Research methodology applied to a comparative case study of the deinstitutionalisation of children in Bulgaria and Ukraine

Gale, Chrissie (2015) Research methodology applied to a comparative case study of the deinstitutionalisation of children in Bulgaria and Ukraine. Scottish Journal of Residential Child Care, 14 (3). ISSN 1478-1840

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Abstract

Following the demise of the Soviet Union, world attention was alerted to the situation of thousands of children living in large residential institutions across countries of the Central and Eastern Europe and Commonwealth of Independent States (CEE/CIS) region. Initial analysis of national statistics contained within a UNICEF database revealed a variance in results in eliminating use of large-scale residential institutions for children across the CEE/CIS region, with a noticeable variance between two countries in particular, Bulgaria and Ukraine. As part of a doctorate study I sought to investigate this variance utilising a comparative case study approach. Through a literature review I explored the concept of deinstitutionalisation, the contextual background of post-communist countries, and child care reform in Bulgaria and Ukraine. Fieldwork involving semi-structured interviews with child care professionals in these two countries provided information on the deinstitutionalisation process and analysis utilising NVIVO 10 software offered an in-depth understanding of differences and similarities in efforts to reform the child care system.

Persistent Identifier

https://doi.org/10.17868/strath.00084927