British and Commonwealth Counselors: An Investigation of Counselor Characteristics and Theoretical Views

This study investigated personal characteristics, espoused theoretical orientation, counseling response style, and tendency toward variety as related to general guidance, and counseling competence, and to home or overseas origin of 32 (16 males and 16 females) students enrolled in the Guidance Unit at the University of Reading, England. Subjects were drawn from the United Kingdom (Home students) and from 11 overseas countries (Overseas students). Instruments administered were the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule (EPPS), the Porter Counseling Inventory (PCI), and the Similies Preference Inventory (SPI). The subjects' theoretical orientation was determined by the ratings of six theories of counseling. These ratings were given weighted scores for Insight and Action orientation, i.e., London's Insight-Action dichotomy. Guidance and counseling competency was based upon ratings by three professors using a 5-point scale. Results showed large differences between the groups on the EPPS and PCI, but EPPS and PCI scores were unrelated to the subjects' theoretical orientations. Competency ratings were related to theoretical preference, with Home students espousing Action approaches receiving lower ratings and Overseas students espousing Insight approaches receiving lower ratings. Results were discussed in terms of different cultural demands on counselors and with relevance to the use of the Insight-Action dichotomy in research with American counselor samples.     

Social Perceptions of Students with Learning Disabilities Who Differ in Social Status

As a group, students with learning disabilities (LD) have social difficulties. One possible explanation for these difficulties is the unique way they process social information. Although students with LD may differ from their nondisabled peers in their social cognition, investigators have suggested the presence of subgroups within the population of students with LD who may differ in their social competence and, thereby, shed light on the source of the difficulties. The present exploratory study examined how two subgroups of students with LD in inclusive settings, students with high and low social status, perceive social situations. Using a sociometric technique, three students with LD receiving high social‐status ratings and three students with LD receiving low social‐status ratings were identified. A qualitative approach was used to gather and evaluate data from the participants and their teachers. Results suggested differences between the two subgroups in their (1) sensitivity to cues in the environment, (2) interpretation of social situations in relation to their own experiences, and (3) levels of self‐control. Implications of these findings for practice and future research are discussed.     

The Validity of Teacher Ratings of Adolescents' Social Skills

The validity of teacher ratings of adolescents' social skills was examined in a follow-up study of a cohort sample of 395 students from seventh to ninth grade. The internal consistency of the teacher ratings on Social Skills Rating System (SSRS) was examined at two points in time, and the multidimensionality of the SSRS was confirmed through factor analyses. The findings indicated multi-informant consistency in ratings: teacher ratings consistently covaried with teacher ratings of problem behaviour in the classroom and academic competence, sociometric nominations by peer students, and grade point average in selected school subjects. Teacher ratings also produced construct-relevant group differences, with students referred to psychosocial and educational helping services receiving significantly lower ratings than their nonreferred peers.     

Changing Social Dynamics in Early Childhood Classrooms

The purpose of this study was to analyze how social dynamics in early childhood classrooms change from fall to spring and from early to late preschool. The subjects were 92 preschoolers in age-stratified (3-year-old, 4-year-old, and 5-year-old) classrooms. Their sociometric ratings and peer contact patterns were recorded during the fall and spring. From early to late preschool, children's sociometric ratings became increasingly negative, especially toward cross-sex peers. Their contact patterns showed an analogous decrease in cross-sex contacts, although the changes were not as linear as those in the sociometric ratings. The analysis of group sizes showed that the 4-year-olds spent more time in larger groups than both their younger and older peers did. Group sociometric ratings and contact patterns changed from fall to spring, but individual children showed considerable stability in the sociometric ratings that they gave their peers and in the size and gender composition of their play groups.     

Convergence of deaf children's sociometric scores and teachers' behavioral ratings

Twenty-four deaf children judged each other, using a standard sociometric technique, and were rated by their teachers. The correlations between the two sources at four assessment periods replicated previous findings of substantial convergence of teachers' behavioral ratings and children's sociometric scores, thereby extending this relationship to the population of language-impaired deaf children in residential school settings.     

Interpersonal problem solving and children's social competence: Are current measures valid?

Ninety-four first- and second-grade students participated in a study designed to determine whether a measure of interpersonal problem-solving skill would predict the social competence of children with no clinical history. The social competence measures used in the study included peer ratings (sociometric scores) and teacher ratings. The interpersonal problem-solving measure used yielded three separate scores obtained from ratings of open-ended responses to hypothetical peer problems. To enable control of other variables known to affect social competence, measures of IQ, academic achievement, and SES also were included. Results did not confirm a prior expectation that problem-solving scores would correlate well with competence measures. Correlations between the three problem-solving scores and both peer and teacher ratings all were in the range between .04 and .20. On the other hand, intelligence, achievement, and SES had moderate to high correlations with competence measures (range = .04–.77). In stepwise multiple regressions, only achievement and SES predicted peer and teacher ratings when other variables were controlled.     

