Recorded interviews and field notes were developed into narratives or stories for each key informant. The narratives were then subjected to a data coding process which appears as Appendix F. Four forms of data analysis were employed so as to make a detailed description of the case and its setting (Merriam, 1998). Categorical aggregation was the first technique used which produced a collection of instances and relevant meanings based on the coding scheme. The next procedure was the establishment of patterns and the correspondence between and among categories. For those single instances that did not fit into the patterns or did not help explain the relationship between categories, direct interpretation was used. As a final technique, generalizations from analyzing the data were developed into an implications section. At the preliminary analysis phase, the National Advisory Committee met to provide additional insights and meaning to the data. Finally, through the process of triangulation the different document data sources which appear in Appendix G were used to corroborate the main findings and shed light on certain themes that emerged. A total of 60 documents were used in this process. These documents were sorted into archival records, project reports, and project deliverables and then further categorized into the three program periods.
One audience comprises program managers and policy analysts in a wide range of federal, provincial, and territorial government departments. This group may also be looking for innovative ways to promote and integrate adult learning, literacy, and essential skills. They may also be looking for models of partnership development. This case study report, or the other products of this project, may be used as tools to advance the merits of literacy partnership development to their senior executives.
A second audience comprises instructors from public and private training ventures whose work is to support the development of partnerships in its most varied form. Using different parts of the case study report, these trainers may be able to promote the principles behind sound partnership building and to share this knowledge with program managers engaged in partnership development.
A third audience is workplace educators, such as coordinators and administrators working for labour, business, government or community-based agencies who are interested in forging a true partnership in their different milieus. This group of people can use the various sections of the report to enhance their outreach efforts to potential partners in the community and for making workplace literacy in-roads at the local, provincial and territorial, and federal levels. At a more general level, researchers, non-government organizations, and voluntary groups who are interested in community development capacity may benefit from the case study report or the other deliverables.