RESEARCH PARADIGM, APPROACH, DESIGN, AND METHODOLOGY
3.5 POPULATION AND SAMPLING .1 Population
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from the data to expand Fayol’s Administrative Management Theory, which could replicate the study in other settings with similar contextual characteristics.
iii. In resolving the concern about ethical issues, the researcher ensured strict adherence to ethics processes approved by the Ethics Committee for Humanities (ECH) of the University of South Africa through careful planning of data collection, analysis, and presentation to minimise the inherent risk to participants. Furthermore, the researcher used an inductive approach in gathering thick and rich data from participants from which themes were formed to develop a framework for the management of ECCD centres in Ghana to guide practitioners’ experiences (Punch, 2014).
3.5 POPULATION AND SAMPLING
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Figure 3.1: Map of Greater Accra Region of Ghana and Districts Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_Accra_Region#Geography
There are 26 districts within the Greater Accra Region, comprising two metropolitan, 19 municipal, and five peri-urban districts. The Greater Accra Region is believed to be an information-rich site compared to other regions for the following reasons:
i. The Greater Accra Region hosts the capital city of Ghana, all the Ministries, and the Headquarters of the Ghana Education Service. The region has the highest number of public and private ECCD centres. Available records at the Ghana Education headquarters indicate that there are 724 public kindergartens and 2520 private registered centres in the region, which gives a sum of 3244 ECCD centres within the region. The region also has the highest pre-primary enrolment rate of 94 percent (Kelly & Loïc, 2014).
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ii. The region has different types of early childhood centres, such as government-owned, privately-owned, community-based and religious-affiliated centres. This provided insights into how management practices differ across different types of centres.
3.5.3 Purposeful sampling
3.5.3.1 Criteria for choosing purposeful sampling.
Based on the research topic, research design, and the aim of the study, the researcher carefully considered the following criteria and choose participants who can provide the most relevant and valuable insights for the study:
• Relevance: Participants were selected based on their relevance to the research question and objective. They possess perspectives that align with the specific focus of the study.
• Maximum Variation: In order to capture a wide range of perspectives and experiences related to the research topic, participants professional roles were considered.
• Availability and accessibility: The research considered accessibility and willingness of the participants to participate in the study. This criterion considered factors such as participants’ availability, and their willingness to provide the required information.
• Contrasting cases: Finally, the researcher purposively selected participants from both public and private ECCD centres with varied level of experience to represent contrasting cases or extreme variations within the research context. This helped to enhance the depth and breadth of the study findings by comparing and contrasting diverse perspectives.
3.5.4 Sampling by case type
The researcher used a purposive sampling technique to select twenty participants, comprised of sixteen ECCD directors and four board members, for the study.
Concept-based sampling involves information-rich participants who are willing to participate in the study (Patton, 2015). Based on the above, the selection criteria used were based on the ECCD centres’ potential to provide rich information on directors’ management practices to decide on samples and site selection.
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The sample size used was contingent on information-rich cases. The sample for the study included sixteen ECCD directors and four board members purposively selected from the sixteen ECCD centres, as summarised in Table 3.1.
Table 3.1: Samples and sample size
Interview Participants Number
ECCD Directors 16
ECCD Board Members 4
Total 20
The selection criteria considered participants’ availability and willingness to participate in the study. The sample case sites included new and existing ECCD centres with student populations of at least seventy and a staff complement of at least seven. From each ECCD centre, the researcher chose one ECCD director. The researcher also purposively chose four board members, two from public ECCD centres and two from private ECCD centres who were available and willing to participate in the study.
3.5.4.2 Justification for selecting only directors and board members for the study
This sub-section gives justification for excluding other stakeholders from the study. The following are the reasons for focusing the study on only directors and board members:
First, the focus of the study was on specific management practices and decisions of directors, not general practices and decisions within the centre. Directors and board members lead ECCD centres and have important decision-making power. They are responsible for setting the centre’s direction and policies. They also manage the centre’s resources and personnel. It is therefore important to understand their management practices in order to gain insight into how these centres function.
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In addition, directors and board members have a broad view of the centre’s operations. They are involved in a variety of activities, such as strategic planning, programming, financial management and staff oversight.
Furthermore, directors and board members are often in charge of the centre’s overall success and long-term sustainability. They are in charge of maintaining high standards of care and education, making sure the centre is compliant with regulations, and maintaining good relationships with the parents and community. Excluding other ECCD stakeholders allowed the study to focus more on the specific challenges and responsibilities facing directors.
In addition, directors and teachers have different roles and perspectives of the centre. For example, while the role of directors and board members focuses on leading and managing the centre, teachers’ role focuses on the care and education of the children. Excluding other ECCD stakeholders such as teachers would help the study to more accurately capture the specific management practices and challenges facing directors. The researcher also felt that inclusion of other stakeholders could potentially lead to a more diverse range of responses and perspectives in the study. Therefore, to ensure consistency and focus on the findings, the study excluded other important ECCD stakeholders.
The data collection instruments and data analytic techniques are discussed in subsequent sub- sections.