87).
The individuals described the music as slightly traditional, slightly contemporary, somewhat
Southern, somewhat folk, slightly unique, slightly rural, and slightly mainstream. Therefore,
respondent described music in terms of all but one of the likenesses.
Food
As was the case with music, about one-half of informants rated the festival’s food (n ¼ 82).
These informants described their perceptions of festival food as somewhat traditional,
slightly classic, slightly Southern, slightly folk, slightly ordinary, slightly rural, and slightly
mainstream. Informants viewed food in terms four contrasts and three likenesses.
Northport
Informants perceived Northport, Alabama, home of the Kentuck Festival of the Arts, as
somewhat traditional, slightly classic, somewhat Southern, slightly folk, slightly unique,
slightly rural, and slightly mainstream; in addition, informants viewed Northport as classic
and mainstream. Thus, ?ve likenesses and two contrasts were used to describe the town.
Kentuck Park
Informants described Kentuck Park as somewhat traditional, slightly classic, somewhat
Southern, slightly folk, slightly ordinary, somewhat rural, and slightly mainstream. Hence, the
sample population perceived the festival grounds in terms of the likenesses provided by the
festival, except for the description of the grounds as ordinary and mainstream.
VOL. 3 NO. 4 2009
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
PAGE 353
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
Kentuck Festival of the Arts
Finally, when informants rated the meaning associated with the festival as a whole in terms of
the seven likeness-contrast pairs, they described the festival as slightly traditional,
contemporary and classic, somewhat Southern, somewhat folk, somewhat unique, slightly
rural, and slightly avant-garde. The festival’s promotional materials literature was consistent
with informants’ perceptions the festival, except for the festival’s description in terms of
being contemporary or classic.
Conclusions
Ratings grid analyses reveal descriptive meanings of each element constituting the Kentuck
Festival of the Arts. Generally, the likenesses identi?ed by the promotional literature and
festival director coincided with informants’ perceptions of festival elements. However, the
degree to which likenesses described the festival components (elements) varied based on
the rating grid’s mean scores. The Kentuck Festival of the Arts appears to be describing and
predicting accurately the meanings people derive from the event experience.
An additional conclusion relates to data collection procedures. According to Kelly (1955),
individuals can rate elements they have not encountered based on what they would perceive
them to be like. However, informant’s refusal to rate elements they did not encounter reveals
a difference in theory and practice. In cases when small samples were collected, the results
should be cautiously interpreted from the children’s art activities, ten minute plays, music,
and food elements.
References
Babbie, E. (2002), The Basics of Social Science Research, 2nd ed., Wadsworth, Belmont, CA.
Caldwell, N. and Coshall, J. (2002), ‘‘Measuring brand associations for museums and galleries using
repertory grid analysis’’, Management Decision, Vol. 40 No. 4, pp. 383-92.
Candy, P.C. (1981), Mirrors of the Mind: Personal Construct Theory and the Training of Adult Educators,
Department of Adult and Higher Education, University of Manchester, Manchester.
Coshall, J.T. (2000), ‘‘Measurement of tourists’ images: the repertory grid approach’’, Journal of Travel
Research, Vol. 39 No. 1, pp. 85-9.
Embacher, J. and Buttle, F. (1989), ‘‘A repertory grid analysis of Austria’s image as a summer vacation
destination’’, Journal of Travel Research, Vol. 27 No. 3, pp. 3-7.
Fransella, F., Bell, R. and Bannister, D. (2004), A Manual for Repertory Grid Technique, 2nd ed., John
Wiley & Sons, Chichester.
Hughes, H. (2000), Arts, Entertainment and Tourism, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford.
Kelly, G.A. (1955), The Psychology of Personal Constructs: Vol. 1, W.W. Norton &Company, NewYork, NY.
Kentuck Festival of the Arts (2004), available at: www.kentuck.org (accessed March 31, 2004).
Marsden, D. and Littler, D. (2000), ‘‘Exploring consumer product construct systems with the repertory
grid technique’’, Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, Vol. 3 No. 3, pp. 27-144.
Middleton, J.A. and Spanias, P.A. (1999), ‘‘Motivation for achievement in mathematics: ?ndings,
generalizations, and criticisms of the research’’, Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, Vol. 30
No. 1, pp. 65-88.
Read, H.E. (1994), ‘‘A recursive model of adult experiential learning’’, doctoral dissertation, Dissertation
Abstracts International, The University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT.
Richards, T.J. and Richards, L. (1994), ‘‘Using computers in qualitative research’’, in Denzin, N.K. and
Lincoln, Y.S. (Eds), Handbook of Qualitative Research, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA,
pp. 445-62.
Shaw, S.M. (1985), ‘‘The meaning of leisure in everyday life’’, Leisure Sciences, Vol. 7, pp. 1-24.
Walmsley, D.J. and Young, M. (1998), ‘‘Evaluative images and tourism: the use of personal constructs to
describe the structure of destination images’’, Journal of Travel Research, Vol. 36 No. 3, pp. 65-9.
Wooten, M.H. (2006), ‘‘The contribution of object and setting to the symbolic meaning of a cultural
special event’’, unpublished doctoral dissertation, Clemson University, Clemson, SC.
PAGE 354
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
VOL. 3 NO. 4 2009
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
Appendix. Training exercises
Exercise 1
A research company, Special Event Research Systems (SERS), recently completed a study
for the Big River Festival (see press release below) and provide you, the festival’s operations
manager, with the ?ndings for interpretation. Your boss, the festival director Sandy Jones has
concerns about:
B perceptions of community focus at the festival;
B cost for certain festival components; and
B the quality of volunteer training who serve as re-enactors, leading tours and participating
as actors within the Big River Settlement.
Therefore, she asks that this information be obtained. The ?rm provides the results and the
mean scores for the ratings grid used. The press release reads as follows.
Festival press release text:
50th Annual Big River Festival to Be Held This Weekend
Big River, Mississippi: The ?ftieth annual Big River Festival, a celebration of the Big
River community, will be held July 3-5 at Riverside Park, off Route 55. The festival is
best known for the bass ?shing tournament and the historical re-creation of the Big
River Settlement. Additional activities include the ?sh cook-off, raft race, ‘‘Taste of Big
River’’, evening concerts, and ‘‘Tall Tails Fish Story’’ competition. ‘‘The festival
showcases the best the rural South has to offer,’’ boasts director Sandy Jones, ‘‘Locals
and visitors alike will be impressed with our commitment to celebrating the heritage of
the rural South.’’
Friday’s activities include the annual raft race for teams of individuals between the
ages of 14 and 18 (at 9:00 a.m.), tours of the historical Big River Settlement, and the
Taste of Big River (featuring dishes from local restaurants in accordance with this
year’s theme ‘‘Our Southern Heritage’’).
On Saturday, the all day bass ?shing tournament kicks off at 7:00 a.m. Saturday night
offers entertainment by Southern musical performers and the ?sh cook-off. Throughout
the day, tours will be offered of the Big River Settlement.
On Sunday, music begins at 2:00 p.m. Throughout the day, tours will be offered of the
Big River Settlement.
