Running

head: COMPARING PSYCHOLOGIST AND SOCIAL WORKER INTERVENTION 1

Research Proposal: The Comparison of the Effectiveness of Interventions(s) on High
School Students Who Were Victims of Domestic Violence

Josephine Chen
University of British Columbia

Running head: COMPARING PSYCHOLOGIST AND SOCIAL WORKER INTERVENTION 2

Table of Contents

Introduction 3
Rationale of the study 4
Statement of Purpose and Related Question .. 5
Literature Review 5
Methodology . 11
Participants 13
Data Collection . 14
Instrument ..15
Data Analysis 20
Limitations and Potential Improvement. 23
References. 25
Appendices 26

Running head: COMPARING PSYCHOLOGIST AND SOCIAL WORKER INTERVENTION 3

Research Proposal: The Comparison of the Effectiveness of Interventions(s) on High

School Students Who Were Victims of Domestic Violence
Introduction
In a 2009 report exploring domestic violence, the Department of Justice for
Canada stated the results of national research and surveys have made it clear that
[domestic] violence is not just an individual, private or family matter; it is a pervasive
and complex societal problem in Canada. The report defines domestic violence as
including many different forms of abuse, mistreatment or neglect that adults or children
may experience in their intimate, family or dependent relationships.
Family violence is a serious problem affecting a significant proportion of families
and one that is threatening the emotional health and development of many children
(Rosenberg & Mercy, 1991). Almost one million children and adolescents are abused by
their caretakers each year according to 1994 statistics (National Center on Child Abuse
Prevention Research, 1994). There is a tremendous increase! According to the Child
Maltreatment 2012 report, almost seven million children and adolescents are abused each
year in United States (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2012).
Apart from parent-child violence, witnessing interparental violence is another
type of domestic violence. From a social learning perspective, children learn through
direct behavioural conditioning and by imitating behaviours they have observed or have
seen rewarded in others (Bandura, 1977). Children who are victims or witnesses of
family violence learn to use aggression or violent behaviour under stress and even to
solve problems.

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According to a study done by Wells, Boodt and Emery at the university of
Calgary, besides the devastating toll that domestic violence has on victims and their
families, the ongoing cost to Albertans is significant. In the past five years alone it is
estimated that over $600 million will have been spent on the provision of a few basic
health and non health supports and that the majority of this cost ($521 million) is coming
out of the pockets of Albertans in the form of tax dollars directed at the provision of
services. Since the result of domestic violence creates a significant financial burden to the
nation, I believe a way to reduce the budget is to introduce early intervention as a mode
of secondary prevention, meaning to prevent further complication.
Educational and occupational success and well-being form a reciprocal
relationship. Well-being was argued to be an individual resource with regard to
successful educational and occupational outcomes (Samuel, Bergman & Hupka-Brunner,
2013). Victims suffering from domestic violence and never received help may become a
burden to the society with complications such as needing financial support due to lack of
job stability, possibly abusing their next generation, even turning into criminals, etc.
Knowing that their mental well-being and academic achievement will affect their future
occupational success, we want to see the effectiveness of the proposed intervention(s) on
the above.

Rationale of the Study

Since the government has spent a lot of effort and taxpayers money in this issue,
the purpose of this study is to observe the roles of psychologist and social worker in
domestic violence among high school students and to compare their effectiveness. As

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both psychologist and social worker often come into play dually, I would also like to
examine the effectiveness of single intervention (either psychologist alone or social
worker alone) versus dual intervention. In this way, the government may take into
consideration of their budget expenditure and utilize it more efficiently.

Statement of Purpose and Related Question

Research Question
This quantitative research study will use an experimental approach to compare the
effectiveness of interventions(s) on high school students who were victims of domestic
violence. The cause and effect relations will be analyzed through data collection from a
controlled setting and participants. This study will also attempt to address the following
subset questions.

1. How does psychological intervention affect those childrens mental health and
academic achievement?
2. How does social worker intervention affect those childrens mental health and
academic achievement?
3. How do both psychological and social worker intervention affect those childrens
mental health and academic achievement?
4. What is the difference between dual intervention and single intervention (either
psychologist or social worker) on those high school students?

