Children Who Take on Responsibilities

Gosh! I never know where I'm going to find articles about children and education, and this article came to my attention as I was in the waiting room of my doctor's office.  A new study shows that chidren whose mothers supported their autonomy by giving them responsibilities and offering choices were better off academically and socially later in third grade.  The researchers found that parents who support autonomy explain their rationale for the request, focus on the child's perspective when asking them to take on a task, provide choices, and do not use controlling language.  The researchers also found this technique of supportive autonomy to be more effective than offering rewards.  I'm wondering how willing children would be to take on chores at home if some sort of reward was not being offered.  Perhaps that could be the next phase of the study.