For more information, including registration fees from bass ?shing tournament and raft
race, contact Sandy Jones at: 217-555-9876 or visit www.bigriver.org
Based on the press release, SERS developed the following ratings grid with seven elements
and four constructs (Figure A1). Elements and constructs were identi?ed due to prominence
in the press release. After this grid was administered to visitors to the 50th Annual Big River
Festival (n ¼ 205), data from each grid was entered into a statistical software package
Figure A1 Ratings grid for Exercise 1
VOL. 3 NO. 4 2009
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
PAGE 355
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
allowing the research company to ?nd a mean score for each cell. You have received the
results for interpretation. The following grid contains these mean scores for each cell (based
on a scale of 1 ¼ Likeness and 7 ¼ Contrast). How did informants describe the festival?
What does the festival mean to the attendees? Draft a memo to the festival director, Sandy
Jones, interpreting your results and prioritizing what should be done with this information.
Make recommendations concerning:
B perceptions of the festival’s community focus;
B cost for certain festival components; and
B volunteer training.
Exercise 2
The Stockton River Festival Association has contacted your consulting ?rm, Expert Event
Evaluations, Inc. (EEE), about conducting a study to ?nd out what this special event means
to festival visitors. To accomplish this task, you employ a ratings grid. Using the press
release and postcard text below by the Festival Director, conduct the following tasks:
1. A: Identify the festival’s constructs:
B Step 1: What are the constructs? (Space has been provided for the identi?cation of up
to four.)
B Step 2: What are the likeness poles?
B Step 3: What are the corresponding contrasts?
2. B: Identify the festival’s elements. (Space has been provided for the identi?cation of up to
seven in Figure A2). Using the constructs and elements identi?ed, ?ll in the blank grid
below with elements across the top row and likeness-contrast pairs down the left column.
3. C: Practice administering this grid with classmates or peers, using the following
instructions:
B ‘‘Please think about your visit to the Stockton River Festival today. You will be given
pairs of descriptive words, or adjectives, to describe components of the festival. To
help you describe the festival using these adjectives, one adjective will be assigned
the number one and the other will be assigned the number seven. Your ranking can
range anywhere between one and seven depending on how much of either adjective
you feel describes a component of the festival. Neither adjective is good or bad; this
choice is purely descriptive. For example, if tall is an adjective ranked one, and the
opposite of tall is short (which is ranked seven), you could use the numbers one-seven
to describe how tall or short someone is.’’
Figure A2 Ratings grid for Exercise 2
PAGE 356
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
VOL. 3 NO. 4 2009
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
4. D: Following the data collection via the ratings grid, interpret the results. This task should
be done by ?nding mean scores for each cell in the ratings grid. To simulate this exercise,
in the answer section, the results from a previous year’s survey are presented for use in
the exercise.
Festival press release text:
Stockton River Festival Association Announces Annual Festival
Stockton, Alabama, September 12-14: The eighth annual Stockton River Festival, a
celebration of the river and its history for the entire family, will be held September
12-14. The festival will be held at Riverside Park. Each day offers a showcase of the
?nest local and regional musical acts and local ?sh specialties cooked and served in
historical and traditional styles, as well as the ?nest in regional cuisine!
Friday’s activities include demonstrations of local ?shing techniques historically used
on the Stockton River, a children’s costume contest featuring historical clothing from
the 19th century, and storytelling by talented individuals, including famed regional
writer/storyteller Elizabeth James. Music begins at 5:00 p.m.
Saturday’s activities include a one mile canoe race at 9:30 a.m., a demonstration of
traditional river raft building techniques, and free raft rides across the river highlighting
the importance of the river to local heritage and development. Music begins at 5:00
p.m.
Sunday features a picnic style lunch at noon (cost $8.00 for adults, $5.00 for children
under 10) catered by local restaurants and a 1:30 p.m. auction of ?shing merchandise.
All proceeds from each bene?t river restoration and the development of a center to
showcase local history and culture related to the Stockton River. Music begins at 2:00
p.m.
The Stockton River Festival begins at 9:00 a.m. on Friday and Saturday and 12:00 p.m.
on Sunday. Entrance is $5.00 per person per day (or $10.00 for the entire weekend),
and Sunday’s lunch is $8.00 ($5.00 for children under 10).
For additional information on the Stockton River Festival, contact Jim at 864-555-0101
or visit www.riverfestival.com
Text in postcards created by the Stockton River Festival Association:
1. Front of card
B Mark it on your calendar: The 8th Annual Stockton River Festival, September 12-14.
2. Back of card
B The ?nest in local cuisine, including traditional specialties.
B Regional storytellers.
B Traditional raft building demonstrations.
B Local ?shing technique demonstrations.
B Free raft rides.
B A costume contest of historical costume.
B Local and regional musical acts.
B An auction of ?shing merchandise.
And of course, the beautiful and historic Stockton River! Gates open at 9:00 a.m. Friday and
Saturday, 12:00 p.m. Sunday; $5.00 daily admission or $10.00 for weekend pass.
Trainer’s notes
Exercise 1
(Note: that recommendations given are suggestions developed by the researcher for this
exercise and may differ from those developed through this exercise).
VOL. 3 NO. 4 2009
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
PAGE 357
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
TO: Sandy Jones, Director, Big River Festival
FROM: Isabelle McMillan
DATE: May 15, 2007
SUBJECT: Visitor Meanings of Big River Festival
In an effort to discern the meanings visitors assigned to various components of the Big River
festival, the following analysis was undertaken. Seven components (or elements) of the Big
River Festival were rated by attendees using four adjective pairs (likeness and contrast
poles) via a data collection tool known as the ratings grid. This memo presents a description
of the current situation based on ratings grid analysis and my recommendations for the
future of the event.
Ratings grid analysis of festival components reveals that visitors view the meanings of each
component as follows:
B Visitors perceive the Big River Settlement as rural and affordable. While they did ?nd the
meaning of the Big River Settlement to be slightly Southern and offering very little
community orientation, each mean value is near the center, suggesting that the attitudes
are not strong with respect to Southern or non-Southern or community-oriented or non
community-oriented.
B The bass ?shing tournament’s meaning is described by visitors as slightly rural, slightly
Southern, some community orientation, and a little expensive.
B Visitors view the ?sh cook-off as rural, Southern, some community orientation, and
affordable.
B Visitors perceive the raft race to be slightly rural, very slightly Southern (near midpoint),
community oriented, and affordable. Because the value for Southern-non-Southern is
near the mid-point, the attitude toward the raft race is not strong in terms of Southern or
non-Southern.
B Festival attendance led visitors to derive the following meanings fromthe Taste of Big River:
rural, somewhat Southern, neither community-oriented nor not community-oriented, and
slightly affordable.
B Visitors describe concerts as neither rural nor urban, somewhat Southern, lacking
community orientation, and affordable.
B For visitors, the Tall Tails Fish Story Competition has the following meanings: urban,
non-Southern, no community orientation, and affordable.
Below, the ?ndings are summarized. Following the summaries, recommendations are
made:
B The ?sh cook-off and raft races both are described in terms of likeness poles (but to
varying degrees).
