Thus, in the articulation of the problem focus that I have used as an example throughout this essay, I juxtapose the conflicting theoretical work on reading theory (Smith, 1985; Adams; 1990; and Pressley, 2002) and the socio-cultural interpretation of literacy as highlighted in the New Literacy Studies (Barton, 1994; Merrifield, 1998). The dialectical resolution provisionally suggested through Rescher`s coherence theory stems from this juxtaposition and requires much additional refinement. On this, the research model schematically laid out by Popper, which could have come directly from Dewey or Rescher, provides a framework for additional research on the meaning and significance of adult literacy. A working standard for experimental research as described by Popper (1956/1983) consists of the following:

1. A clear exposition of the problem-, or if the problem may be assumed to be well known, a clear reference to it and to an exposition of it...[including any clarifications of] the always shifting problem situation (italics in original).
2. A more detailed survey of the relevant hypotheses bearing on the problem (and of the experiments bearing on the hypotheses, indicating the degree to which these are able to contribute to the appraisal of the hypotheses).
3. A more specific statement of the hypothesis (or hypotheses) which the author intends to propose, or to discuss, or to test experimentally.
4. A description of the experiments and the results.
5. An evaluation: whether the problem situation has changed; and if so, how.
6. Suggestions for further work arising from the work reported (pp. 50-51).

Popper maintained that his framework is applicable to the natural and social sciences and even to that of mathematical studies, at least in situations that do not depend on pure logic. A painstaking examination into such a claim of a universal scientific methodology would add much in terms of clarifying the role of a postpositivist research paradigm. While that broader analysis moves beyond the purposes of this essay, there is much within the philosophies of Dewey, Popper, and Rescher to suggest that their insights provide considerable grist for a viable social science design. I draw on Popper`s framework, focusing primarily on his first two points, to illustrate the viability of a postpositivistic research design in adult literacy education.

The Problem Situation

It is generally accepted that knowing how to read (decoding print text), comprehending meanings of texts at various literal and inferential levels, and applying knowledge gleaned from such texts to any number of contexts beyond the text are all essential aspects of adult literacy education. Without necessarily adopting the political orientation of Paulo Freire (1970), few adult literacy educators would reject Freire`s aphorism on the importance of "reading the word" in order to "read the world." Problems begin when matters of emphasis are stressed in terms of (a) the relation of reading and writing to that of knowledge acquisition, and (b) and conflicting perspectives on how reading is learned most effectively. To the extent that learning to read and knowledge acquisition occur more or less simultaneously, distinctions are less problematical than when the technical processes of learning to read and write, and that of knowledge acquisition through a study of a given text are not occurring apace, which is the more frequent reality in adult literacy.