Chapter Three – Methodology

This study was guided by the methodological approach associated with a qualitative case study design. It was also shaped and influenced by my own presuppositions and the theoretical framework. According to Merriam (2001), the case study is suited to the examination of complex social units in real–life situations that can lead to insights and illuminated meanings. In this case study, the social unit was the adult literacy employment preparation program, comprising three distinct settings—a classroom, coffee shop, and job placement in the community. A case study lent itself to the situation because it permitted a wide focus that could incorporate different data sources, such as interviews with students and instructors, documents, and the reflections of the researcher. In addition, a case study matched the intent of this study, in that it could help to focus on particular signposts that could guide continued analysis of adult literacy development within a theoretical sociocultural framework.

Specific interpretations and definitions of case study research were also used to build the methodological design of this study. Based on Merriam's interpretation, a defining characteristic of case study research is the notion that it is a bounded system. In this case, the students who participated in each of the three distinct settings within the program became the bounded system. This system was not bounded by walls, but by membership and participation in each of the settings. An analysis of this membership and participation was guided by the ideas of situated learning (Lave & Wenger,1991; Stein, 1998), which had a direct influence on data collection and data analysis.

Stake (2000) suggested a case study can be further identified by its overall intent or purpose. An instrumental case study can be used to examine a particular issue, setting, event, or person "in order to provide insight into an issue or to redraw a generalization" (p. 437). The case is used to help facilitate understanding of something else. In this research, the employment preparation program was used to help facilitate an understanding of learning, literacy, and work within a sociocultural frame.