B Visitors perceive the Big River Settlement to have a very slight Southern meaning.
B The meanings of the bass ?shing tournament are described in terms of three likenesses;
the exception is affordable.
B Visitors view the ?sh cook-off as rural, Southern, some community orientation, and
affordable.
B Because the value for Southern-non-Southern is near the center, meaning of the raft race
is not strong in terms of Southern or non-Southern.
B The Taste of Big River is viewed as neither community-oriented nor not
community-oriented.
B Concerts are not perceived as Southern. This result may be due to band choice and
musical styles featured.
B The Tall Tails Fish Story Competition is perceived in terms of all contrasts (except
expensive). This ?nding indicates a problem since the competition is featured as a main
component of the festival designed to showcase the rural South and this year’s festival
theme is ‘‘Our Southern Heritage’’.
PAGE 358
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
VOL. 3 NO. 4 2009
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
Recommendations for the festival are as follows:
B Only some of the current festival offerings (the bass ?shing tournament, the ?sh cook-off,
and the raft race) are perceived as having a community focus. Among these,
community-centeredness is felt most strongly for the raft race. If the festival wants to
appeal to locals, as stated in the press release, further efforts must be made to engage
the community. Suggestions to achieve this goal include: local restaurants should be
invited to the Taste of Big River, concerts should feature more local talent, and efforts
should be made to attract more local and regional storytellers to the Tall Tails Fish Story
competition.
B The Big River Settlement is perceived as having very little community orientation. Efforts
should be made to connect the history of the settlement and the area to the modern town
of Big River to demonstrate ties to the community.
B Current products are all viewed as affordable, except for the Big River Fishing
Tournament. Therefore any future products and events to be added should keep with the
overall affordability of the festival.
B Owing to ?shing tournament’s perception as expensive, the bene?ts of participating need
to be highlighted to reassure contestants of the value they are receiving.
B If Southern heritage is to be maintained as the festival’s central component, all festival
aspects must re?ect this theme, including all onsite activities and interactions, which
includes volunteer training.
B Because the Big River Settlement is perceived to have only a slight Southern orientation,
volunteers working within the settlement should be trained in strategies to enhance the
Southern meaning of the settlement visit. Examples may include: concern for accurate
dialect and clothing speci?c to the period and the region, and more information recounted
to visitors on the forces in the region affecting the Big River Settlement.
Overall, the festival appears to be heading in the direction envisioned by the directors.
Exercise 2
A:
B Step #1: Local, Regional, Historical, Traditional.
B Step #2: Contrasts should be generated by providing likeness poles to individuals
judged to be similar to those to be interviewed at the festival and asking these
individuals to come up with contrasts. The researcher should develop contrasts, but in
this case, he/she needs to ensure the terminology chosen is understandable to the
sample population. (Note that contrasts generated may vary from those to be
suggested based on familiar terminology used in an area or region.)
B: Stockton River, Fishing, Storytelling, Raft, Food, Music, Costume contest.
Figure A3 Ratings grid for Exercise 2C
VOL. 3 NO. 4 2009
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
PAGE 359
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
C: Ratings Grid for the Stockton River Festival (Figure A3).
D: Ratings Grid for the Stockton River Festival with Mean Scores Provided (Figure A4).
Corresponding author
Marian H. Wooten can be contacted at: [email protected]
Figure A4 Ratings grid for Exercise 2E
PAGE 360
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
VOL. 3 NO. 4 2009
To purchase reprints of this article please e-mail: [email protected]
Or visit our web site for further details: www.emeraldinsight.com/reprints
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
This article has been cited by:
1. Hui Li, Wei Song, Roger Collins. 2014. Post-event visits as the sources of marketing strategy sustainability: a conceptual
model approach. Journal of Business Economics and Management 15, 74-95. [CrossRef]
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
doc_226416565.pdf
Ratings grids, emerging from personal construct theory, measure an individual’s perception
of a situation. This paper and exercises seek to demonstrate how researchers and managers can use
the grid to evaluate visitors’ perceptions of an attraction or event.
International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research
Using the ratings grid in tourism/event management
Marian H. Wooten William C. Norman
Article information:
To cite this document:
Marian H. Wooten William C. Norman, (2009),"Using the ratings grid in tourism/event management", International J ournal of Culture,
Tourism and Hospitality Research, Vol. 3 Iss 4 pp. 347 - 360
Permanent link to this document:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/17506180910994569
Downloaded on: 24 January 2016, At: 22:08 (PT)
References: this document contains references to 16 other documents.
To copy this document: [email protected]
The fulltext of this document has been downloaded 1127 times since 2009*
Users who downloaded this article also downloaded:
J udith Mair, Michelle Whitford, (2013),"An exploration of events research: event topics, themes and emerging trends", International
J ournal of Event and Festival Management, Vol. 4 Iss 1 pp. 6-30 http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/17582951311307485
J ungwoon Kim, Soyoung Boo, Yonghwi Kim, (2013),"Patterns and trends in event tourism study topics over 30 years", International
J ournal of Event and Festival Management, Vol. 4 Iss 1 pp. 66-83 http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/17582951311307520
Nasiru Idris Medugu, M. Rafee Majid, Foziah J ohar, I.D. Choji, (2010),"The role of afforestation programme in combating
desertification in Nigeria", International J ournal of Climate Change Strategies and Management, Vol. 2 Iss 1 pp. 35-47 http://
dx.doi.org/10.1108/17568691011020247
Access to this document was granted through an Emerald subscription provided by emerald-srm:115632 []
For Authors
If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service
information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit
www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information.
About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.com
Emerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than
290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional
customer resources and services.
Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)
and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation.
*Related content and download information correct at time of download.
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
Using the ratings grid in tourism/event
management
Marian H. Wooten and William C. Norman
Abstract
Purpose – Ratings grids, emerging from personal construct theory, measure an individual’s perception
of a situation. This paper and exercises seek to demonstrate how researchers and managers can use
the grid to evaluate visitors’ perceptions of an attraction or event.
Design/methodology/approach – A training exercise explains how to use the ratings grid, a type of
repertory grid, to evaluate tourist attractions or special events. A ratings grid example analyzes visitors’
impressions of an art festival (n ¼ 142). The steps taken for grid development, administration strategy,
and analysis are discussed and described.
Findings – The results suggest that visitors’ impressions of the art festival are consistent with the festival’s
communication objectives. These ?ndings suggest that the art festival presents itself to visitors accurately.
Research limitations/implications – Ratings grids are designed to examine only the elements a
researcher selects. Important elements to respondents may be overlooked using this test, and the
researcher will not get an accurate measure of respondents’ attitudes.
Originality/value – The exercise provides guidance to a useful method for measuring visitor
perceptions and allows researchers and managers to understand visitor experiences better.