Literature Review
This literature review examines the influence of domestic violence on victims IQ
and the three IQ tests, Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) / Wechsler Adult

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Intelligence Scale (WAIS) and Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT),
incorporated in this study. Intelligence is a life-long trait that exerts powerful influences
on educational success, occupational status, use of health services, life style and
recreational choices. (Kilgour, Starr & Whalley, 2010)

The influence of domestic violence on victims IQ

The exposure to extreme stress in childhood, such as domestic violence, affects
childrens neurocognitive development, leading to lower intelligence. The above
statement is the hypothesis from Karestans study. Childrens IQs were assessed for a
population sample of 1116 monozygotic and dizygotic 5-year-old twin pairs in England.
Mothers reported their experience of domestic violence in the previous 5 years. Ordinary
least squares regression showed that domestic violence was uniquely associated with IQ
suppression in a doseresponse relationship. As a result, children exposed to high levels
of domestic violence had IQs that were, on average, 8 points lower than unexposed
children. Since domestic violence and childrens IQ is in a reciprocal relationship, I
would like to propose that by utilizing different kind of interventions (by psychologist
and/or social worker), the participants IQ (measuring by WISC, WAIS and WIAT)
would gradually improve. This improvement will, in a long run, assists the participants
social well-being.

What is WISC?
The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC), developed by David
Wechsler, is an individually administered intelligence test for children between the ages

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of 6 and 16 inclusive that can be completed without reading or writing. The WISC takes
6580 minutes to administer and generates a Full Scale IQ (FSIQ) score, which
represents a child's general cognitive ability. The WISC-IV is divided into fifteen
subtests. These fifteen subtests fall into four composite scores: Verbal Comprehension
index (VCI), Perceptual Reasoning Index (PRI), Processing Speed Index (PSI) and
Working Memory Index (WMI).

The VCI's subtests are as follows:

Vocabulary - examinee is asked to define a provided word.

Similarities - asking how two words are alike/similar.

Comprehension - questions about social situations or common concepts.

Information (supplemental) - general knowledge questions.

Word reasoning (supplemental)- a task involving clues that lead to a specific word,
each clue adds more information about the object/word/concept.

The Verbal Comprehension Index is an overall measurement of the child's ability to

verbally reason and is influenced by knowledge learned from the environment.
The PRI's subtests are as follows:

Block Design - children put together red-and-white blocks in a pattern according to a

displayed model. This is timed, and some of the more difficult puzzles award bonuses
for speed.

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Picture Concepts - children are provided with a series of pictures presented in rows
(either two or three rows) and asked to determine which pictures go together, one
from each row.

Matrix Reasoning - children are shown an array of pictures with one missing square,
and select the picture that fits the array from five options.

Picture Completion (supplemental) - children are shown artwork of common objects

with a missing part, and asked to identify the missing part by pointing and/or naming.

The WMI's subtests are as follows:

Digit Span - children are orally given sequences of numbers and asked to repeat
them, either as heard and in reverse order.

Letter-Number Sequencing - children are provided a series of numbers and letters and
asked to provide them back to the examiner in a predetermined order.

Arithmetic (supplemental) - orally administered arithmetic questions. Timed.

The PSI's subtests are as follows:

Coding children under 8 mark rows of shapes with different lines according to a
code; children over 8 transcribe a digit-symbol code. The task is time-limited with
bonuses for speed.

Symbol Search children are given rows of symbols and target symbols, and asked
to mark whether or not the target symbols appear in each row.

Cancellation (supplemental)- children scan random and structured arrangements of

pictures and marks specific target pictures within a limited amount of time.

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What is WAIS?
The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) is a test designed to measure
intelligence in adults and older adolescents. It is currently in its fourth edition (WAIS-IV).
The original WAIS (Form I) was published in February 1955 by David Wechsler, as a
revision of the Wechsler-Bellevue Intelligence Scale that had been released in 1939.
The current version of the test, the WAIS-IV, which was released in 2008, is
composed of 10 core subtests and five supplemental subtests, with the 10 core subtests
comprising the Full Scale IQ. The General Ability Index (GAI) consists of the
Similarities, Vocabulary and Information subtests from the Verbal Comprehension
Index and the Block Design, Matrix Reasoning and Visual Puzzles subtests from
the Perceptual Reasoning Index. The GAI is clinically useful because it can be used as a
measure of cognitive abilities that are less vulnerable to impairments of processing
and working memory.
There are four index scores representing major components of intelligence:

Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI)

Perceptual Reasoning Index (PRI)

Working Memory Index (WMI)

Processing Speed Index (PSI)

Two broad scores are also generated, which can be used to summarize general intellectual
abilities:

Full Scale IQ (FSIQ), based on the total combined performance of the VCI, PRI,
WMI, and PSI

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General Ability Index (GAI), based only on the six subtests that the VCI and PRI
comprise.

