Effects of Domestic Violence on Child Academic Performance Francine Lopez Northern New Mexico College Department of Integrated humanities and Social Sciences; Psychology concentration Abstract Hypothesis Theory Introduction Data Collection and Methods Data Analysis and Findings Conclusions References Acknowledgements Data was conducted with a survey was composed with both Likert scale and dichotomous questions. The content of the questions were important, as is the sequence to ensure validity. Though a random sample would be best, it was not possible given the time and other resources to conduct a random sample. Three classes from NNMC were chosen. The classes were purposively selected to include GED as well as First Years Experience to provide a comparison between levels of students. Because the N size was small, (N=34), results are suggestive rather than confirmatory, as is generally the case for exploratory research such as this one. Because of ethical concerns, the survey was retrospective, that is, NNMC college students were surveyed regarding their experiences as children. The literature argues that Witnessing marital violence and being a victim of child maltreatment, both have the potential for negative outcomes in a child’s development (Graham-Bermann, 2001). This exploratory research was conducted to determine the effects that domestic violence has on child academic performance. The data was collected and analyzed from 34 NNMC students. The qualitative data indicated that only 13 respondents were comfortable enough to give light detail on the abuse they witnessed. The quantitave data indicated that 53.33% of respondents reported feeling safe in the school setting. The dependent variable shows, the college students having reported observing instances of domestic violence as a child suggests a high amount of domestic abuse among them. Note that 16 of the 34 respondents skipped this question, indicating the sensitive nature of the subject. Table 2: Did you observe domestic violence as a child? The qualitative data indicated that even though many responants selected many types of violence they witnessed only 13 felt comfortable enough to give detail to the type of violence they witnessed. The quantitative data indicated that 8 out of 15 or 53.33% felt safe at school, whether they witnessed domestic violence or not. Although this research contained limitations, this research will prove a substantial amount of significant value to the protection of the battered and the children who witness the battering. By bringing awareness to those who feel they are helpless in an issue such as domestic violence, and could possibly direct them to the many resources that are available to children both in and out of schools, and also for the adults suffering from this terrible form of trauma. An interesting finding is that even though some respondents reported not witnessing domestic violence, they did report feeling a great sense of peace and serenity in the school setting. Considering the sensitive nature, participants may feel uncomfortable answering certain questions or sharing personal matters. Further research would include a larger sample size and take an in- depth look at the possible reasons that students who reported no domestic violence felt safer at school. The research looks at the psychological effects on children of parental domestic violence as reported by NNMC college students. Don’t forget Exploratory purpose. Provide a one sentence statement of your problem, e.g. your topic. At least 10 million children are exposed to marital violence each year, and most of which are aware of the fighting. Because familial domestic violence will greatly affect their experiences, school may thus be regarded as a safer place. the students will then either have greater school performance, or, alternatively, that the traumatic incidents will negatively influence their ability to concentrate. Null hypothesis states there will be no relationship between the negative effects and the amount of violence witnessed to cause these negative effects. In theory children who witness domestic violence place all their energy to not stay surrounded by domestic violence. Whether they prefer to stay highly involved with school programs or to quit school and be anywhere but where the violence originated. Children that are raised in homes where the mother is constantly being physically abused by the father are at a 30 percent to 40 percent higher risk for psychopathology than are children who have only been exposed to neighborhood violence Babbie, Earl R. The Practice of Social Research. 13th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, Print. Graham-Bermann, S.A. & Edleson, J. L. (2001). Domestic Violence in the Lives of Children. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association Thompson, H.E., & Trice-Black, S. (2012). School-Based Interventions for Children Exposed to Domestic Violence. Journal of Family Violence, 27: DOI:1007/S A special thank you to the NNMC instructors; Emily Par, Annette M. Rodriguez, and Harinamsimran Khalsa. also the Student Success Center and all NNMC staff. Ethics All respondents were assured that their responses were anonymous, voluntary and confidential. All principles of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) were strongly applied throughout the research process. PhysicalEmotionalEconomicPsychologicalSexual Fight a lot (N=5) Father abused sister My grandma would hit me Would hit her & tell her mean words Men thought they could hit their wives Alcohol (N=2) Fight, Yelling, Rape Mind games, Name calling, Put downs, Fights about money (N=2) Dysfunctional Family N=13