Keywords Tourism, Quality assessment, Perception, Customer satisfaction
Paper type Research paper
Meanings of events
All individuals possess a unique worldview, which they create and recreate continually
based on new experiences (Shaw, 1985). As an individual encounters a situation, she
ascribes meaning to the context and her place therein. This process works in daily
occurrences as well as in special environments and situations such as a tourist attraction,
special event, or festival. Understanding meaning provides a strategy for leisure and tourism
professionals to manage events and attractions by enhancing visitor encounters that result
in more personally satisfying experiences. Personal construct theory offers one strategy to
investigate the meanings visitors derive fromtourist attractions, special events, and festivals.
Personal construct theory (PCT) offers a way to conceptualize and measure symbolic
meanings created by individuals through the consideration of the entities composing the
attraction or event (Kelly, 1955). According to PCT, the individual anticipates the way
something will be, based on his/her own internal multi-dimensional model of reality (Candy,
1981). When an event occurs, the individual attempts to ?t the experience into the existing
system of constructs, or ideas about the world. If a match cannot be made, existing
constructs are revised or new constructs are invented.
Thus, an incident’s perception relates to both expected and experienced events. While no
pre-existing tools exist to measure the unique meanings attached to a tourist attraction,
special event, or festival, the following example and exercises demonstrate using personal
DOI 10.1108/17506180910994569 VOL. 3 NO. 4 2009, pp. 347-360, Q Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1750-6182
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
PAGE 347
Marian H. Wooten is based
in the Department of Health,
Physical Education and
Recreation, University of
North Carolina at
Pembroke, Pembroke,
North Carolina, USA.
William C. Norman is based
in the Department of Parks,
Recreation and Tourism
Management, Clemson
University, Clemson, South
Carolina, USA.
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
construct theory and an associated test, the ratings grid, as techniques to identify and
measure meaning.
Personal construct theory and testing methods
Personal construct theory
PCT addresses the individual’s construction of an experience because ‘‘[t]here is a world
which is happening all the time. Our experience is that portion of it which is happening to us’’
at any given time (Kelly, 1955, p. 170). A person’s experience consists of ‘‘a set of personally
construed events’’ (Kelly, 1955, p. 171). While subjective, these constructs appear real and
true to the individual experiencing the events. Although PCT discusses the individual
speci?cally, personal construction also can be used at the group level to learn how groups
construe events.
Within the context of PCT and associated tests, the terms element and construct take on
speci?c de?nitions. Elements are ‘‘things or events which are abstracted by a construct’’
(Kelly, 1955, p. 137), in essence nouns to be described by adjectives. A construct can be
thought of as performing the same function as an adjective. Constructs indicate how ‘‘some
things are construed as being alike yet different from others’’ (Kelly, 1955, p. 105). A
construct is bipolar; one end is referred to as the likeness (or emergent) pole, and the
opposite end is referred to as the contrast (or implicit) pole. In some cases, the contrast or
implicit pole may not exist as an easily de?ned and identi?able term. Constructs are
predictive in nature. Once de?ned by the individual, constructs help predict future events. If
the individual anticipates the occurrence, the process validates the prediction and the
construct accurately describes the element.
The repertory grid and the ratings grid
The repertory grid test (RPT) was developed in conjunction with personal construct theory in
order to allowpsychologists to understand the way an individual handles and relates to other
individuals (Kelly, 1955). The test has many forms and can be applied to individuals or
groups.
While RPT’s intention is to investigate how an individual relates to other people, researchers
use this analysis for other (non-human) elements. For example, Caldwell and Coshall (2002)
studied museums in London to investigate the images museums cultivate consciously to
attract visitors because brands ‘‘have become bearers of emotional and symbolic meaning’’
(p. 383). Each respondent was provided with a list of London museums (e.g. British
Museum). Informants were not provided with constructs for evaluation; instead, each
respondent identi?ed their own constructs. Not surprisingly, the constructs varied across
informants due to the form of repertory grid testing employed. The three most commonly
named constructs dealt with ‘‘exhibits art/painting’’, ‘‘to do with history’’, and ‘‘interesting’’
(Caldwell and Coshall, 2002).
RPTencompasses a variety of forms. In each form, the test aims to ‘‘make a direct approach
to the elicitation of such constructs in the subjects whose personal-social behavior’’ is under
investigation (Kelly, 1955, p. 219). In some RPT forms, informants generate elements and
then they identify constructs based on these elements. These steps involve lengthy
interviews with each respondent. An alternative repertory grid form, known as the ‘‘ratings
grid,’’ works well and does not require the lengthy interviews.
When using the ratings grid, the manager or researcher provides both constructs (likeness
and contrast poles) and elements. Informants are asked to rate each element on a scale from
one to seven for each construct (Fransella et al., 2004). Via the ratings grid approach, the
respondent rate an element in terms of the likeness/emergent pole (1), the contrast/implicit
pole (7), or some location between the two extremes (2-6). Because managers or
researchers provide elements and constructs to the sample population, he/she must ensure
the informants understand the terminology (Fransella et al., 2004). Inappropriate
terminology results in grid administration dif?culties and comprehension.
PAGE 348
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
VOL. 3 NO. 4 2009
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
Nonetheless, providing constructs is acceptable and useful if a manager or researcher feels
that informants would not generate constructs of interest themselves, (Fransella et al., 2004).
The key is to assure that constructs are understandable and meaningful to informants
(Fransella et al., 2004). Pre-testing the ratings grid on representative individuals is
recommended. Construct and element identi?cation may come from pre-tests or printed
materials related to the activity or event under investigation.
Bene?ts to the use of personal construct theory and repertory grid testing
PCT and the repertory grid procedure offer a several bene?ts to managers. The theory
avoids problems associated with using a humanistic approach to understand an individual’s
point of view. These problems include using of an ‘‘arcane vocabulary’’, verifying
statements, and ascertaining the actual individual(s) being studied (Walmsley and Young,
1998). While other questionnaires use categories formed by the researcher or manager,
repertory grid testing allows informants to form categories, so that researchers or managers
understand how respondents structure and perceive their environment (Caldwell and
Coshall, 2002; Coshall, 2000; Embacher and Buttle, 1989). When pre-determined constructs
and elements are employed, the respondent still possesses great ?exibility to rate an
element according to personal understanding of the construct’s likeness/contrast. An added
bene?t is that either word/verbal phrases or photographs can be employed (Coshall, 2000).
Criticisms of the repertory grid
Read (1994) describes the potential problems with the repertory grid’s reliability and validity.
The repertory grid’s individualized nature and method’s ability to cater to speci?c individuals
and speci?c populations suggest test replication is problematic (Babbie, 2002). Repertory
grid testing may generate problems with validity (Babbie, 2002) because informants cannot
verbalize complex values and emotions (Marsden and Littler, 2000) and the high degree of
structure imposed on informants ‘‘in terms of how their meanings are elicited, analysed and
represented’’ (Marsden and Littler, 2000, p. 140). Studies employing a version of repertory
grid testing may exhibit researcher bias in interpreting constructs because the researcher
must interpret another individual or group’s psychological space (Middleton and Spanias,
1999). Lastly, interpretation can be dif?cult, so well-articulated models are needed to guide
interpretation (Middleton and Spanias, 1999).
