Teachers' use and perceptions of sociometric techniques

Children's friendships and peer relationships play important roles in their development. The assessment of children's social skills and the measurement of social relationships among groups of children through the use of sociometrics have been much discussed and researched. In this article, use of sociometric measures by 187 teachers is discussed briefly, and the results of a statewide survey examining teacher use of sociometrics are provided. Specifically, the purposes of the study were to ascertain the reasons for using sociometrics, types of sociometric methods employed, and patterns of use and development of sociometrics. Results of the survey indicated that 41% of teachers used sociometric techniques in the classroom most commonly for grouping students for academic instruction, arranging classroom seating, and forming study teams. Sociograms and peer nominations were the most commonly used sociometric techniques.