Approved with excellent praise : A comparative study in the 1900s grades in conduct and diligence in elementary school

The purpose of this thesis has been to compare the grades regarding conduct, diligence, history and Christianity in Swedish schools in the early 20th century. The purpose has also been to investigate the differences in grades between a regular school and a school for maladjusted boys. The materials I have used are grade ledgers from the archives in Kalmar and Vadstena. I have assumed two different perspectives; Michel Foucault’s ”The normalized sanction” and Donald Broady’s ”The hidden curriculum”. These perspectives have highlighted the use of grades as punishments and rewards, and the schools expectations on the pupils. The method and approach I have been using is comparative method as an aim to compare the schools and grades. My analysis has come to the conclusion that the grades in conduct and diligence had no effect on the grades in history and Christianity. The pupils at the regular school showed signs to have lower grades compared to the pupils at the school for maladjusted boys. I could not see any change over time, however, it was more common for the pupils in sixth grade to have better grades in the subjects compared to the pupils in the lower grades