Administration of ratings grids
The ratings grid used in the training exercise, may be administered in many forms such as a
series of questions or a grid with blanks (see Appendix). In the ?rst instance (see Figure 1),
the respondent considers a statement such as: ‘‘On a scale from one to seven, where one
equals tall and seven equals short, how would you rate person x on height?’’ This question
can be administered as an interview or as a self-administered questionnaire. In the example
used in the training exercise, a respondent completes the blank ratings grid using
constructs and elements provided by the researcher (see Figure 2). Another effective
Figure 1 Sample questions
VOL. 3 NO. 4 2009
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
PAGE 349
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
procedure is an interview format. The researcher asks the respondent to consider each
element across all constructs before moving to the next element.
Example: Kentuck Festival of the Arts
The following example comes from a study designed to understand better the attitudes of
cultural tourists and festival goers. Researchers investigated the meanings generated by
visitation to an art-themed special event, the Kentuck Festival of the Arts, held annually in
Northport, Alabama (Wooten, 2006). Because the festival director wanted to ?nd out whether
attendees described this special event in the terms similar to the descriptions used by
festival organizers, the ratings grid was deemed appropriate. Providing constructs and
elements forced informants to consider certain dimensions of meaning which they may not
have elicited on their own. The ratings grid aids in interpretation because only a ?xed
number of likeness-contrast pairs and elements are considered.
To create the ratings grid (i.e. constructs and elements), the researcher studied the event
web site, met with the festival director, and performed content analysis of festival advertising
materials and media guides. Based on these sources of information, a code and retrieve
method was used to generate constructs for the ratings grid (see Richards and Richards,
1994). In this method, text is labeled according to items of interest (coding) and sorted into
categories for retrieval. This procedure is doable using computer software or manually, as
was the case in this example. Reoccurring terms were identi?ed and grouped based on
similarity to produce the following potential likeness poles for constructs. Likenesses were
identi?ed as: celebration, contemporary, creativity, demonstrative, education, experience,
Figure 2 Ratings grid for the Kentuck Festival of the Arts
PAGE 350
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
VOL. 3 NO. 4 2009
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
folk, handmade, local/regional, self-taught, Southern, traditional, unique, and visionary (see
Figure 2).
Several elements were selected due to their prominence on the Kentuck Festival of the Arts
web site (Kentuck Festival of the Arts, 2004). These elements included: artists, craftsmen,
art, crafts, children’s art activities, ten minute plays, music, and food. Two additional
elements related speci?cally to the setting of the festival were included: the host community
of Northport, Alabama and the festival grounds, a public park known as Kentuck Park (see
Figure 2).
Using the likeness poles of constructs identi?ed, pre-testing was undertaken at two regional
art festivals in the southeastern United States by undergraduate and graduate students from
a university in the southeastern United States. Pre-testing at festivals identi?ed additional,
relevant constructs and ensured understandability of terminology. Four undergraduate
classes helped generate contrasts for the likeness poles identi?ed because university
students were thought to be similar to visitors to cultural attractions in terms of education
(Hughes, 2000). Finally, graduate recreation and tourism students examined the instrument
to identify any potential errors or dif?culties. They suggested informants be provided with a
list of likeness/contrast pairs to eliminate confusion due to the test instrument’s repetitive
nature (see Table I). Pre-testing generated the following seven constructs (likeness-contrast
pairs) that were incorporated into the ?nal survey: Traditional-non-traditional,
Contemporary-classic, Southern-non-Southern, folk-cosmopolitan, unique-ordinary,
rural-urban, and avant-garde-mainstream. The ?nal instrument had seven constructs and
ten elements; the ?nal item listed in the element column, the festival itself, was added as a
global measure of the event (see Figure 2). To avoid respondent fatigue in completing the
grid, three versions of the grid were used at the festival.
Four survey administrators systematically selected informants from the study population at
the Kentuck Festival of the Arts during October 15-16, 2005. Informants were approached as
they departed the festival through one of two exits via a systematic sampling procedure with
a randomized starting point. Each respondent was presented a list of likeness/contrast pairs
(see Figure 2) to aid in data collection and completed the grid and questionnaire as an
interview. Survey administrators reported 142 total complete intercepts, 84 refusals, and one
person who had completed the questionnaire already, yielding an effective response rate of
63.1 percent.
Following data collection, mean scores for each element were calculated (see Table II).
Using this information, the festival could be characterized by each element and construct, so
that the following description of festival meanings emerged.
Artists
Mean scores indicated that festival goers viewed artists as slightly non-traditional, somewhat
contemporary, somewhat Southern, somewhat folk, somewhat unique, slightly rural, and
slightly avant-garde. Aside from traditional, informants used likenesses to describe Kentuck
Festival artists.
Table I List presented to respondents for use at Kentuck Festival of the Arts
Likeness Contrast
1 ¼ Traditional 2 3 4 5 6 7 ¼ Non-traditional
1 ¼ Contemporary 2 3 4 5 6 7 ¼ Classic
1 ¼ Southern 2 3 4 5 6 7 ¼ Non-Southern
1 ¼ Folk 2 3 4 5 6 7 ¼ Cosmopolitan
1 ¼ Unique 2 3 4 5 6 7 ¼ Ordinary
1 ¼ Rural 2 3 4 5 6 7 ¼ Urban
1 ¼ Avant-garde 2 3 4 5 6 7 ¼ Mainstream
VOL. 3 NO. 4 2009
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
PAGE 351
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
T
a
b
l
e
I
I
S
u
m
m
a
r
y
o
f
m
e
a
n
s
c
o
r
e
s
f
o
r
r
a
t
i
n
g
s
g
r
i
d
M
e
a
n
C
o
n
s
t
r
u
c
t
C
o
n
t
r
a
s
t
A
r
t
i
s
t
s
C
r
a
f
t
s
m
e
n
A
r
t
A
c
t
i
v
i
t
i
e
s
c
r
a
f
t
s
C
h
i
l
d
r
e
n
’
s
a
r
t
T
e
n
-
m
i
n
u
t
e
p
l
a
y
s
M
u
s
i
c
F
o
o
d
N
o
r
t
h
p
o
r
t
K
e
n
t
u
c
k
P
a
r
k
K
e
n
t
u
c
k
F
e
s
t
i
v
a
l
o
f
t
h
e
A
r
t
s
T
r
a
d
i
t
i
o
n
a
l
N
o
n
-
t
r
a
d
i
t
i
o
n
a
l
4
.
6
6
3
.
9
2
4
.
6
6
3
.
9
2
3
.
4
2
3
.
8
0
3
.
2
3
2
.
9
1
2
.
7
8
2
.
7
0
3
.
7
2
C
o
n
t
e
m
p
o
r
a
r
y
C
l
a
s
s
i
c
2
.
8
9
3
.
5
4
3
.
0
3
3
.
7
9
4
.
0
9
3
.
4
0
3
.
9
4
4
.
2
8
4
.
3
6
4
.
5
7
4
.
0
0
S
o
u
t
h
e
r
n
N
o
n
-
S
o
u
t
h
e
r
n
2
.
9
9
2
.
9
2
3
.
3
0
2
.
9
8
3
.
2
1
4
.
8
0
2
.
6
9
3
.
0
6
2
.
