INSTITUTIONALIZED CHILD CARE IN URBAN SOUTH AFRICA

their lives at the center. As previously described in my literature review, a variety of
lenses have complicated the popular perception of OVC. The design of this study intends
to allow my observations of daily activities to construct a portrait of the institution.
My research will be based on a few assumptions:
(1) Some of the biggest problems in popular perception of OVC have come
from overreliance on reductionistic data. Findings that rely heavily on numerical
values and categorization tend to obscure important nuances. Past studies have
favored quantitative measures, so I sought to compensate for this imbalance by
including non-quantifiable insights based upon observations, testimonies, and
descriptions.
(2) This study takes for granted the fact that improving OVC care in Urban
South Africa is a desirable goal. However, because the meaning of
“improvement” is subjective, I invited the center’s children, staff, and director
themselves to define the standards of a “good childhood.”
(3) Because OVC discourse has been heavily shaped by Western perspectives
and outsider narratives, I made every effort for the participants of the study to
have a say in deciding what findings were significant.
Ethics and Human Subjects
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