Peer mediation: citizenship and social inclusion revisited

In sociometric research tradition, popularity is defined as the degree to which children are liked or accepted by their peers. However, research indicates that two definitions of popular students should be distinguished: (1) popular students as those students who are well liked by many and disliked by few peers, and (2) popular students as those students who are described as popular by their peers. The main purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between sociometric and peer perceived popularity in Slovenian students of different grades of elementary and secondary school. Additionally, the age differences in the relationship between sociometric and peer perceived popularity were examined. Another purpose of the study was to investigate the differential relationships between concepts of popularity and some students' characteristics. The participants were 321 boys and 329 girls who ranged from the 5th grade of elementary school (the mean age 11.04 years) to the 3rd grade of secondary school (the mean age 17.02 years). The results of this study confirm previous findings that peer perceived popularity is a construct that is distinct from sociometric popularity. There are some substantial differences in relations between indices of perceived popularity and sociometric indices between elementary school students and secondary school students—i.e. between early adolescents and middle to late adolescents. It seems that perceived popularity and sociometric popularity are rather similar constructs in elementary school students, whereas in secondary school students they become almost unrelated to each other. Based on these findings, the terminological issues are discussed and some conclusions are made.     

Restructuring of mainstream sociometry with learning disabled and nonhandicapped students

Sociometric ratings assigned by and to 50 elementary school students with learning disabilities and 50 nonhandicapped elementary school students (in matched pairs) were compared in this study. In addition, traditional sociometric status applied to social impact and social preference was also examined. Results showed that the matched pairs did not differ significantly in assigned status to their peers, but differed significantly in acceptance and rejection received from their shared classmates. Students with learning disabilities and nonhandicapped students differed significantly in social preference, but not in social impact.     

Classroom contextual effects of race on children's peer nominations

Black children generally receive poorer sociometric nominations compared with Whites. This effect is not fully understood because Black children rarely hold a classroom majority and teachers' race is rarely investigated. Research from a person-environment perspective suggests that the effects of children's race depend on the racial composition of the classroom and society's racial attitudes. Sociometric nominations were obtained from 1,268 5th graders, between 9 and 11 years old (53% Black), across 57 classrooms (3-95% Black students). Half of the teachers were Black. The results indicated that ratings of Black children were more influenced by the racial context of classrooms than were ratings of White children. The implications of this study are discussed in relation to group dynamics and racial discrimination.     

Relationship between sociometric types and academic achievement in a sample of compulsory secondary education students / Relación entre tipos sociométricos y rendimiento académico en una muestra de estudiantes de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyse the relationship between sociometric types, behavioural categories and academic achievement in a sample of 1,349 compulsory secondary education students (51.7% boys), ranging in age from 12 to 16 years. The students’ sociometric identification was performed by using the Programa Socio and academic performance was measured by school marks provided by teachers in the subjects of Spanish language, mathematics and average academic performance. The results show that sociometric types were significant predictors of academic achievement, as students who were rated positively by their peers (popular, leaders, collaborators and good students) were more likely to have high academic achievement (in mathematics, Spanish language and average academic achievement) than students rated negatively by peers (rejected-aggressive, rejected-shy, neglected and bullies).     

A sociometric investigation of sex and race peer preferences among deaf adolescents

This study investigated sex and race peer preferences among adolescent deaf students. Sociometric ratings were obtained and analyzed for possible preferences. A marked peer preference for female students by both male and female students was found. In examining racial preferences, I found that white students rated same-race students higher than they rated minority students. Based on the data and analyses, the investigator found race to be secondary to sex in peer preferences among deaf adolescents. These findings are consistent with the sociometric literature on hearing adolescents.     

The Development of Social Networks in Preschool Children

Behavioral observations and sociometric ratings were assessed in separate 3- and 4-year-old child care classes across a two year period. A cross sequential design included three cohorts. Cohort A was observed at age 4, Cohort B at ages 3 and 4 and Cohort C was observed at age 3 yielding two separate cross sectional comparisons and a longitudinal comparison across ages 3 and 4. Social network analyses were used to determine the relation between behavioral measures of social interactions and sociometric ratings, developmental changes in the degree of organization of the social networks in each class, and the degree to which gender was an organizing principle in the social structure of both age groups. In general, correspondence between the behavioral observations and sociometric ratings increased with age and the social structure showed greater cohesion in the 4-year-old class. Gender was an organizing principle in the social structure of the 4-year-old class and became more apparent across time in the 3-year-old class. Implications of the findings for the assessment of sociometric status and for intervention are discussed.     

The Development of Social Networks in Preschool Children

Behavioral observations and sociometric ratings were assessed in separate 3- and 4-year-old child care classes across a two year period. A cross sequential design included three cohorts. Cohort A was observed at age 4, Cohort B at ages 3 and 4 and Cohort C was observed at age 3 yielding two separate cross sectional comparisons and a longitudinal comparison across ages 3 and 4. Social network analyses were used to determine the relation between behavioral measures of social interactions and sociometric ratings, developmental changes in the degree of organization of the social networks in each class, and the degree to which gender was an organizing principle in the social structure of both age groups. In general, correspondence between the behavioral observations and sociometric ratings increased with age and the social structure showed greater cohesion in the 4-year-old class. Gender was an organizing principle in the social structure of the 4-year-old class and became more apparent across time in the 3-year-old class. Implications of the findings for the assessment of sociometric status and for intervention are discussed.     

