Combining Child Functioning Data with Learning and Support Needs Data to Create Disability-Identification Algorithms in Fiji’s Education Management Information System

Beth Sprunt and Manjula Marella
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Beth Sprunt: Nossal Institute for Global Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
Manjula Marella: Nossal Institute for Global Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 17, 1-13

Abstract: Disability disaggregation of Fiji’s Education Management Information System (FEMIS) is required to determine eligibility for inclusive education grants. Data from the UNICEF/Washington Group Child Functioning Module (CFM) alone is not accurate enough to identify disabilities for this purpose. This study explores whether combining activity and participation data from the CFM with data on environmental factors specific to learning and support needs (LSN) more accurately identifies children with disabilities. A survey on questions related to children’s LSN (personal assistance, adaptations to learning, or assessment and assistive technology) was administered to teachers within a broader diagnostic accuracy study. Descriptive statistics and correlations were used to analyze relationships between functioning and LSN. While CFM data are useful in distinguishing between disability domains, LSN data are useful in strengthening the accuracy of disability severity data and, crucially, in identifying which children have disability amongst those reported as having some difficulty on the CFM. Combining activity and participation data from the CFM with environmental factors data through algorithms may increase the accuracy of domain-specific disability identification. Amongst children reported as having some difficulty on the CFM, those with disabilities are effectively identified through the addition of LSN data.

Keywords: child functioning module; learning-support needs; disability-inclusive education; Education Management Information System; Fiji (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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