Scoring
|
The OWT is a relatively easy tool to score. Each of the ten domain responses are averaged according to the responses on the statements within that domain. Note that there are seven statements in the tool that need to be reverse coded for scoring before averaging the domain scores. Each domain therefore receives an average score within the range of 1 to 3. The ten domain scores are then added together to create the total wellbeing score. The final score can thus range from a low of 10 to a high of 30. It is important to examine the overall OWT scores according to the local context. In some cases, certain settings will have an overall lower mean score on the OWT than others. This may be due to a number of different factors (recent natural disaster, larger number of double orphans, etc.). In order to fully examine whether the children in that area are improving or not, it is better to calculate the overall mean for that area and then compare the children to that mean. For example, if children in Village A had a mean OWT score of 24 with a standard deviation of 3, the program would want to look carefully at those children that fell more than one standard deviation from the calculated mean. This contextual examination of OWT scores provides the best systematic method of understanding what the data means from one setting to the next. The tool was designed with the idea that the data would be taken back to a central location to be scored on a computer system. However, based on feedback from piloting, it was deemed necessary to develop a field scoring sheet that would allow for rapid scoring in the field. This would allow staff to see instantly if there were changes in OVC wellbeing during the monitoring exercises and communicate this information to communities. The field programs created a scoring sheet that is in use by monitoring staff in numerous countries. While the field scoring sheet is a convenient tool for on-site monitoring and analysis of individual communities, in order to see overall patterns within the OVC programs, it is still necessary to enter the data into a central database and to compare data over time and across fields. Syntax is available for those who would like to use their own central database. Related Resources: |