Piska och Morot : En vetenskaplig essä om belöning och bestraffning i skolan

Sammanfattning: This essay takes its starting point in two stories where we each describe a self-experienced dilemma. By using the stories as a starting point, the essay aims to find out what the advantages and disadvantages of reward and punishment are and why they have such a significant place in schools.The essay also aims to account for alternative methods in addition to reward and punishment. We are using the essay as our method, which means that, by letting our stories meet research, theories and literature, we reflect on our actions and thus try to create new knowledge. In order to get a historical perspective on reward and punishment we turn to B. F. Skinner and behaviorism. To approach behavioral problems and methods for dealing with them, we have used Ross W. Greene and his motto "children behave if they can" and Bo Hejlskov Elvén's approach low-affective treatment. To explain the presence of reward and punishment in school, we have used Jesper Juul's and Helle Jensen's concept of obedience culture.  We find that reward and punishment are big concepts that include several dimensions and that it is not possible to easily classify them as good or bad and right or wrong. However, we discover that they canlead to objectification of children and that there are methods to deal with behavioral problems that do not include reward or punishment.