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Data
Collection
The research was conducted during the period beginning in
September of 1998 through August of 1999. In
each of the sites, we contacted the local adult education provider(s), social
service administrators, and employment services.
We also talked with individuals involved with non-profit organizations
and churches. These contacts
provided us with information about the area and with leads on potential
interview participants. Over the
course of the research period we spent time in each of the eight sites to
conduct interviews, but also to get to know each area.
In the interest of time, we focused specifically on the local economic
environment. For example, while visiting one site, the researcher spent
time at a small town’s city hall where local residents pay their utility
bills. In another site, a team
member visited a local Community Action Agency as volunteers prepared for
holiday food basket dispersal. In a
third site, the researcher “hung out” at the local unemployment office
between appointments. During these
visits, we asked questions about the local economy, how people felt about the
economic climate in the region, and about local attitudes toward education. What we learned from these conversations informed our
interviews, allowing us to probe cursory answers and understand local
references.
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