3
7
2
.
7
2
2
.
8
0
F
o
l
k
C
o
s
m
o
p
o
l
i
t
a
n
2
.
8
2
2
.
6
4
3
.
0
9
2
.
7
8
3
.
3
5
4
.
6
0
2
.
7
1
3
.
4
4
3
.
4
2
3
.
1
4
2
.
9
6
U
n
i
q
u
e
O
r
d
i
n
a
r
y
2
.
2
1
2
.
6
7
2
.
3
1
2
.
9
6
3
.
4
4
5
.
0
0
3
.
6
9
5
.
0
5
3
.
9
9
4
.
0
1
2
.
7
5
R
u
r
a
l
U
r
b
a
n
3
.
5
1
3
.
1
6
3
.
1
6
3
.
1
5
3
.
4
4
5
.
0
0
3
.
1
6
3
.
9
8
3
.
3
0
2
.
9
7
3
.
4
1
A
v
a
n
t
-
g
a
r
d
e
M
a
i
n
s
t
r
e
a
m
3
.
0
5
3
.
8
4
3
.
9
1
3
.
9
1
4
.
3
0
5
.
2
0
4
.
2
6
5
.
2
7
4
.
6
8
4
.
8
2
3
.
7
6
N
o
t
e
:
a
B
a
s
e
d
o
n
a
s
c
a
l
e
w
h
e
r
e
1
¼
c
o
n
s
t
r
u
c
t
a
n
d
7
¼
c
o
n
t
r
a
s
t
PAGE 352
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
VOL. 3 NO. 4 2009
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
Craftsmen
Informants described craftsmen as slightly traditional, slightly contemporary, somewhat
Southern, somewhat folk, somewhat unique, slightly rural, and slightly avant-garde. All
likenesses used by the Kentuck Festival of the Arts manifested themselves in informants’
perceptions of craftsmen to some degree.
Art
Art at the Kentuck Festival of the Arts was perceived to be slightly non-traditional, slightly
contemporary, slightly Southern, slightly folk, somewhat unique, slightly rural, somewhat
unique, and slightly avant-garde. With the exception of traditional, informants used all
likenesses found in the Kentuck Festival of the Arts’ literature to describe art at the festival.
Crafts
Based on their visit to the Kentuck Festival of the Arts, informants described crafts at the
festival as slightly traditional, slightly contemporary, somewhat Southern, somewhat folk,
somewhat unique, slightly rural, and slightly avant-garde. All likenesses appearing
prominently in the festival’s literature were used by visitors to describe festival crafts.
Children’s art activities
Few informants opted to rate children’s art activities (n ¼ 55). Respondents rated this
element in terms of ?ve likenesses and two contrasts. They described children’s art activities
as: slightly traditional, slightly classic, slightly Southern, slightly folk, slightly unique, slightly
rural, and slightly mainstream.
Ten-minute plays
Like children’s art activities fewinformants opted to rate ten minute plays. The ?ve individuals
(n ¼ 5) who rated the plays generally perceived them in terms of contrasts rather than
likenesses. The ten-minute plays were perceived as slightly traditional, slightly
contemporary, slightly non-Southern, slightly cosmopolitan, slightly ordinary, slightly
urban, and slightly mainstream.
Music
About one-half of the sample rated music heard at the Kentuck Festival of the Arts (n ¼ 87).
The individuals described the music as slightly traditional, slightly contemporary, somewhat
Southern, somewhat folk, slightly unique, slightly rural, and slightly mainstream. Therefore,
respondent described music in terms of all but one of the likenesses.
Food
As was the case with music, about one-half of informants rated the festival’s food (n ¼ 82).
These informants described their perceptions of festival food as somewhat traditional,
slightly classic, slightly Southern, slightly folk, slightly ordinary, slightly rural, and slightly
mainstream. Informants viewed food in terms four contrasts and three likenesses.
Northport
Informants perceived Northport, Alabama, home of the Kentuck Festival of the Arts, as
somewhat traditional, slightly classic, somewhat Southern, slightly folk, slightly unique,
slightly rural, and slightly mainstream; in addition, informants viewed Northport as classic
and mainstream. Thus, ?ve likenesses and two contrasts were used to describe the town.
Kentuck Park
Informants described Kentuck Park as somewhat traditional, slightly classic, somewhat
Southern, slightly folk, slightly ordinary, somewhat rural, and slightly mainstream. Hence, the
sample population perceived the festival grounds in terms of the likenesses provided by the
festival, except for the description of the grounds as ordinary and mainstream.
VOL. 3 NO. 4 2009
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
PAGE 353
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
Kentuck Festival of the Arts
Finally, when informants rated the meaning associated with the festival as a whole in terms of
the seven likeness-contrast pairs, they described the festival as slightly traditional,
contemporary and classic, somewhat Southern, somewhat folk, somewhat unique, slightly
rural, and slightly avant-garde. The festival’s promotional materials literature was consistent
with informants’ perceptions the festival, except for the festival’s description in terms of
being contemporary or classic.
Conclusions
Ratings grid analyses reveal descriptive meanings of each element constituting the Kentuck
Festival of the Arts. Generally, the likenesses identi?ed by the promotional literature and
festival director coincided with informants’ perceptions of festival elements. However, the
degree to which likenesses described the festival components (elements) varied based on
the rating grid’s mean scores. The Kentuck Festival of the Arts appears to be describing and
predicting accurately the meanings people derive from the event experience.
An additional conclusion relates to data collection procedures. According to Kelly (1955),
individuals can rate elements they have not encountered based on what they would perceive
them to be like. However, informant’s refusal to rate elements they did not encounter reveals
a difference in theory and practice. In cases when small samples were collected, the results
should be cautiously interpreted from the children’s art activities, ten minute plays, music,
and food elements.
References
Babbie, E. (2002), The Basics of Social Science Research, 2nd ed., Wadsworth, Belmont, CA.
Caldwell, N. and Coshall, J. (2002), ‘‘Measuring brand associations for museums and galleries using
repertory grid analysis’’, Management Decision, Vol. 40 No. 4, pp. 383-92.
Candy, P.C. (1981), Mirrors of the Mind: Personal Construct Theory and the Training of Adult Educators,
Department of Adult and Higher Education, University of Manchester, Manchester.
Coshall, J.T. (2000), ‘‘Measurement of tourists’ images: the repertory grid approach’’, Journal of Travel
Research, Vol. 39 No. 1, pp. 85-9.
Embacher, J. and Buttle, F. (1989), ‘‘A repertory grid analysis of Austria’s image as a summer vacation
destination’’, Journal of Travel Research, Vol. 27 No. 3, pp. 3-7.
Fransella, F., Bell, R. and Bannister, D. (2004), A Manual for Repertory Grid Technique, 2nd ed., John
Wiley & Sons, Chichester.
Hughes, H. (2000), Arts, Entertainment and Tourism, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford.
Kelly, G.A. (1955), The Psychology of Personal Constructs: Vol. 1, W.W. Norton &Company, NewYork, NY.
Kentuck Festival of the Arts (2004), available at: www.kentuck.org (accessed March 31, 2004).
