Romany Dance PROJECT
Analysis of evaluating questionnaires
Introduction, characterization of the sample
During 2012, collecting of evaluating questionnaires was realized within the Romany Dance
Project; respondents from schools visited should express their opinions about the performed
programme in them. The questionnaire included – besides evaluating sections – also contextual
questions, that surveyed few socio-demographic data about respondents (gender, age, nationality),
and basic character of their experience with interethnical relations and Romany culture, too. Onepage forms including fourteen questions were collected in eight schools participating in the
programme. Number of filled and returned questionnaires: 671.
Pupils of the middle school, or of younger classes in secondary schools are found in the data set.
The proportion of genders in the sample is almost even; boys account for 49 %, girls for 51 %.
National composition of the sample is also important for the given research topic – that's why also
this question was asked. (see Graph 1)
0
50
percentage of respondents
Graph 1: Composition of the respondent sample concerning nationality and age
100
25
20
nationality
Vi
et
R
n Uk
ot ame rai n om Cze
he
i
an an y ch
se
r
88,3
5,7
15
0,8
10
1,5
3,8
5
0
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
percentage of respondents
years of age
Graph 2: Prior to this event, did you have any idea what is the Romany culture and customs like?
0
10
20
30
40
50
Yes, I know w hat it is about
Yes, but only partially
Not at all
percentage of respondents
60
Graph 3: As you see it, where you can get some information about the Romany culture and customs today?
0
20
40
60
80
information – on TV
information – at school – from
schoolmates
information - on the internet
information - from now here – no
information
information – in other w ay
percentage of respondents
Persons questioned had more options at once to answer this question; thus percentage on the graph
(Graf 3) expresses rate of respondents who chose the individual options.
Graph 4: Do you have among Romanies some:
Friends
Schoolmates
Members of interest groups
Relatives (members of your family)
Acquaintances (neighbour, a friend of
your friend...)
Favourite actresses/actors (TV)
Favourite singers (TV, radio, the
0%
ano
ne
20%
40%
60%
80% 100%
percentage of respondents
Besides the stated nationality (as it is know, this is – in no way – a reliable figure because a
significant part of Romanies do not state their ethnicity), we use this set of questions as an indicator
of social closeness or distance to the Romany ethnic group. Individual items indicate various degree
of involvement in social nets across ethnic groups, and we suppose that their cumulation means
decreasing degree of social distance. For that reason, we draw up a cumulative index ranging from 0
(no affirmative reply = highest degree of social distance) to 8 (all replies are affirmative = the
lowest degree of social distance, which means the highest closeness).1 We will further use this index
for analyses of event valuation, when we will ask to what degree is the valuation affected a priori by
social distance, and to what degree it varies with other factors.
1
Apart from seven mentioned items, the index calculation includes also the answer 'Other' - respondents gave other
relations there(e.g. particular nicknames, sportspersons, football players etc.).
The index calculation for respondents declaring Czech and Romany ethnicity is the logical control of validity. In the
first case, the average reaches the figure of 1,4, in the other case of 5,4.
percentage of respondents
Graph 5: Arrangement of the „index of social distance“
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
number of affirmative replies („Do you have among
Romanies some...“)
Graph 6: Arrangement of replies to the question „Have you heard before Romanies talking about their culture /
customs?“ and „How much are you interested in Romany culture and customs?“
yes
22%
0
10
20
30
40
50
not at all
only partially
no
78%
rather yes
I am very interested
percentage of respondents
Graph 7: Interest of respondents according to the index of social distance – average index values according to
replies to the question „How much are you interested in the Romany culture and customs?
0
1
2
3
4
not at all
only partially
rather yes
I am very interested
average of the index of social distance
5
Valuation
On the graph (Graph 8), valuation shares 1 – 5 and also „average marks“, for better comparison,
are plotted. All aspects are evaluated very positively. Considering shares of individual marks, more
than three quarters of persons questioned applied grade 1 or 2 when evaluating. Average figures
range between 1,7 and 2. Which means that dispersion in valuation of individual aspects is not
considerable – the best evaluated event is the dance (1,7) and comparatively the worst one is the
workshop (2,0); but the difference between them is only 0,3 of the evaluation grade.
Graph 8: Arrangement of replies to the question „How do you evaluate individual parts of today's programme?
