Accessing school age childcare in rural and island areas: research

2. Methodology

Key points

The research findings were primarily sourced from in-depth interviews with parents/carers and providers from six rural and island areas of Scotland - Argyll and Bute, Aberdeenshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Highland, Shetland Islands, and Na h-Eileanan Siar (Western Isles). These were complemented with additional surveys and desk research.

Thematic analysis was carried out to analyse data. Research was conducted in line with the Ethics Guidance for Scottish Government Social Researchers.

The main challenges were in recruitment, and the limitation of face-to-face research which was not possible due to ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions. The research was also limited in fully answering some of the research questions.

2.1 Introduction

The aim of this research was to develop a deep understanding of:

• the challenges parents face accessing school age childcare in rural and island areas of Scotland, and
• the challenges that school age childcare providers face, and the opportunities that exist, when providing services in rural and island areas of Scotland.

To answer our research questions (see section 1.3) and understand the topic in detail, we used a qualitative research methodology.

2.2 Overview of the research design

The research involved a mix of primary and secondary research techniques, and comprised three main elements:

1. A Rapid Evidence Assessment/desk research to assess existing data in Scotland/the UK, and interviews with subject matter experts.

2. Two online surveys of the targeted participant groups (parents and carers, and school age childcare providers). The surveys aimed to identify emerging themes and trends to shape the direction of our interviews, and allowed us to gather a wider range of experiences to strengthen our findings.

3. Primary qualitative research through in-depth interviews with targeted participant groups. The interviews aimed to gain an understanding of the key issues as perceived by parents/carers and childcare providers in rural and island areas of Scotland.

Sampling of participants for surveys and interviews is explained in section 2.2.3.

Our research method uses techniques from the grounded theory approach. This means that we develop all the conclusions from our research findings. This is an inductive reasoning process that involves using evidence and patterns in data to make broad conclusions.

2.2.1 Desk research and secondary data

The aim of the desk research was to inform the topic guide and to complement and validate our findings from interviews. Evidence collected also helped us answer the following research questions:

• What models of childcare provision, formal and informal, exist in rural and island areas of Scotland, and how do they differ across regions?
• What can be learned from existing pilot projects and research into rural and island childcare providers?

The evidence encompasses studies from academic research, government reports and grey literature. This includes national, as well as international sources. A full reference list is included at the end of the report.

We developed survey and interview questions after reviewing existing research and secondary data. This included consultations and reports. Findings from secondary data were also used throughout our analysis to complement and validate our findings from interviews.

2.2.2 Subject matter interviews

We conducted a total of 15 online interviews with subject matter experts. Interviewees included Education Scotland regional attainment advisors, representatives from networks, and other associations.

This initial step was key to understanding the context of the sector and of rural and island settings, helping frame questions for in-depth interviews.

2.2.3 Recruitment and sampling

To address the research aims above, recruitment for surveys and interviews was targeted at two groups:

• parents or carers of a child or children aged from 4 to 14 years, living in rural and island areas, and
• school age childcare service providers for children aged from 4 to 14 years, providing the service in rural and island areas.

Data collection was confined to parents/carers and school age childcare service providers in rural Scotland. Research took place in six defined local authorities of Scotland: Aberdeenshire, Argyll and Bute, Dumfries and Galloway, Highland, Shetland, and Na h-Eileanan Siar (Western Isles).

Locations were chosen to reach participants from a cross-section of demographics and spread of communities across rural and island areas of Scotland. The local authorities represent a range of rurality based on categories three to six on the Scottish Government's six-fold Urban Rural Classification.^[22] See Tables 3 and 4 for a breakdown of participant numbers in each local authority.

The aim in qualitative research is not to achieve a sample that is statistically representative of the wider population, but to include a range of participants in different circumstances to identify as much diversity of experience as possible. Participants invited for interviews were recruited primarily through the online surveys, which acted as a recruitment tool.

2.2.4 Surveys

The aim of the surveys was to:

• recruit and screen potential interview participants, and ensure wider participation from a diverse pool of community respondents, and
• identify emerging themes and trends that would then inform the framing of interview questions.

In addition the survey results supported evidence from findings, addressing the following research questions:

• What models of childcare provision, formal and informal, exist in rural and island areas of Scotland, and how do they differ across regions?
• What are the challenges for providing school age childcare in rural areas?
• What are the challenges for accessing school age childcare in rural and island areas, including what are the drivers behind families' choice of school age childcare as well as informal care?

Two online surveys were conducted, one for parents or carers of school age children and one for school age childcare providers. Survey and research invites were distributed via email and social media using Scottish childcare networks, local authorities, local authority schools and third sector organisations.

