Sociometric-status-group classification of mainstreamed children who have moderate learning difficulties: An investigation of personal and environmental factors.

This study examined the classes of variables (nonsocial personal, behavioral, and environmental) identified in D. L. MacMillan and G. M. Morrison's (1984) multicomponent model for research on sociometric status in special education, using multivariate methods to investigate their power to discriminate the sociometric status group membership of mainstreamed children with moderate learning difficulties. Personal and environmental variables each were found to play a significant role in discriminating children with moderate learning difficulties classified as popular or as rejected from those classified as average. Results are discussed with reference to social exchange theory, as an integrative basis for research on children's sociometric status, and implications for mainstreaming practice are considered.