Use of Washington Group question sets by teachers to identify functional difficulty in schools in Sierra Leone
Summary
This article presents findings from a feasibility assessment of the use of Washington Group (WG) tools by teachers in Sierra Leone to assess functional difficulties (FDs) experienced by children they teach. Class teachers in eight schools used either the WG Short Set (WG-SS) or the more detailed Child Functioning Module–Teacher Version (CFM-TV) to assess more than 3,000 children. Teachers found both sets of tools broadly feasible for use, though the CFM-TV was noted as being lengthy and complex. The results showed a significant difference in FD prevalence depending on the tool used: when teachers used the WG-SS, 1.1% of children were reported to have FD, but when using the CFM-TV, the reported prevalence was much higher at 14.9%.
The study confirms that using WG tools by teachers is feasible for generating education system data to guide resourcing and implementation of inclusive education education, and highlights considerations for selection of tools.
This article is part of the supplement ‘Sightsavers at 75: delivering impact through health and inclusion research’ in the journal International Health, published in collaboration with the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in celebration of Sightsavers’ 75th anniversary.