TÉCNICAS DE ENLACE DE IDEAS

A review of the literature and secondary data in the fields of entrepreneurial learning environments, effective teaching methods, and status quo of business and entrepreneurship education at HEIs in Europe and abroad was undertaken with the data available (see sections 3.1.5.2.3 and 3.1.5.2.4). The identification of effective learning environments and teaching methods as well as possible gaps in the educational processes at HEIs was helpful so as to identify concrete improvements in the professional preparation of fine artists either during their studies at HEIs or as a continuation in alternative education programmes, for example, arts incubation programmes.

In order to create a snapshot of fine art undergraduates’ art business and arts entrepreneurship education, analyses of published documents of regular curricular in Fine Art degree programmes and those of single subjects, including module handbooks and programme specifications as well as information about institutions’ missions, strategy plans, and annual reports turned out to be most suitable and yielding. The analysis was associated with information requests made to fine art lecturers, staff of career departments, leaders of extracurricular in-house trainings in entrepreneurship, and programme directors of university-based incubators and enterprise centres in order to gain further information about the availability and extent of entrepreneurial education opportunities for (fine) artists during their studies at HEIs. The data and findings were triangulated and complemented by the aforementioned surveys by questionnaire of fine art lecturers (Appendix D) and students (Appendix F). Lecturers were further asked for information relating to the course (regular curricula and training offerings) and institutional level (HEIs’ orientation towards arts entrepreneurship) in order to obtain data from

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teaching artists. Basically, lecturers who are simultaneously practising artists can be considered educational experts providing valuable insights into the educational situation, real working and business requirements, and the entrepreneurial positioning and orientation at their HEIs.

The survey by questionnaire of fine art students was closely linked to the survey of lecturers – the objective being to experience the personal views of fine art students as prospective practising fine artists in terms of their educational preparation and expectations. They were asked for information relating to the course level in order to gain direct data from the learners’ own perspectives.

As mentioned earlier, the surveys were conducted among lecturers and students in the UK and Germany for the purpose of identifying differences in fine art undergraduates’ tertiary education between both education systems. The surveys were also suitable methods to gain instant insights into fine art undergraduates’ professional preparation and HEIs’ strategic commitments to arts entrepreneurship education with a low probability of socially desirable answers. Methods to capture emotions of lecturers and students, for example, by using interviews techniques, were not necessary for achieving the second research aim.

4.3.3 Research Methods for Investigating Arts Incubation Business Models to Facilitate Professional and Entrepreneurial Careers of Business Fine Artists (Research Aim 3)

The aim of the literature review and analysis of secondary data in the context of the third research aim was to identify the relevant supportive services required by business fine artists and provided by arts incubators as well as their impact on business artists’ professional development and growth (see section 3.2.2.1.3). Secondary data required was mainly provided by self-presentations of successful operating incubation programmes.

Business models and programmes of existing arts incubators were analysed using published data on their websites with special focus on provided services, target clients, key stakeholders, and geographic concentration. To identify weaknesses or gaps in their service spectrum for emerging business fine artists’ specific needs, demands, and concerns on business, support services were identified by conducting structured

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interviews with those practising, emerging business fine artists who were not represented by commercial galleries or other supportive networks (Appendix C). The emerging fine artists were randomly selected.

These research methods were particular suitable for gaining the data required, as capturing emotions of surveyed fine artists was valuable to this study.

4.4

Process of Analysis and Samples

The following sections describe the processes of collecting data including the surveyed samples in the context of achieving the three research aims with the help of research methods illustrated in Figure 4.2-3 above.

4.4.1 Structured Interviews with Emerging Business Fine Artists

In total, nine working and unestablished newcomer or emerging artists not represented by galleries or other supportive art networks (at the time of the interview) were randomly selected and interviewed (Appendix C), seven of whom were at the Berliner Liste 2015, a fair for contemporary art from 17 to 20 September 2015 in Berlin that enables artists not yet represented by galleries to show and sell their work to a cosmopolitan, art-savvy audience. The other two emerging fine artists were discovered within the researcher’s personal network contacts. Their interviews were conducted by telephone on the 21 and 22 September 2015. Six out of nine interviews were tape-recorded with the artists’ permission, while three interviews were conducted only by notes due to noisy and distracting interview environments at the Berliner Liste 2015 (this applies to one interview) and upon explicit request of the two interview partners who were interviewed by telephone (Table 4.4-1).

Table 4.4-1: Interview Partners

Number Date Length

(hrs:min:sec) Type of recording Location Gender Nationality

1 17 September 2015 00:17:12 tape recording Berliner Liste 2015 male German

2 17 September 2015 00:52:28 tape recording Berliner Liste 2015 male British

3 17 September 2015 00:40:12 tape recording Berliner Liste 2015 female German

4 18 September 2015 00:23:43 tape recording Berliner Liste 2015 female Israeli

5 18 September 2015 00:22:21 tape recording Berliner Liste 2015 male Swiss

6 18 September 2015 00:20:00 hand-written notes Berliner Liste 2015 male Spanish

7 18 September 2015 00:18:05 tape recording Berliner Liste 2015 male Norwegian

8 20 September 2015 00:20:00 hand-written notes Studio Braunschweig female German

9 22 September 2015 00:20:00 hand-written notes Studio Nice female French

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Each structured interview lasted between 20 and 50 minutes, depending how much time and input was given for the individual questions.

The transcription was personally undertaken by the researcher. It focused primarily on content rather than on the style of speaking due to the chosen inductive and qualitative research approach of this dissertation that aims to reveal, discuss, and interpret the individual views, needs, concerns, opinions, expectations, and motivations of interviewees who are considered experts in their individual situation. Following Kuckartz et al. (2008), a literal transcription clearing up dialects, syntax errors, hesitation vowels or sounds, and long excesses completely unrelated to the interview questions was applied. This type of transcription was an adequate mixture of commenting and readability and therefore ideally suited for this research approach.

Due to the similarity of given answers to the structured questions from all interviewees, the principle of ‘empirical or scientific saturation’ was already applicable after the first four interviews; however, some more interviews were conducted for the sake of being robust. Further interviews with this target group would probably not have provided new information for the relevant research aim.