Knowledge in the Making : Methodological Considerations on the Production, Dissemination, and Usage of “Small Forms in Education”

• Collecting and producing mass data has offered an appealing way to condense educational phenomena. However, thus far, little attention has been given to the seemingly insignificant pre-printed forms that represent the basis for compiling and aggregating data. Taking inspiration from science and technology studies and the ensuing development of so-called paper technologies, this article highlights the potential of small forms in education that were used to record, evaluate, and aggregate data for educational statistics. By suggesting a multi-level methodological approach that we frame as 3D hermeneutics, we seek to contribute a methodological proposal on how to analyse these materials and showcase what lies beneath – or what comes before – the knowledge produced by educational statistics. These analyses draw on pre-printed forms collected by the Prussian educational administration at the turn of the nineteenth century, and re-trace the contexts they were embedded in, examine their materiality, and reconstruct their usage.

Ämnesord

HUMANIORA  -- Historia och arkeologi -- Historia (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- History and Archaeology -- History (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

3D hermeneutics

educational statistics

knowledge production

school administration

small forms in education

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)