Using a sociomatrix to evaluate the effectiveness of small-group teaching to residents

This article describes a 1988 pilot study in a family medicine residency program of the use of a sociomatrix to assess small-group teaching. A multidisciplinary team developed a sociomatrix coding sheet, which was used by a family physician-psychiatrist to classify behaviors seen on videotaped small-group teaching sessions, which were held at the conclusion of patient care activities. Although the sociomatrix appears to have the potential to relate specific leader behaviors to residents' feedback regarding subjective learning outcomes, the number of observations was too small to permit clear conclusions regarding optimal teaching behaviors and styles.