What is WIAT?
The Wechsler Individual Achievement Test-Third Edition (WIAT-III) is a
newly updated individual measure of academic achievement for students in Pre-

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Kindergarten through Grade 12. Suitable for use in educational, clinical, and research
settings. The stated purposes of the WIAT-III are to identify student academic strengths
and weaknesses, inform special education eligibility and/or placement decisions, inform
the diagnosis of specific learning disabilities, and to aid in the design of instructional
objectives and interventions.
Administration time varies from approximately 30 to 145 min according to the
student's grade level, academic performance, test-taking ability, and behaviour during
testing. The WIAT-III includes 16 subtests; however, examiners can choose to administer
individual subtests, a selection of subtests, or all subtests, depending on the grade level or
the presenting difficulties of the examinee. These subtests combine to form seven
composites: Oral Language, Total Reading, Basic Reading, Reading Comprehension and
Fluency, Written Expression, Mathematics, Math Fluency, and a Total Achievement
Score.
Methodology
Once approved by ethics committee, the domestic violence victims are identified
from the police stations in Greater Vancouver. An initial curtsey letter to search for
potential participants will be sent to victims guardian. Social workers, child welfare, and
other supportive services will also be contacted to assist us with contacting those victims.
Once potential participants are selected. An interview/ information session on the purpose
of the study will be conducted with both the potential participants and their guardian(s).
Strict confidentiality is guaranteed. Participants who do not meet the criteria of the study
will be deselected. After filtering, victims who meet the criteria and are willing to
participate in the study will sign the consent form. Their guardian will also be signing a

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separate consent form.
As a researcher, I understand that by participating in the study, domestic violence
victims may have to recall traumatic experiences they had. A post-study team will be
arranged at the end of the research to provide any emotional and mental support as
needed.
After selecting the participants, an initial assessment, which comprises the
average of individuals report card grade (Table 2, 3 and 4), participants average score of
WISC-IV/WAIS-IV (Table 5, 6, and 7), and participants average score of WIAT-III
(Table 8, 9, 10), is done and recorded in the chart before any intervention.
All the participants are randomly divided into three groups: a group receiving
intervention from the psychologists, a group receiving intervention from the social
workers, and a group receiving interventions from both psychologists and social
workers.
Psychologists and social workers counseling sessions happen on weekly basis and
the meeting time is flexible to accommodate both clinicians and participants. As for dual
intervention, participants will receive counseling sessions twice a week: once from their
psychologist and once from their social worker.
A subsequent follow-up happens every three months for a period of one year
(therefore 4 subsequent follow-ups). Each follow-up comprises an average grade of each
quarter (for example, if the intervention starts in January, the first follow-up will be at the
end of March and will comprise participants' average from January to March. The second
follow-up will be their average from April to June, third, July to September and fourth,
October to December), WISC-IV assessment and WIAT-III assessment on the last week

Running head: COMPARING PSYCHOLOGIST AND SOCIAL WORKER INTERVENTION 13

of each quarter (Table 2 to10).
In order to set a standard among the psychologists and social workers in terms of
direction in counseling sessions, there are meetings taking place once a month to reflect
on their progresses. The meetings serve to discuss issues such as difficult cases, to share
feedbacks and to ensure the unity of counseling.

