Educational Research Journal

Abstract

This study investigated expectations of independence from parents in decisions regarding school-related tasks ("school-related autonomy") in Chinese teenage girl in three different school settings: an Anglo-Chinese school, an international school where the majority of the students are Hong Kong Chinese, and an international school where the majority of the staff and students are western. Caucasian students from one of the international schools formed a comparison group. Students in the Anglo-Chinese school had later expectations for autonomy than did students in the school where the majority of teachers and students are western. Expectations for school-related autonomy correlated strongly with expectations for autonomy in non-academic areas in all groups of students studied. Students' prioritization of the value of Independence in their personal lives correlated in the expected direction with school-related autonomy only in the most conservative setting. Prioritization of the value for Obedience on the other hand correlated with school-related autonomy only in those Chinese girls who attended school in the more "western" settings. Multiple regression analysis indicated that 24 percent of the variance in school-related autonomy could be predicted by school setting and non-academic autonomy expectations. The implications of these findings are discussed.

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