Center for Interpretive and Qualitative Research
(CIQR -- "seeker")*

Jan. 18, 2001

PRESENTATION: BY Dr. GARY SHANK, SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

TITLE: THE MIRROR, THE WINDOW, AND THE LANTERN

ABSTRACT:: In a recently completed introductory QUALITATIVE METHODS' text that I have written for Prentice Hall, I was struck by the need to identify a vision for qualitative research that works in concordance with other visions of empirical inquiry. Toward that end, I came up with the threefold metaphor of the mirror (describing Greek and medieval empirical approaches), the window (describing the scientific approach), and the lantern (describing the qualitative approach). By describing qualitative research as "the systematic empirical inquiry into meaning," the lantern approach becomes the metaphor for seeking hidden, obscured, or poorly understood meanings. What do these metaphors say about the conduct, the nature and the logic, of empirical inquiry? At what point do we accept these metaphors as guides, and at what point do we need to set them aside?

Minutes

Dr. GARY SHANK, School of Education, gave an interesting talk THE MIRROR, THE WINDOW, AND THE LANTERN. The talk was followed by a lively discussion on Dr. Shank's innovative categories of empirical research and qualitative research.

Besides the talk, we discussed the finishing touches on our brochure and web-page for CIQR (led by Psychology's Paul Richer) and the upcoming CIQR panel which will be part of the annual Graduate Student Conference at Duquesne in March (Jaime Muñoz led this discussion).