While "the ultimate determinants of social policy in any field...are the state of the economy, the role of the state, and the political process itself" (Griffin, 1987, p. 11), my research focus was a comparison of adult education outcomes rather than on the underlying public philosophy itself. The prevailing political philosophy influences how problems are defined and how solutions are sought. The worldview of those who influence decisions is of primary importance at the macro level, setting parameters for the solutions sought and how they are sought. In this study, the findings are a reflection of the public philosophy underlying the policy in the two countries. Just as public philosophy shapes problem definition and the solutions undertaken, so personal assumptions such as those below influence research questions and approaches.

Assumptions

  1. Individual motivation is a key factor in successful learning and learning is both lifelong and lifewide.
  2. Literacy is a socially situated skill and individuals define their literacy needs in terms of the context and culture in which they live.
  3. A focus on literacy at the micro level is key to understanding policy outcomes.
  4. Literacy is acquired and maintained through formal, nonformal and informal learning.
  5. Literacy skills, as defined and measured by the IALS, provide access to information and entry into further education in modern societies. Individuals who lack these skills may face significant social and economic inequities and their participation in complex modern democracies may be compromised.
  6. Adult literacy is an integral part of adult education.
  7. Policy outcomes are a result of the interaction between the policies and individual response to them.
  8. Observations from comparative case studies both between and within countries can provide insights into the relationship between policy as it is planned and policy as it is realized which in turn enables inferences about effective policy.
  9. Content analysis of documents provided by government officials sheds light on the policy development process.
  10. Policies that predate the IALS results can be studied during this research time frame.