Participants
In British Columbia, all high school students, grade 8 to 12, are following
Dogwood Certificate Program unless they are categorized as special need, who will be
put into a modified program. Dogwood Certificate Program sets a standard to the number
of courses/ credits and specific courses students need to pass/complete, 50% and above,
in each grade in order to graduate. Those who complete the program will be granted with
a Dogwood Certificate. It is essential to receive this certificate in order to apply for the
entrance to any institution, college or university.
The reason for which Dogwood Certificate Program is a great tool to search for
potential participants suitable for the study is to exclude students with learning disability
such as mental retardation. Students suffering from any kind of learning disability will be
biased, as they may not be able to communicate and understand effectively when
receiving counselling sessions from psychologists and/or social workers. As a result, they
may not be able to reflect accurately even after completing their assigned interventions.
Therefore, Dogwood Certificate Program sets a standard to the mental health level of
participants in this research.

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Participants in this study are high school students of families in Greater
Vancouver, British Columbia, in which there had been domestic violence (parent-child
violence and/or witnessing inter-parental violence) defined as verbal, physical, or
sexual abusethat was severe enough to cause police involvement. Participants need to
meet the following criteria: (a) victims need to be in high school, (b) victims need to be
out of domestic violence for at least 6 months, (c) domestic violence needs to happen at
age of 10 and above, and (d) victims need to follow British Columbia Dogwood
Certificate Program.

Data collection
Participants are randomly categorized into three groups to receive different
interventions: psychologist, social worker or both. Before receiving the designated
intervention, participants academic achievement, report card marks, will be collected.
Moreover, participants will be asked to take two pre-intervention psychological
assessments to examine their mental health condition. Once the intervention is applied,
participants academic achievement and psychological assessment data will be collected
once every three months from the beginning of the intervention to keep track of their
progress. This is a one-year project. By the end of the year, participants will be asked to
take a survey on their own opinion in terms of the effectiveness of the intervention. This
survey will serve as a control to improve any future study.
To summarize, below is the chart of our data collection in a big picture. Detailed
method will follow:

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Table 1 Overview of data collection
Assessment
Academic

Psychological
Survey

Achievement

Assessment

(Before intervention)

(Before intervention)

(After intervention)

(After intervention)

(Taken at the

(Before intervention)

(Before intervention)

end of

(After intervention)

(After intervention)

intervention)

(Before intervention)

(Before intervention)

(After intervention)

(After intervention)

Intervention
Psychologist

Social Worker

Both

Once approved by the ethics committee, the victims are identified from the police stations
in Greater Vancouver.

Instrument
The effectiveness of interventions can be weighted with different instruments.
The first instrument used is students academic assessment. This data comes from
students report card. Since our goal is to see if process takes place, we are only planning
to take the average (in percentage) into account. It is not very significant whether the
student is academic or not. We are not comparing a student to another. A pre-intervention
achievement data will be collected to see where participants stand at the beginning.
Shown in table 2 to 4, an average of their mark will be collected once a quarter by the end

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of each 3 months period. These charts are essential for the data analysis, which includes
bar graphs, analysis and comparisons of graphs.

Table 2 academic assessments on psychologist intervention (grades in percentages)

Pre-

First

Second

Third

Fourth

Intervention

Quarter

Quarter

Quarter

Quarter

Participant A
Participant B
Participant C

Table 3 Academic assessment on social worker intervention (grades in percentages)

Pre-

First

Second

Third

Fourth

Intervention

Quarter

Quarter

Quarter

Quarter

Participant A
Participant B
Participant C

Table 4 Academic assessment on dual intervention (grades in percentages)

Participant A
Participant B
Participant C

Pre-

First

Second

Third

Fourth

Intervention

Quarter

Quarter

Quarter

Quarter

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The second instrument used is the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for

Children (WISC). Since WISC is meant for children between age 6 and 16, participants
16 and over are tested with the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS). WAIS
consists of verbal IQ (VIQ) and performance IQ (PIQ). WAISs four composite scores
are the same as WISC, but the subtests are slightly different.
There is some overlap between the two tests (WISC & WAIS) and the scoring
system is the same. See chart below.

Table 5 IQ reference chart

Intelligence Classification
Under 20

Profound Mental Retardation

2034

Severe Mental Retardation

3549

Moderate Mental Retardation

5069

Mild Mental Retardation

7079

Borderline Mental Retardation

80-89

Below Average

90-114

Average Intelligence

115-129

Above Average/Bright

130-144

Moderately Gifted

145-159

Highly Gifted

160-175

Exceptionally Gifted

>175

Profoundly Gifted

Running head: COMPARING PSYCHOLOGIST AND SOCIAL WORKER INTERVENTION 18

Shown in table 6 to 8, an average of participants IQ score will be collected once

a quarter by the end of each 3 months period. These charts are essential for the data
analysis, which includes bar graphs, analysis and comparisons of graphs.

