At the macro level, the types of questions explored included:

• What were the policy goals?
• Who or what was considered the primary beneficiary of the policy?
• How was the policy developed and by whom?
• What policy tools were included in implementation?
• How was policy evaluated?

Questions posed at the micro level included:

• Who participated in formal and nonformal education and why?
• Where and how were adults learning?
• How did policy implementation differ between rural and urban regions?
• How did policy accommodate adults with special needs?
• Did the supply of learning opportunities meet demand for them?
• What support did adult learners receive?

These questions provided both a starting point for descriptive and comparative data collection and guidance for a purposeful analysis of public policy.

Significance of the Study

Adult literacy educators and policymakers in Canada are anxious to better understand factors accounting for the differences between literacy levels of Canadian and Swedish adults in order to improve the effectiveness of Canadian programs. Specifically, literacy practitioners want to learn about Swedish adult literacy policy, its development, and about programs and the motivation of participants in Sweden (Movement for Canadian Literacy [MCL] Board of Directors, personal communication, March 26, 2001).