Questions covered demographics of families living in rural and island areas, drivers behind childcare choices, and core challenges, opportunities and good practice from childcare providers. The full questionnaires can be found in section 4 of our technical report.

Both surveys were open for four weeks between March and April 2022. The survey for parents or carers resulted in 878 completed surveys. The survey for childcare providers resulted in 72 completed surveys. The breakdown of the geographic spread of the survey responses can be found in Tables 3 and 4.

The findings from this survey are designed to support our qualitative research findings only, and do not provide a representative sample. Therefore, data from the surveys do not represent the state of school age childcare in rural and island areas of Scotland.

Surveys were hosted on Smartsurvey and were available in English and Gaelic. To ensure accessibility, we asked survey participants if they would rather answer the survey over a phone or online call.

2.2.5 Interviews

In-depth qualitative interviews provide the deep insight and level of detail needed to understand the reality and day-to-day experience of the user groups.

A total of 27 interviews were conducted between mid-April and mid-May 2022. Participants were selected using a purposive sampling approach to ensure we engaged with parents or carers, as well as school age childcare providers, from a variety of contexts and geographies. This meant that participants were purposefully chosen to represent the following characteristics:

Parents/carers

• Location - across the six defined research locations.
• Priority family types - lone parent families, larger families (3+ children), families with a younger mother (under 25), adults or children with additional support needs, minority ethnic families.
• Age of child(ren) - 4 to 14 years old.
• Parental employment status - full time employment, part time employment, student, full time carer, searching for employment.

Childcare providers

• Location - across the six defined research locations.
• Type of provision - childminders, local authority-run childcare, private childcare, charitable organisations.
• Additional provisions - those that provide childcare for children with additional support needs, outdoor learning and Gaelic medium education.
• Role of person interviewed - manager, practitioner and chair member.

Interviewees were recruited primarily via the surveys. To meet some of the criteria set out above, researchers actively recruited three participants from outside of the survey.

In parents/carers interviews, we asked questions to explore the needs and interests of families, digging deeper into the overall challenges of accessing childcare in rural and island areas. Service providers were asked questions to explore the practicalities of school age childcare provision, including digging deeper into the operational challenges of managing fluctuating demand in rural and island areas. See section 3 of the technical report for discussion guides.

Interviews were done by video conferencing or phone call, depending on the preferences and conditions of interviewees. To ensure accessibility, participants were asked if they had any particular needs or requirements. In addition, parents and carers received shopping vouchers as incentives. Each interview lasted for approximately one hour.

2.3 Data analysis

We used thematic analysis techniques to identify patterns and themes in the data collected across surveys and interviews. Research findings from the interviews were complemented with data from the surveys and secondary data sources. This helped to strengthen and validate the conclusions from interview findings and insights. Initial findings and insights were presented to the Research Advisory Group to agree key findings and priority areas to develop recommendations.

2.4 Ethics

This research was conducted in line with the Ethics Guidance for Scottish Government Social Researchers. Participation in surveys and interviews was based on voluntary participation, confidentiality and informed consent. Privacy notices, which offered reassurances about anonymity, were provided to each participant prior to their engagement (see section 8 of the technical report). Written consent was obtained from all participants. In addition, verbal consent was obtained from interviewees prior to recording. All data was handled in line with UK data protection. Data collected was securely stored and anonymised for a specified period of time.

2.5 Challenges and limitations of the research

The ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic precluded the possibility of face-to-face research at the time this study was conducted. This limited the research methods that could be implemented (for example workshops to include a wider group of parents in the area), and thereby the richness of data gathered.

Recruiting providers for interviews, in particular childminders, proved to be a challenge. However, childminders provided the majority of responses in the online survey.

Direct access to those who have run pilots in Scotland was not possible in some cases. As such, we were partially limited in the extent to which we could answer the research question 'What can be learned from existing pilot projects and research into rural and island childcare providers?' Nonetheless, this question is answered by the collected online evidence and an interview with one provider.

In addition, scoping of future pilots exceeded the capacity of this research, limiting the answer to the research question 'Where could future pilot projects be established, and what models could these pilots follow?'. Although providers and parents from a range of communities across the six local authorities participated, none came from the same community, thereby limiting our ability to single out communities with significant characteristics beneficial to the running of a pilot.

In the conclusion and recommendations chapter we cover different models and initiatives that can be explored to address the challenges of accessing and providing childcare. However, further work is needed with communities to identify tailored solutions that would work best for them.