Table 6 First Psychological assessment on psychologist intervention (WISC or WAIS)

WISC or WAIS
Pre-

First

Second

Third

Fourth

Intervention

Quarter

Quarter

Quarter

Quarter

Participants A
Participants B
Participants C

Table 7 First Psychological assessment on social worker intervention (WISC or WAIS)

WISC or WAIS
Pre-

First

Second

Third

Fourth

Intervention

Quarter

Quarter

Quarter

Quarter

Participants A
Participants B
Participants C

Table 8 First Psychological assessment on dual intervention (WISC or WAIS)

WISC or WAIS

Running head: COMPARING PSYCHOLOGIST AND SOCIAL WORKER INTERVENTION 19

Pre-

First

Second

Third

Fourth

Intervention

Quarter

Quarter

Quarter

Quarter

Participants A
Participants B
Participants C

The third instrument used is the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test-Third

Edition (WIAT-III). As shown in table 9 to 11, data will be collected once before
intervention and once every quarter. In other words, four times throughout the year.

Table 9 Second Psychological assessment on psychologist intervention (WIAT-III)

WIAT
Pre-

First

Second

Third

Fourth

Intervention

Quarter

Quarter

Quarter

Quarter

Participants A
Participants B
Participants C

Table 10 Second Psychological assessment on social worker intervention (WIAT-III)

WIAT

Participants A

Pre-

First

Second

Third

Fourth

Intervention

Quarter

Quarter

Quarter

Quarter

Running head: COMPARING PSYCHOLOGIST AND SOCIAL WORKER INTERVENTION 20

Participants B
Participants C

Table 11 Second Psychological assessment on dual intervention (WIAT-III)

WIAT
Pre-

First

Second

Third

Fourth

Intervention

Quarter

Quarter

Quarter

Quarter

Participants A
Participants B
Participants C

WISC/WAIS and WIAT go hand in hand because WISC/WAIS test an untrained

ability where as WIAT tests trainable skillset.

Data analysis
After collecting all the data, students average academic achievement from all 4
quarters will be used to create a bar graph for each type of intervention in order to
compare their effectiveness. In other words, there will be three bar graphs under
academic achievement; one representing psychologist intervention, one representing
social worker intervention and one for dual intervention. For example, the graph below
serves as a sample to show students average progress on academic achievement through
psychologist intervention in a year time.

Running head: COMPARING PSYCHOLOGIST AND SOCIAL WORKER INTERVENTION 21

Academic achievement (marks) after

psychologist intervention
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Pre-Intervention First Quarter

Second Quarter

Third Quarter

Fourth Quarter

Fig.1 Sample bar graph for academic achievement after psychologist intervention.

Once the data is plotted, the academic progress of the three types of interventions
will be easy to compare. Hopefully, there will be a statistically significant improvement
in participants academic average through one of the controlled interventions.

Wechsler Intelligent Scale for Children -fourth edition (WISC-IV)

WISC-IV measures general cognitive ability, which comprises verbal
comprehension, perceptual reasoning, processing speed and working memory. The
assessment is done one before any intervention comes into place and once every three
months; each student will have a total of four WISC-IV scores by the end of the study.
The average of each quarter is calculated. Thus the researcher can compare
participants progress throughout the year. Similar to academic progress graphs, there
will be three graphs in total representing each type of interventions. The sample graph

Running head: COMPARING PSYCHOLOGIST AND SOCIAL WORKER INTERVENTION 22

below (Fig.2) shows the average WISC-IV/WAIS score of each quarter after psychologist
intervention.

WISC-IV/WAIS score after

psychologist intervention
140
120
100

PSI

80

WMI

60

PRI

40

VCI

20
0
Pre-Intervention

First Quarter

Second Quarter

Fourth Quarter

Fig.2 Sample bar graph for WISC/WAIS after psychologist intervention.

