I open Chapter 3 by justifying my choice of a qualitative research design for my study to capture the experiences of the participants and better understand the social and cultural contexts in which they operate. I describe how the in-depth case study was conducted with purposefully selected participants in the natural settings of the homes and schools. Data collection was preceded by months of participant observation of the classrooms and school programs. The interview was the primary data collection method because of its strength to focus directly on the topic of the case study. I also employed field notes, parent journals, observations of parent-child interactions, and questionnaires. Additionally, in this chapter, I address issues around how the data collected was coded and analyzed to seek themes and meanings that generate in-depth understanding of literacy in low-income homes.

In the following chapter, Chapter 4, I discuss my intensive fieldwork. I present case narratives of the eight participant families, all who live in low-income circumstances in New Brunswick. Through rich description of their experienced realities, I make the knowledge and perspective of the participants visible to the reader. I highlight the mothers' strength and courage, often in the face of daunting circumstances. I also offer a description of the school and the significant people in that setting for my study.