Single-System Research Design (SSRD) Paper
During the semester you will identify an individual or group of individuals with whom to implement a single-system intervention and evaluation. This may be any individual or group in your life, not necessarily people with whom you are working in a professional social-work capacity (this is particularly true if you are not practicing social work currently). During the course of the semester, implement an intervention with this individual or group to help change an identified behavior. This will involve identifying:
a target goal, which you will describe in the case plan;
the behavior(s) associated with the target goal that the proposed intervention is attempting to change;
the intervention designed to help promote behavior change;
the measure(s) used to assess the desired behavior change; and
the means by which you will collect data about the change.
For example:
your partner wants to lose weight – this is a target goal
your partner wants to increase physical activity – this is the behavior(s) associated with the target goal that the proposed intervention is attempting to change
your partner will park in a more distant parking lot at work to walk more – the intervention designed to help promote behavior change;
# of steps taken daily – the measure(s) used to assess the desired behavior change; and
Fitbit activity tracker or pedometer – the means by which you will collect data about the change
OR
your friend wants to spend less money – this is a target goal
your friend wants to stop spending so much money on eating out – this is the behavior(s) associated with the target goal that the proposed intervention is attempting to change
your friend will create a budget to spend $100 a week at the grocery store – the intervention designed to help promote behavior change;
weekly food costs in dollars – the measure(s) used to assess the desired behavior change; and
spreadsheet tracking weekly food costs – the means by which you will collect data about the change
Provide a brief introduction to the overall paper.
Provide the context to this client and the intervention. Provide a brief introduction to the client and the problem. Indicate the client’s motivation for change and why this intervention has the potential to be successful.
Provide a review of the literature regarding the problem and interventions to address problems like this. Be sure to consider the cultural appropriateness of the intervention for your particular client.
Write out the research question or hypothesis under investigation.
Provide a detailed description of the methods used for this SSRD.
Write out a description of the results. Include the SSRD graph in this section or reference it here and included it in an appendix.
Provide an in-depth interpretation of the results. Discuss if the intervention worked or did not work and why.
Written at the level of a master’s student with particular attention paid to grammar, spelling, and overall structure.
