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

Abstract

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 preprinted 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.