Locus of Control and Children with Cerebral Palsy

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Abstract
In a study of locus of control in nonhandicapped and handicapped children, cerebral palsy was chosen to represent a handicapping condition. Hypotheses included: 1) first- and fourth-grade students with cerebral palsy will obtain more external scores on the Nowicki-Strickland (N-S) Locus of Control Scale for children than will pupils who are not handicapped, 2) first- and fourth-grade cerebral-palsied girls will obtain more internal scores than first- and fourth-grade cerebral-palsied boys, and 3) first- and fourth-grade nonhandicapped girls will obtain more internal scores than first- and fourth-grade nonhandicapped boys. When the mean scores of the N-S Locus of Control Scale questionnaire, which was administered to nine first-grade and 11 fourth-grade pupils in a public school for cerebral-palsied children, was compared with mean scores of 38 first-grade and 44 fourth-grade nonhandicapped students in a nearby public school, the children with cerebral palsy appeared to be more externally controlled than the nonhandicapped children, but sex of children did not appear to be a determinant of locus of control. Additionally, scores became more internal with increasing age. An attempt to change the expectancy level of physically handicapped children might be a significant factor in their acceptance of their disability and their progress in rehabilitative learning.

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