Marsden, D. and Littler, D. (2000), ‘‘Exploring consumer product construct systems with the repertory
grid technique’’, Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, Vol. 3 No. 3, pp. 27-144.
Middleton, J.A. and Spanias, P.A. (1999), ‘‘Motivation for achievement in mathematics: ?ndings,
generalizations, and criticisms of the research’’, Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, Vol. 30
No. 1, pp. 65-88.
Read, H.E. (1994), ‘‘A recursive model of adult experiential learning’’, doctoral dissertation, Dissertation
Abstracts International, The University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT.
Richards, T.J. and Richards, L. (1994), ‘‘Using computers in qualitative research’’, in Denzin, N.K. and
Lincoln, Y.S. (Eds), Handbook of Qualitative Research, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA,
pp. 445-62.
Shaw, S.M. (1985), ‘‘The meaning of leisure in everyday life’’, Leisure Sciences, Vol. 7, pp. 1-24.
Walmsley, D.J. and Young, M. (1998), ‘‘Evaluative images and tourism: the use of personal constructs to
describe the structure of destination images’’, Journal of Travel Research, Vol. 36 No. 3, pp. 65-9.
Wooten, M.H. (2006), ‘‘The contribution of object and setting to the symbolic meaning of a cultural
special event’’, unpublished doctoral dissertation, Clemson University, Clemson, SC.
PAGE 354
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
VOL. 3 NO. 4 2009
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
Appendix. Training exercises
Exercise 1
A research company, Special Event Research Systems (SERS), recently completed a study
for the Big River Festival (see press release below) and provide you, the festival’s operations
manager, with the ?ndings for interpretation. Your boss, the festival director Sandy Jones has
concerns about:
B perceptions of community focus at the festival;
B cost for certain festival components; and
B the quality of volunteer training who serve as re-enactors, leading tours and participating
as actors within the Big River Settlement.
Therefore, she asks that this information be obtained. The ?rm provides the results and the
mean scores for the ratings grid used. The press release reads as follows.
Festival press release text:
50th Annual Big River Festival to Be Held This Weekend
Big River, Mississippi: The ?ftieth annual Big River Festival, a celebration of the Big
River community, will be held July 3-5 at Riverside Park, off Route 55. The festival is
best known for the bass ?shing tournament and the historical re-creation of the Big
River Settlement. Additional activities include the ?sh cook-off, raft race, ‘‘Taste of Big
River’’, evening concerts, and ‘‘Tall Tails Fish Story’’ competition. ‘‘The festival
showcases the best the rural South has to offer,’’ boasts director Sandy Jones, ‘‘Locals
and visitors alike will be impressed with our commitment to celebrating the heritage of
the rural South.’’
Friday’s activities include the annual raft race for teams of individuals between the
ages of 14 and 18 (at 9:00 a.m.), tours of the historical Big River Settlement, and the
Taste of Big River (featuring dishes from local restaurants in accordance with this
year’s theme ‘‘Our Southern Heritage’’).
On Saturday, the all day bass ?shing tournament kicks off at 7:00 a.m. Saturday night
offers entertainment by Southern musical performers and the ?sh cook-off. Throughout
the day, tours will be offered of the Big River Settlement.
On Sunday, music begins at 2:00 p.m. Throughout the day, tours will be offered of the
Big River Settlement.
For more information, including registration fees from bass ?shing tournament and raft
race, contact Sandy Jones at: 217-555-9876 or visit www.bigriver.org
Based on the press release, SERS developed the following ratings grid with seven elements
and four constructs (Figure A1). Elements and constructs were identi?ed due to prominence
in the press release. After this grid was administered to visitors to the 50th Annual Big River
Festival (n ¼ 205), data from each grid was entered into a statistical software package
Figure A1 Ratings grid for Exercise 1
VOL. 3 NO. 4 2009
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
PAGE 355
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
allowing the research company to ?nd a mean score for each cell. You have received the
results for interpretation. The following grid contains these mean scores for each cell (based
on a scale of 1 ¼ Likeness and 7 ¼ Contrast). How did informants describe the festival?
What does the festival mean to the attendees? Draft a memo to the festival director, Sandy
Jones, interpreting your results and prioritizing what should be done with this information.
Make recommendations concerning:
B perceptions of the festival’s community focus;
B cost for certain festival components; and
B volunteer training.
Exercise 2
The Stockton River Festival Association has contacted your consulting ?rm, Expert Event
Evaluations, Inc. (EEE), about conducting a study to ?nd out what this special event means
to festival visitors. To accomplish this task, you employ a ratings grid. Using the press
release and postcard text below by the Festival Director, conduct the following tasks:
1. A: Identify the festival’s constructs:
B Step 1: What are the constructs? (Space has been provided for the identi?cation of up
to four.)
B Step 2: What are the likeness poles?
B Step 3: What are the corresponding contrasts?
2. B: Identify the festival’s elements. (Space has been provided for the identi?cation of up to
seven in Figure A2). Using the constructs and elements identi?ed, ?ll in the blank grid
below with elements across the top row and likeness-contrast pairs down the left column.
3. C: Practice administering this grid with classmates or peers, using the following
instructions:
B ‘‘Please think about your visit to the Stockton River Festival today. You will be given
pairs of descriptive words, or adjectives, to describe components of the festival. To
help you describe the festival using these adjectives, one adjective will be assigned
the number one and the other will be assigned the number seven. Your ranking can
range anywhere between one and seven depending on how much of either adjective
you feel describes a component of the festival. Neither adjective is good or bad; this
choice is purely descriptive. For example, if tall is an adjective ranked one, and the
opposite of tall is short (which is ranked seven), you could use the numbers one-seven
to describe how tall or short someone is.’’
Figure A2 Ratings grid for Exercise 2
PAGE 356
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
VOL. 3 NO. 4 2009
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
4. D: Following the data collection via the ratings grid, interpret the results. This task should
be done by ?nding mean scores for each cell in the ratings grid. To simulate this exercise,
in the answer section, the results from a previous year’s survey are presented for use in
the exercise.
Festival press release text:
Stockton River Festival Association Announces Annual Festival
Stockton, Alabama, September 12-14: The eighth annual Stockton River Festival, a
celebration of the river and its history for the entire family, will be held September
12-14. The festival will be held at Riverside Park. Each day offers a showcase of the
?nest local and regional musical acts and local ?sh specialties cooked and served in
historical and traditional styles, as well as the ?nest in regional cuisine!
Friday’s activities include demonstrations of local ?shing techniques historically used
on the Stockton River, a children’s costume contest featuring historical clothing from
the 19th century, and storytelling by talented individuals, including famed regional
writer/storyteller Elizabeth James. Music begins at 5:00 p.m.
Saturday’s activities include a one mile canoe race at 9:30 a.m., a demonstration of
traditional river raft building techniques, and free raft rides across the river highlighting
the importance of the river to local heritage and development. Music begins at 5:00
p.m.
Sunday features a picnic style lunch at noon (cost $8.00 for adults, $5.00 for children
under 10) catered by local restaurants and a 1:30 p.m. auction of ?shing merchandise.
