Bowles and Gintis' study found what relationship between obedience and grades?

• A. 237 high school students
• B. rewards for obedient behaviour
• C. reward personality traits that make submissive worker
• D. obedient = higher grades

Answer: (D)

Obedience and conformity are rewarded in schooling, and that reward shows up in grades. Bowles and Gintis argue that schools operate with a hidden curriculum that teaches students to accept authority, follow rules, and fit into hierarchical structures. The grading system then reinforces and reproduces these behaviors, so students who are more obedient tend to earn higher grades. This reflects their broader idea that the education system mirrors and supports the demands of the workplace, rewarding the very traits that make students orderly and compliant. In that light, the finding is that obedient behavior is associated with higher grades.