Study Purpose What defines quality in the childcare sector outside of the home? Who determines what the level of quality is and how quality be attained or improved. In 2007, researchers from the Midwest region of the United States conducted a regional study to determine just that. The researchers who conducted this study set out to find the perspectives of many different stakeholders within the system of childcare including parents, caregivers, policy makers and social service providers (Harrist, Thompson & Norris, 2007). Their findings showed similarity on what had previously been discussed on the topic of childcare; the definition of quality needs to be broadened by hearing the perspectives that are not typically heard when determining
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If you had a magic wand, what one thing would you do to improve the quality of childcare?
The phenomenological approach in the focus groups conducted by this study was the most effective way to understand the lived experience of the different stakeholders to determine what quality in childcare meant to them.
Sampling and Data …show more content…
The participants were from the Midwest region of the United States and of Euro American decent. The majority of the sample was caregivers (30 total participants), followed by parents (27 participants), directors/owners (19 participants), policy makers and social service professions were the smallest portion with only 8 participants each. While this is a large sample size for a qualitative study it is important to consider the generalizability of the results. One of the limitations of this study was that the sample size was limited to the Midwestern area of the U.S. and consisted primarily of Euro American women in all stakeholder perspectives. According DePoy and Gitlin (2011) a successful sample size is one that can accurately represent the population and in the case of this study the researchers were successful making the study have external validity for this area. However, according to Locke, Silverman and Spirduso (2011) “the adequacy of the sample also is important because it determines whether it is reasonable to believe that the results found in the study would hold for any other situation or group of people” (pg.
If you had a magic wand, what one thing would you do to improve the quality of childcare?
The phenomenological approach in the focus groups conducted by this study was the most effective way to understand the lived experience of the different stakeholders to determine what quality in childcare meant to them.
Sampling and Data …show more content…
The participants were from the Midwest region of the United States and of Euro American decent. The majority of the sample was caregivers (30 total participants), followed by parents (27 participants), directors/owners (19 participants), policy makers and social service professions were the smallest portion with only 8 participants each. While this is a large sample size for a qualitative study it is important to consider the generalizability of the results. One of the limitations of this study was that the sample size was limited to the Midwestern area of the U.S. and consisted primarily of Euro American women in all stakeholder perspectives. According DePoy and Gitlin (2011) a successful sample size is one that can accurately represent the population and in the case of this study the researchers were successful making the study have external validity for this area. However, according to Locke, Silverman and Spirduso (2011) “the adequacy of the sample also is important because it determines whether it is reasonable to believe that the results found in the study would hold for any other situation or group of people” (pg.