Lenses, Stakeholders, and

Perspectives
THREE KEYS TO REPRESENTING MULTIPLE VIEWPOINTS IN
YOUR RESEARCH
Lenses - Refers
to particular
disciplines or
practices
through which
a topic is
viewed
Lenses
• EXAMPLES FROM THE COLLEGE
BOARD: Artistic, Cultural,
Economic, Environmental,
Historical, Psychological,
Scientific

• OTHER EXAMPLES: Educational,

Feminist, Religious, Technological
Why are lenses important?
• Lenses are useful in the team research task because they allow each
team member to research different aspects of the topic.
• They are represented on the IRR rubric in Row 1 because having a lens
helps to focus your area of investigation.
• You will not get in trouble if your lens is slightly different from the
ones listed by the College Board.
• Each of the reports is read separately, so the readers are not
comparing them to your team members’ reports.
Stakeholders
– Refers to
different
people or
groups who
are invested in
the problem
or issue
Stakeholders
EXAMPLES (depending on the issue)
MIGHT INCLUDE: Students,
Teachers/Educators, Parents,
Doctors/Health Care Professionals,
Men, Women, Children,
Government Agencies, Non-
Government Organizations (NGOs),
Businesses, etc.
Why are stakeholders important?
• Including multiple viewpoints on an issue is essential to exploring its
complexities (IRR Rubric, Row 1).
• Different stakeholders will often HAVE different perspectives (IRR
Rubric, Row 4).
Perspectives –
a perspective is
“a point of
view conveyed
through an
argument”
 Perspectives

Your paper should read like a

conversation at a dinner party.
One member of the party
chimes in with his perspective
on the issue, then another
responds with a slightly
different opinion. Everyone is
respectful, and there is an
emphasis on how their views
relate to one another. When
you write a research paper,
your sources become the
“guests” at your dinner party,
and you are the host!
Why are perspectives important?
• Including multiple perspectives and placing them in conversation with
one another is the key to Row 4 on the IRR rubric.
• At this stage of the game, you CAN enter into the conversation with
your own views, but it is not necessary.
• Any time you state your own opinion, state it as a fact (avoid using
first or second person).
• When you write the IWA, you will NEED to enter into the conversation
with the other “guests” at your “table.”