Tools for the classroom? An examination of existing sociometric methods for teacher use

Despite the recent technical and theoretical advances in the investigation of children's social relations, the inherent complexity of these methods may prevent their easy integration into the classroom. A simple and effective tool can be valuable for teachers who wish to investigate students' social realities in the classroom. Therefore, the present study aims to identify an effective sociometric method for educator's use in the classroom. Nine separate sociometric categorisations were created from peer reports of grade one students (N = 748). Methods that have different collection methods (nominations or ratings) show surprisingly low agreement, unlike those with the same collection method. Methods based on peer nominations showed the strongest correlations with students' behavioural traits. Based on these results, we discuss the relevance and usefulness of such methods for use by classroom teachers in identifying students' social realities.     

The classification of preschool children's sociometric status

Six sociometric measures were evaluated on a sample of 85 four-year-olds from three preschool and day care centers. Stability, intercorrelations, and accuracy of classifying rejected children were compared for measures of social preference, social impact, peer ratings, alternative status, and positive and negative nominations. Test-retest correlations were moderately high and quite similar for all measures except social impact. Children were classified as rejected or not rejected based on Z scores of −.50 on all measures except for negative nominations, which employed a Z of +.50. In comparison with the commonly used social preference measure, accurate classifications were obtained using negative nominations, peer ratings, and alternative status. Positive nominations were somewhat less accurate in identifying rejected children, and social impact was a poor index of social status. Results suggest that both nominations and peer ratings can be assessed reliably with preschool children and that the two sociometric techniques measure similar aspects of social status. The alternative status measure was demonstrated to be a reliable and accurate technique for identifying rejected children in the preschool years. Implications for social skills intervention are discussed.     

A Factor Analysis of Epps Scales,Ability, and Achievement Measures

Data from 169 high school students were rotated by means of an oblique factor rotation so that from a 27x 27 variance-covariance matrix six factors were obtained. These factors were labeled: intellectual introversion, dependence, superego strength, ego-strength, independent orientation, and verbal aggression. The results suggested that the factors of intellectual introversion, dependence, superego strength, and ego-strength had concurrent validity. It was concluded that a factor analysis of the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule (EPPS), though questionable mathematically due to the fact that the EPPS is an ipsative measure, extracted psychologically relevant dimensions. The findings also suggested that introverted, socially controlled, mathematically apt students were not competing successfully with verbal, high ego-strength students in high school academic work.     

Teacher attitudes and personality

The Minnesota Teacher Attitude Inventory (MTAI), the Edwards Personal Preferences Schedule (EPPS), and the Vocational Preferences Inventory (VPI) were administered to 183 undergraduate students enrolled in teacher education courses. The MTAI was compared with each of the two personality instruments by canonical analysis. The MTAI shared 20% of its variance with the EPPS and 17% with the VPI. It was concluded that teachers' attitudes are partially determined by measurable personality variables.     

Shyness-sensitivity and unsociability in rural Chinese children: relations with social, school, and psychological adjustment

The purpose of this study was to examine how shyness-sensitivity and unsociability were associated with social, school, and psychological adjustment in rural Chinese children. Participants were third- to fifth-grade students (N = 820; M age = 10 years) in rural schools in P. R. China. Data on shyness-sensitivity, unsociability, and adjustment were obtained from multiple sources including peer assessments, sociometric nominations, teacher ratings, self-reports, and school records. It was found that unsociability was associated with social, school, and psychological problems, whereas shyness was generally associated with indexes of adjustment such as social status, teacher-rated competence, and academic achievement. The results indicate that rural Chinese context may play an important role in defining the functional meanings of children's social behaviors.     

Needs for Achievement

Measures of needs for achievement and variety seeking were obtained from students who chose an honors program of independent research during their junior and senior college years and from students with equivalent high grades who chose not to be in honors. The measures of need for achievement from the California Personality Inventory (CPI) and the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule (EPPS) both correlated significantly with choice of an honors curriculum. Scores on the Zukerman Sensation-Seeking scale (SS-scale) and grade point average (GPA) did not correlate with choice of an honors curriculum.     

Using sociometric techniques to assess the social impacts of inclusion: Some methodological considerations

In recent years, sociometric techniques have been increasingly used to assess friendship development in children with special educational needs integrated in regular educational settings. In this paper, the findings produced by different techniques are contrasted with a view to examining whether the variable findings reported can be attributed to the technique employed. The analysis revealed that peer nominations have been used to determine pupils' social status and have overwhelmingly produced negative results. Peer ratings have been used to ascertain the level of acceptance pupils enjoy within their class network and have also produced negative results. Social Cognitive Mapping has been used to obtain information about the nature of social networks and the relations among peers and has produced mixed to positive results. As such, Social Cognitive Mapping could be viewed as a more robust approach that addresses more thoroughly the complexities of young children's social relations than the other two classic sociometric techniques. The paper concludes with highlighting methodological challenges surrounding the application of sociometric techniques and advocates their embedding within innovative multi-method research designs.