All proceeds from each bene?t river restoration and the development of a center to
showcase local history and culture related to the Stockton River. Music begins at 2:00
p.m.
The Stockton River Festival begins at 9:00 a.m. on Friday and Saturday and 12:00 p.m.
on Sunday. Entrance is $5.00 per person per day (or $10.00 for the entire weekend),
and Sunday’s lunch is $8.00 ($5.00 for children under 10).
For additional information on the Stockton River Festival, contact Jim at 864-555-0101
or visit www.riverfestival.com
Text in postcards created by the Stockton River Festival Association:
1. Front of card
B Mark it on your calendar: The 8th Annual Stockton River Festival, September 12-14.
2. Back of card
B The ?nest in local cuisine, including traditional specialties.
B Regional storytellers.
B Traditional raft building demonstrations.
B Local ?shing technique demonstrations.
B Free raft rides.
B A costume contest of historical costume.
B Local and regional musical acts.
B An auction of ?shing merchandise.
And of course, the beautiful and historic Stockton River! Gates open at 9:00 a.m. Friday and
Saturday, 12:00 p.m. Sunday; $5.00 daily admission or $10.00 for weekend pass.
Trainer’s notes
Exercise 1
(Note: that recommendations given are suggestions developed by the researcher for this
exercise and may differ from those developed through this exercise).
VOL. 3 NO. 4 2009
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
PAGE 357
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
TO: Sandy Jones, Director, Big River Festival
FROM: Isabelle McMillan
DATE: May 15, 2007
SUBJECT: Visitor Meanings of Big River Festival
In an effort to discern the meanings visitors assigned to various components of the Big River
festival, the following analysis was undertaken. Seven components (or elements) of the Big
River Festival were rated by attendees using four adjective pairs (likeness and contrast
poles) via a data collection tool known as the ratings grid. This memo presents a description
of the current situation based on ratings grid analysis and my recommendations for the
future of the event.
Ratings grid analysis of festival components reveals that visitors view the meanings of each
component as follows:
B Visitors perceive the Big River Settlement as rural and affordable. While they did ?nd the
meaning of the Big River Settlement to be slightly Southern and offering very little
community orientation, each mean value is near the center, suggesting that the attitudes
are not strong with respect to Southern or non-Southern or community-oriented or non
community-oriented.
B The bass ?shing tournament’s meaning is described by visitors as slightly rural, slightly
Southern, some community orientation, and a little expensive.
B Visitors view the ?sh cook-off as rural, Southern, some community orientation, and
affordable.
B Visitors perceive the raft race to be slightly rural, very slightly Southern (near midpoint),
community oriented, and affordable. Because the value for Southern-non-Southern is
near the mid-point, the attitude toward the raft race is not strong in terms of Southern or
non-Southern.
B Festival attendance led visitors to derive the following meanings fromthe Taste of Big River:
rural, somewhat Southern, neither community-oriented nor not community-oriented, and
slightly affordable.
B Visitors describe concerts as neither rural nor urban, somewhat Southern, lacking
community orientation, and affordable.
B For visitors, the Tall Tails Fish Story Competition has the following meanings: urban,
non-Southern, no community orientation, and affordable.
Below, the ?ndings are summarized. Following the summaries, recommendations are
made:
B The ?sh cook-off and raft races both are described in terms of likeness poles (but to
varying degrees).
B Visitors perceive the Big River Settlement to have a very slight Southern meaning.
B The meanings of the bass ?shing tournament are described in terms of three likenesses;
the exception is affordable.
B Visitors view the ?sh cook-off as rural, Southern, some community orientation, and
affordable.
B Because the value for Southern-non-Southern is near the center, meaning of the raft race
is not strong in terms of Southern or non-Southern.
B The Taste of Big River is viewed as neither community-oriented nor not
community-oriented.
B Concerts are not perceived as Southern. This result may be due to band choice and
musical styles featured.
B The Tall Tails Fish Story Competition is perceived in terms of all contrasts (except
expensive). This ?nding indicates a problem since the competition is featured as a main
component of the festival designed to showcase the rural South and this year’s festival
theme is ‘‘Our Southern Heritage’’.
PAGE 358
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
VOL. 3 NO. 4 2009
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
Recommendations for the festival are as follows:
B Only some of the current festival offerings (the bass ?shing tournament, the ?sh cook-off,
and the raft race) are perceived as having a community focus. Among these,
community-centeredness is felt most strongly for the raft race. If the festival wants to
appeal to locals, as stated in the press release, further efforts must be made to engage
the community. Suggestions to achieve this goal include: local restaurants should be
invited to the Taste of Big River, concerts should feature more local talent, and efforts
should be made to attract more local and regional storytellers to the Tall Tails Fish Story
competition.
B The Big River Settlement is perceived as having very little community orientation. Efforts
should be made to connect the history of the settlement and the area to the modern town
of Big River to demonstrate ties to the community.
B Current products are all viewed as affordable, except for the Big River Fishing
Tournament. Therefore any future products and events to be added should keep with the
overall affordability of the festival.
B Owing to ?shing tournament’s perception as expensive, the bene?ts of participating need
to be highlighted to reassure contestants of the value they are receiving.
B If Southern heritage is to be maintained as the festival’s central component, all festival
aspects must re?ect this theme, including all onsite activities and interactions, which
includes volunteer training.
B Because the Big River Settlement is perceived to have only a slight Southern orientation,
volunteers working within the settlement should be trained in strategies to enhance the
Southern meaning of the settlement visit. Examples may include: concern for accurate
dialect and clothing speci?c to the period and the region, and more information recounted
to visitors on the forces in the region affecting the Big River Settlement.
Overall, the festival appears to be heading in the direction envisioned by the directors.
Exercise 2
A:
B Step #1: Local, Regional, Historical, Traditional.
B Step #2: Contrasts should be generated by providing likeness poles to individuals
judged to be similar to those to be interviewed at the festival and asking these
individuals to come up with contrasts. The researcher should develop contrasts, but in
this case, he/she needs to ensure the terminology chosen is understandable to the
sample population. (Note that contrasts generated may vary from those to be
suggested based on familiar terminology used in an area or region.)
B: Stockton River, Fishing, Storytelling, Raft, Food, Music, Costume contest.
Figure A3 Ratings grid for Exercise 2C
VOL. 3 NO. 4 2009
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
PAGE 359
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
C: Ratings Grid for the Stockton River Festival (Figure A3).
D: Ratings Grid for the Stockton River Festival with Mean Scores Provided (Figure A4).
Corresponding author
Marian H. Wooten can be contacted at: [email protected]
Figure A4 Ratings grid for Exercise 2E
PAGE 360
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
VOL. 3 NO. 4 2009
To purchase reprints of this article please e-mail: [email protected]
Or visit our web site for further details: www.emeraldinsight.com/reprints
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
This article has been cited by:
1. Hui Li, Wei Song, Roger Collins. 2014. Post-event visits as the sources of marketing strategy sustainability: a conceptual
model approach. Journal of Business Economics and Management 15, 74-95. [CrossRef]
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
doc_226416565.pdf