What is really important in adult education program planning: Challenge to collaboration and partnership in programs for the marginalized in learning cities in Korea

The purpose of this study is to explore how program planners work together with inter-institutional collaborations on education programs for marginalized populations. Specifically, the study is to explore the nature of conflict in planning educational programs for the marginalized in the Korean Learning City Project as well as its causes and driving forces. Data were collected primarily through semi- structured interviews with seven program planners. Three themes emerged from the qualitative data: (a) a strong need to foster collaboration and partnership between the institutions; (b) several reasons why collaboration and partnership do not work; and (c) possibilities of collaboration and partnership. This study concludes by discussing five important points to highlight the findings.