Given the general challenges associated with finding alternative care for an increasing
number of orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs) in Zimbabwe, adoption appears to be
an appropriate option. In practice adoption appears is one of the alternative forms of child
care and ye it t has not received the necessary research attention. This study was aimed
at developing an in-depth understanding of the challenges experienced by adoptive
parents in the adoption of OVCs in Zimbabwe and the support system available for them
in managing such challenges using the ecological systems theory.
A qualitative research approach which was designed from exploratory, descriptive and
contextual research designs to understand the challenges experienced by adoptive
parents in the adoption of OVCs in Zimbabwe was adopted, with purposive and snowball
sampling techniques used to identify and recruit a sample of eight parents who have
undergone the process of adoption. Data was collected by means of semi-structured
interviews guided by an interview guide and analysed according to Braun and Clarke’s
six steps of qualitative data analysis. Trustworthiness of this study was evaluated
according to its credibility, transferability, dependability and confirmability as proposed by Guba and Lincoln while relevant ethical principles were upheld throughout the entire
duration of the study. The findings revealed a variety of socio-demographic features of
adoptive parents as well as several challenges and experiences which are presented in
a form of 10 themes and 13 subthemes in this report. Conclusions are drawn based on
the research process and the research findings from which the recommendations are
proposed for research, practice and training and education. / Social Work / M. A. (Social Work)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:unisa/oai:uir.unisa.ac.za:10500/26619 |
| Date | 01 1900 |
| Creators | Marengu, S. |
| Contributors | Lekganyane, M. R. |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Dissertation |
| Format | 1 online resource (xii, 171 leaves) : color illustrations, application/pdf |
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