Wechsler Individual Achievement -third edition (WIAT-III)
Comparable to WISC-IV, WIAT assessment result is collected once before any
interventions and again once every three months. Therefore each student will have a total
of four WIAT-III scores at the end of the year. The average of the entire population of
each quarter is calculated and plotted on the graph. The sample graphs below shows the
average WISC-IV score of each quarter after psychologist intervention.

Running head: COMPARING PSYCHOLOGIST AND SOCIAL WORKER INTERVENTION 23

WIAT score after

psychologist intervention
150
130
110
90
70
50
Pre-Intervention

First Quarter

Second Quarter

Third Quarter

Fourth Quarter

Fig.2 Sample bar graph for WIAT after psychologist intervention.

Limitations and potential improvement

This study is a short to medium term observation of psychologists, social workers
or both interventions' influence on high school students' achievement. The motivation of
the study was the belief, with supportive literatures, that academic results have a
proportional relationship with students' future social well-being. However, long term
study to measure their success in the society (for instance employment rate), the
possibility of reducing the rate of domestic violence to the victim's next generation and
the possibility of decreasing the burden of the society (by means of social grant, home
shelter, etc.) should be measured in the future study. A long term follow up will be ideal
for this study. However this requires data collection for years, which makes it difficult to
conduct, not to mention the environmental and other factors that can influence the
participants any time during the study period. Therefore it becomes a challenge to have

Running head: COMPARING PSYCHOLOGIST AND SOCIAL WORKER INTERVENTION 24

the study in a controlled and bias free situation.
Despite the effort of standardizing our participants by only including those who
are currently working towards obtaining Dogwood certificate assuming they have no
other obstacles such as language barrier, mental disability, etc., it is still a challenge to
comparing psychologists, social workers and both psychologists and social workers
intervention as participants' perception, acceptance and understanding toward them may
vary among individuals, therefore reflecting different levels of feedback. Vice versa, it is
impossible to standardize participants' intervention experience as clinicians have different
personality. For instance, even though we have included a monthly meeting among the
clinicians to standardize counseling direction, we still cannot monitor their approach
individuality.
WISC-IV is a clinical tool not only used as an intelligent test but also to diagnose
learning disability. We used this assessment assuming, with a supported literature, that
domestic violence children victims can suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder or other
psycho-social phobias that will indirectly impair their learning ability in school.
However, one should continue to search more holistically and accept other possible
assessments that may better assess the general well-being of a child.

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References
Bandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Beal, A. L. (2004). Wechsler intelligence scale for children. Canadian Journal of School
Psychology, 19(1), 221-234. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/docview/224371618?accountid
=14656
Canadian Child Welfare Research Portal. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.cwrp.ca
Department of Justice Canada. (2009). Family Violence: Department of Justice Canada
Retrieved from http://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/pi/fv-vf/facts-info/fv-vf/fv-vf.pdf.
Kilgour, A. H. M., Starr, J. M., & Whalley, L. J. (2010). Associations between childhood
intelligence (IQ), adult morbidity and mortality. Maturitas, 65(2), 98-105.
doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2009.09.021
National Center On Child Abuse Prevention Research. (1994). Current Trends in Child
Abuse Reporting and Fatalities: The Results of the 1993 Annual Fifty State
Survey. Chicago, IL. National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse.
O'Keefe, M. (1996). The Differential Effects of Family Violence on Adolescent
Adjustment. Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal, 13(1), 51-68.
Rosenberg, M.L. & Mercy. J.A. (1991) Assaultive violence. In M.L. Rosenberg and M.A.
Fenley (eds.), Violence in American, pp. 14-50. New York, Oxford University
Press.
Samuel, R., Bergman, M., & Hupka-Brunner, S. (2013). The Interplay between
Educational Achievement, Occupational Success, and Well-Being. Social
Indicators Research, 111(1), 75-96.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and
Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Childrens
Bureau.(2012). Child maltreatment 2012.
Wells, L., Boodt, C., Emery, J.C.H., & Canadian Public Policy Collection. (2012).
Preventing domestic violence in Alberta: A cost savings perspective. School of
Public Policy, University of Calgary.

