The Stability of Peer Sociometric Ratings Across Ecological Settings

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Abstract
Although children's peer relations extend beyond the classroom, researchers have focused almost exclusively on evaluting sociometric status within the school setting. In the present study, a roster-and-rating method was used to assess the relationship between the sociometric status of 20 fifth-grade students in the classroom and in adult supervised activity groups outside of school. In addition, the 6-month stability of peer sociometric ratings in school was assessed. The correlational results showed that a child's sociometric standing in the classroom was a strong predictor of his or her standing in outside groups, and that the 6-month stability of peer sociometric ratings at school was quite high. The results are encouraging for researchers who use classroom sociometric ratings as global indices of peer relations.