IN A PROGRAM DESIGNED TO INVESTIGATE THE RELATIONSHIPS AMONG SELF-CONCEPT, SENSE-OF-COMPETENCE, READING ACHIEVEMENT, AND DEPENDENCE IN KINDERGARTEN AND FIRST GRADE CHILDREN, 110 MIDDLE CLASS, WHITE KINDERGARTEN CHILDREN FROM THE NEW YORK CITY AREA WERE TESTED AND RATED DURING THEIR KINDERGARTEN AND FIRST GRADE YEARS. THE TESTS AND RATING SCALES USED WERE (1) THE BELLER DEPENDENCY SCALE, (2) THE MORIARTY SENSE-OF-COMPETENCE SCALE, (3) THE CREELMAN SELF-CONCEPT TEST, (4) THE STANFORD-BINET SHORTFORM L-M, AND (5) THE METROPOLITAN ACHIEVEMENT TEST. NINE HYPOTHESES INVOLVING THE INTERRELATIONSHIPS OF THE FOUR ABOVE-MENTIONED FACTORS WERE TESTED, AND ON THE BASIS OF THE RESULTS FROM THE FIVE MEASURING DEVICES, IT WAS GENERALLY FOUND THAT (1) A NEGATIVE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DEPENDENCY AND SELF-CONCEPT DID NOT EXIST (IN FACT, THE RELATIONSHIP FOR THE CHILDREN INVOLVED APPEARED CLOSER TO POSITIVE), (2) THERE WAS NO NEGATIVE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DEPENDENCY AND SENSE-OF-COMPETENCE, (3) THERE WAS A POSITIVE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SELF-CONCEPT AND SENSE-OF-COMPETENCE IN THE KINDERGARTEN BUT NOT IN THE FIRST GRADE, (4) THERE WAS NOT A NEGATIVE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DEPENDENCY AND READING ABILITY, (5) THERE WAS A POSITIVE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SELF-CONCEPT AND READING ABILITY, (6) THERE WAS NOT CLEARLY AN EXISTENCE OF A POSITIVE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SENSE-OF-COMPETENCE AND READING, (7) THERE WAS NOT AN INCREASE IN SENSE-OF-COMPETENCE WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF READING SKILLS, (8) THERE WAS A DECREASE IN DEPENDENCY BEHAVIOR WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF READING SKILLS ONLY FOR SOME OF THE BOYS, AND (9) THERE WAS NO INCREASE IN SELF-CONCEPT WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF READING SKILLS. DEVELOPMENTAL FACTORS, SOCIAL OR SEX ROLE FACTORS, AND INDEPENDENCE RATHER THAN DEPENDENCE WERE NOT SPECIFICALLY PART OF THE ORIGINAL INVESTIGATIVE DESIGN BUT HAD IMPORTANT EFFECTS AND SHOULD BE FURTHER CONSIDERED. (WD)