INSTITUTIONALIZED CHILD CARE IN URBAN SOUTH AFRICA

My study was conducted over the course of three weeks in urban Johannesburg, in
the neighborhood of Hillbrow. Demographically, this is a predominantly isiZuluspeaking
area with other dialects being frequently used, and code switching being
commonplace. My interactions with the children and staff were conducted in English as it
is also a widely spoken language of commerce and education. My study focused on the
care center’s environment and interpersonal relationships, and I selected my population
on the basis of availability and being able to represent a wide variety of ties an individual
may have to the center.
My study was limited by the fact that I could only spend three weeks at the center
and by the fact that my population only represents a single institution. However, some of
the staff members helped me understand when certain observations were more unique to
this particular center and when they were actually common across South African
institutions. To compensate for these limitations, I also made a constant effort to ensure
that I gathered a robust amount of information from each participant throughout the
interview process, that I asked questions that allowed for both ample breadth and depth,
and that my observations were relevant to the questions of my research.
Interpreting Findings
Responses to questions that call for anecdotal responses, such as “who is the first
person you want to tell when you have good news,” were considered as indicators of
relational proximity, or other reasonable inferrences. Throughout the course of
interviewing, responses generated natural follow-up questions. Images from the visual
components of the data were analyzed based on firsthand experience and background
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