This article argues that the analysis of metaphor is a proper and needed aspect of the qualitative research tradition. A brief review is given of some theoretical issues surrounding metaphor. Then an analysis is made of metaphors that were generated by teachers about effective teaching and effective schools. The metaphors are classified and analyzed using several frameworks from the literature on metaphor. An argument is made that metaphors are generated unconsciously and are used as partial explanations for processes not fully understood by the users. Finally, it is suggested that the analysis of metaphors can serve as an alternative triangulating strategy in qualitative research as well as raise epistemological issues related to positivism and subjectivism. (Steven Miller and Marcel Fredericks)