| Abstract: | Mildly handicapped cerebral palsied (CP) children integrated into regular schools were measured on locus of control scales to test the hypothesis that physically disabled children with possible academic difficulties display a more external locus of control than their unimpaired peers. The contribution of this construct to their academic and social performance was also examined. As local norms for these scales were not available, mean grade values were obtained for all children in classes in which a handicapped child had been integrated in order to study the psychometric properties of the scales and the construct's cross‐cultural implications. Results indicated that the instrument did not differentiate between mildly handicapped CP children integrated into regular schools and their non‐disabled peers nor was it a significant correlate of academic or social performance for the target group. Although the possibility exists of real cross‐cultural difference between American and Australian school children, the doubtful reliability and validity of the measure for the population sampled do not support its widespread use as a research instrument with Australian school children. |
