Sociometry: Rationale and Technique for Effecting Behavior Change in the Elementary School

Though sociometry has been used for some years in both educational, psychological, and military settings, it is the argument of this article that it should be used more by elementary counselors and school psychologists as a technique both to assess social desirability in students and as an interim criterion of behavior modification. The theoretical foundations of sociometry are found in both studies relating to the nature of perception and in more modern social learning theory. The suggestion is advanced that social desirability is related to motivation to achieve. Consequently, the assessment of the social climate of the classroom is a first step in introducing procedures designed to enhance the level of effective learning.