ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that the increase in the number of dull pupils in Norway from 1892 to 1913 did not occur because of any real increase in numbers. The explanation lies in the fact that a new understanding of the problem with dull pupils developed during the period. The chapter deals with definition processes where certain children came to be seen and defined as a social problem for the folk school, and not so much with the actual discovery of them as "dull" pupils. The establishment of the Norwegian folk school system contributes to the explanation of the social construction of the "dull" or the "backward" child. The Norwegian folk school laws of 1889 represented a major shift from focusing on children's social background to focusing on their ability in the classroom. Most of the dull children attended the regular schools in Norway, although some of them attended schools reserved for children who were "mentally deficient.".