(+ average valuation)
proportion of individual valuation (%)
1,00
1,50
2,00
2,50
3,00
3,50
4,00
4,50
5,00
a) music
b) dance
c) narration
d) meeting Romani dancers
e) costumes
f) w orkshop
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
average valuation
excelent
2
3
4
fail mark
percentage of respondents
Graph 9: Overall valuation – total
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
1,0 1,3 1,7 2,0 2,3 2,7 3,0 3,3 3,7 4,0 4,3 4,7 5,0
arrangement od overall valuation (total of individual
aspects)
average
The overall valuation brings us to analyses, where we compare averages on the basis of replies to
further questions from the questionnaire.
Table 1: Average total valuation according to gender, nationality and interest indicator
Total
valuation
(average)
Frequency of
occurrence
Gender
Nationality
Prior to this event, did you have any idea how
is the Romany culture and customs?
Have you heard before Romanies talking
about their culture / customs?
How much are you interested in Romany
culture and customs?
Table 2: Average total valuation according to individual indicators of social distance
Do you have among Romanies some…
Friends
Schoolmates
Members of interest groups
Relatives (members of your family)
Acquaintances (neighbour, a friend of your
friend...)
Favourite actresses / actors (TV)
Favourite singers (TV, radio, the net)
Total
valuation
(average)
Frequency of
occurrence
Standard
deviation
Standard
deviation
Graph 10: Arrangement of replies to the question „Do you think you will be further interested in Romany
culture / customs sometime in the future?“
0
20
40
0
60
20
40
60
definitely yes
yes – major part w as
new for me
rather yes
rather no
no – I knew the majority
before
definitely no
percentage of respondents
percentage of respondents
Graf 11: Arrangement of replies to the question „Do you think you will be further interested in Romany culture /
customs sometime in the future? (+ averages according to valuation of the performance and to index of social
distance)
0
20
40
60
0
2
4
6
definitely
yes
definitely yes
index of social
distance
rather yes
rather
no
rather no
performance
valuation
definitely no
average
percentage of respondents
When we ask, how are the performance valuation (which means the indicator of the programme
effect) and index of social distance (that implies the indicator of a priori attitudes) reflected in
replies to the question 'Do you think you be further interested in Romany culture / customs sometime
in the future?', we can take a look at average comparison (Graf 11). It is apparent from it that
influence of both indicators mingles. But when we construct a model that compares the impact of
programme valuation and of a priori attitudes on future interest reciprocally, we will find out that
the influence of the programme valuation is prevailing.2
Graph 12: Would you welcome regular courses in Romany dance in the neighbourhood of your address?
yes
no
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
procento respondentů
2
It is the linear regression model concerning.
Table 3: Schools participating in the research
frequency
percent
Table 4: Index of social distance and average valuation according the venue of the event
Averages
Number of valid
answers
standard deviation
There is a comparatively worst valuation at the high school in Varnsdorf and at the elementary
school in Brno, Zemědělská. For comparison, we show also the index of social distance calculated
as an average number of affirmative replies in the battery of questions 'Do you have among
Romanies some...' (see above) in the table. Already at first sight, it is apparent that the average
valuation of the programme at participating schools inversely relates to the social distance. When
we express the relation mathematically we will obtain a correlation coefficient having the value of 0,711, which shows that there is a tendency – even at the level of schools – to evaluate the
performance better where students set up relations among ethnic groups more frequently.
The last question of the questionnaire was left open, and we asked children to describe their greatest
experience of the event by their own words. Frank children's answers correspond with results of
closed replies. The majority of them are complimentary, and children assess the event positively.
