1. Introduction This study began in the Spring of 2003, when we—the Canterbury Adult Basic Education Research Network (CABERN), an informal cross-sector network of local adult literacy researchers and practitioners—sent out a questionnaire. The questionnaire addressed potential respondents by asking: “Are you a tutor engaged in any aspect of adult literacy?” and the accompanying information sheet explained the main driver behind the research: We began this particular project because we felt that, while there is a lot of talk currently on what adult literacy tutors should do, there is actually very little material available on what they do do and why they do it; our project is an opportunity for tutors