Running head: COMPARING PSYCHOLOGIST AND SOCIAL WORKER INTERVENTION 26

Appendix A: Guardian Informed Consent Form
Researcher
This study, The Comparison of the Effectiveness of Interventions(s) on High School
Students Who Were Victims of Domestic Violence, is conducted by Name as a capstone
project in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of name under the
supervision of Name of institution.
Purpose
This study is designed to compare the effectiveness of intervention(s) on high school
students who were victims of domestic violence. Your child has been invited to
participate in the study.
Study procedure
Your child will be receiving either a psychologist, a social worker or both clinicians
intervention once a week for a span of a year. Participants will be randomly assigned to
one of the three interventions and he/she will be receiving the same intervention for the
duration of the study. Prior to any intervention, participants will be asked to take two
psychological assessments: Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) and
Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT). Participants will be asked to do the
same two tests every three months. In the mean time, participants average report card
mark will be collected every three months too. By the end of the year, participants will be
asked to fill out a survey.
Participation in this study is voluntary. You or your child has the right not to answer any
question and to withdraw from the study at any time. Your childs refusal to participate
will have no adverse effects on his/her academic program at name.
Risk and benefits
There are no risks associated with participation in this study. There are no benefits to
participants except to contribute to the understanding of the research question and to have
the choice of continuing receiving intervention after one year.
Confidentiality
The information that is gathered will be used for research purposes only. No published
information describing the results of this study will include information that makes it
possible to identify any individual participant. Information gathered in this project will be
stored in forms that protect privacy and confidentiality. Only I, name, will have access to
the data.
Remuneration/compensation

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There is no remuneration or compensation for participating in this study except having
the choice to continue receiving intervention for another year.
Research results and future contact
You may obtain copies of the results of this study upon its completion by contacting
name and contact info.
If you have questions about this project, please contact either name or contact info.
Concerns about the study
Should you have any questions, concerns, or complaints about the manner in which you
were treated in this study, please contact: name and contact info.
Thank you for your assistance,
Name

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Appendix B: Participant Informed Consent Form
1. Statement of Confidentiality
I understand that the information that is gathered will be used for research
purposes only. No published information describing the results of this study will
include information that makes it possible to identify any individual participant.
All information gathered during this survey will initially be stored on a secured
server in Canada. Once the data collection phase has been completed, the data
will then be downloaded by the researcher and stored on a password protected
storage device. All information gathered will be coded and all personal identifiers
will be removed. Only the researchers name will appear on the final research
paper.
YES

NO

2. Withdrawing from the Study

I understand that my participation in this survey is voluntary, and that by
completing this on-line survey, I am consenting to participate. I may withdraw at
anytime by closing the browser.
YES

NO

3. Risks
I understand that there are no risks associated with this study.
YES

NO

4. Consent
I understand that by continuing with this survey, I am agreeing that I have been
informed that the research will be confidential and I agree to participate.
YES

NO

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Appendix C: Survey
1. How old are you?
13

14

15

16

17

10

11

12

18

2. What grade are you?

8

3. Whats your gender?

Male

Female

4. Which type of intervention did you receive?

Psychologist

Social Worker

Both

5. If you have only received one type of intervention, how did you get along
with your psychologist or social worker?
Poor

Fair

Good

Excellent

N/A

6. If you have received both interventions, how did you get along with your
psychologist?
Poor

Fair

Good

Excellent

N/A

7. If you have received both interventions, how did you get along with your
social worker?
Poor

Fair

Good

Excellent

N/A

8. You have taken WISC (or WAIS) five times during the year. How do you find
the tests the first time you took it?
1

Difficult

Fair

Easy

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9. You have taken WISC (or WAIS) five times during the year. How do you find
the tests half way through the year?
1

Difficult

Fair

Easy

10. You have taken WISC (or WAIS) five times during the year. How do you find
the tests by the end of the year?
1

Difficult

Fair

Easy

11. You have taken WIAT five times during the year. How do you find the tests
the first time you took it?
1

Difficult

Fair

Easy

12. You have taken WIAT five times during the year. How do you find the tests
half way through the year?
1

Difficult

Fair

Easy

13. You have taken WIAT five times during the year. How do you find the tests by
the end of the year?
1

Difficult

Fair

Easy

14. Thank you for your participation. The data collection portion of the research
ends here. Would you like to continue receiving intervention?
YES

NO