Agency is an important yet elusive concept in cognitive development. In China, parents commonly hold the traditional belief of Guan, which literally means control but aims to cultivate agency—being self-disciplined and proactive in learning. To understand how these two opposite notions coexist, Study 1 developed a questionnaire to assess both in parents and revealed a U-shaped relationship: moderate Guan beliefs align with lowest agency beliefs, while high and low Guan beliefs are associated with greater agency beliefs. Study 2 used a vignette-based task to test how these beliefs shape children’s perceived agency in decision-making. In learning contexts, control-oriented Guan belief negatively predicts children’s perceived agency, while agency beliefs positively predict it. Additionally, children’s perception of agency in low-agency scenario predicts their strategic responses to maternal control. These findings highlight children’s active meaning-making role and suggest that shifting from control to agency beliefs may better support children’s agency development.

Keywords: children’s agency; Guan beliefs; agency beliefs; Chinese parenting; daily decision-making