title: Determining the relationship of autonomy to self-care agency or locus of control in school-age children.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a relationship between autonomy and either self-care agency or locus of control in a sample of school-age children. It was hypothesized that there would be a positive relationship between autonomy and both self-care agency and internal locus of control, and that increases in autonomy would be accompanied by increases in the other two variables. A sample of 92 fifth grade subjects was pretested and randomly assigned to one of four groups. Subjects then participated in six 1-hour learning sessions, followed by posttesting. Results demonstrated a positive relationship between autonomy and self-care agency and mixed findings for autonomy and internal locus of control in children. Additionally, as children's autonomy increased, their self-care agency increased; however, their internal locus of control did not. It was concluded that the methods used in this study to promote children's autonomy promoted their self-care agency but not their internal locus of control.
mesh_terms: D001242:Assertiveness; D001521:Behavior Therapy; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005392:First Aid; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D012648:Self Care; D012649:Self Concept