Either they refer to individual parts of the programme, they were interested in (dance, singing,
theatre performance...), or they comment on the whole event with enthusiasm. Some children even
emphasize via the open question that if they could they would attend a similar event again:
„Dance! Singing! I liked it all. I was captivated by it. I I carefully listened to each word, I would experience it
once more!“
„I liked it all enormously, I would like to repeat it once more“
Only few children expressed their dissatisfaction with the programme, some children evaluated the
programme neutrally to the effect that it allowed them to avoid classes, and they were not exactly
attracted by it:
„None of them – I'm glad that there were no classes.“
„Just the fact that I skipped lessons“
Children's open replies provide further information especially when children expanded not only on
parts of the programme as such but also on other aspects of the whole event. These types of replies
mostly referred exactly to reflection of Romanies, being a Romany, or the Romany culture. It is
evident from the closed question referring to the degree of social distance in relation to Romanies
that most children have just very small direct experience with Romanies – hardly any child knows a
Romany in her/his close or more distant neighbourhood. Even some open replies indicate that
children actually do not know what they should imagine under the term 'Romany culture“ and
'being a Romany', and that individual parts of the programme was a surprise to them. The
programme provided first information about Romanies and being a Romany to some of them, and
aroused also their further interest:
„The first part of the programme. We talked about their customs I hadn't a clue about.“
„My strongest experience was learning Romany dances. Before I didn't know at all that there is a dance like
this.“
„Everything, I didn't know a lot about them but thanks to this event I've changed my opinion of Romanies.“
„I've never heard Romany music before and I liked it very much. Thanks to this performance, I'm sure to be
interested in Romany culture.“
„It was new experience for me, pleasant people, interesting presentation, lots of new information, my
opinion of Romanies changed.“
„I had no idea that Romanies adhere to their customs so strictly.“
„I liked your performance very much. It was evident that you just have rhythm in your blood, and you were
synchronized as I haven't seen for a very, very long time. I haven't thought at all, that your traditions are so
strict and that you don't play down the religion. And your customs are actually one of the most interesting
I've ever met. I simply liked it awfully.“
„My greatest experience probably was the workshop - dance. I didn't keep it in my mind, in any case I
realized that it's not so easy and that you have to have some talent for it, which I haven't got.“
„It was an experience for me to find out that even Romanies respect their culture.“
In the last three quoted answers, it is possible to notice implicitly present stereotype related to
belonging to the Romany ethnic group: children are surprised by professionalism and perfection of
the Romanies's performance („how they are synchronized“), by the ability not to play down some
issues, to respect their own culture, and they admire their exceptional talent. Surprise of children
and emphasizing of these abilities or qualities can refer to existing conviction of their lacking or
absence .
Open statements of children also point out some other stereotypes that children associate with this
ethnic group and that are more or less disturbed by this programme:
„Come closer to Romanies and not to be bashed up and robbed.“
„To see that they are able to be engaged even in an interesting and useful occupation. The possibility to
infiltrate into the Romany family via the narration.“
„I was surprised by the narration because I thought that the rumours that the Romanies are sticky-fingered
etc. are true.“
Children also reminded their own bad experience with Romanies, yet they were in no way specified
in more details. So it is a question to what extent these views result from their own experience or
are just adopted from valuations of other people
„Dance – they knew it really very well . Despite my bad experience with them.“
„My greatest experience was when I listened about Romanies. I don't like Romanies very much but the
narration caught my interest.“
„Quite good, it's curious that Romanies can do also something else than bother people.“
Only three replies were utterly negative; first two of them had strong racist character (they were
most likely written by classmates):
„I liked most when we was leaving, gypsies should be wiped out as in the Third Reich, but only them, who
steal, kill… Upright people may remain. Up yours.“
„I liked best when we left the auditorium. And that I did not see a gypsy any more. They stole car wheels
from my grandpa, so I call them gypsies. They should behave themselves. Fuck them.“
„Song, I realized (and even I couldn't), that I will be no more interested in this culture. Never again!“
Summary
Evaluation study carried out within the Romany Dance Project was primarily focused on
assessment of the programme fruitfulness, its capacities to hand on information on Romany culture
and customs to children in an entertaining form, and to awaken their interest in this phenomenon.
Also the other research objective – survey of children's attitudes to the Romany ethic group,
Romany culture and customs and capacities to revise these attitudes – was related to this. Opinions
and attitudes of children were surveyed via structured questionnaire distributed after the event had
finished.
Analysis of the first part of the questionnaire showed that Romany culture and customs are
not unknown to children and that in most cases, they can imagine something under these terms.
They find information about the topic by means of various media, including books, rather than
through particular persons – parents, teachers, schoolmates. The question indicating level of social
distance of children towards the Romany ethnic group revealed that children usually do not have
experience with particular Romanies, whether from their immediate neighbourhood or from the
media, and their social distance towards them is for this reason relatively high. This can be
connected with rather little interest of children in Romany culture and customs.
The other part of the questionnaire concentrated on the programme evaluation gives a
positive picture of the event in all its aspects (music, dance, narration, meeting Romany dancers,
costumes, workshop). However at the same time, it shows connection between existing attitudes of
children to Romanies and their culture and the event valuation: children, whose social distance
towards Romanies id high and who are not interested in Romany culture and customs evaluated the
event worse than those children who are interested and whose social distance is lower. However,
considering expected outcome of the programme, it is positive that the analysis comparing
reciprocal impact of the programme valuation and of a priori attitudes on future interest in Romany
culture and customs showed prevailing influence of the programme valuation.
Nearly absolute absence of utterly xenophobic or racist open replies, as well as minimum of solely
negative replies of this sort are an indicator that children have rather lack of experience and
information about Romany culture and customs than that they would absolutely refuse to
experience these phenomena.
Data analysis: Mgr. Petr Fučík, Ph. D.