Pedagogical Knowledge – Institutions, Practices and Actors

The research area of “Pedagogical knowledge – institutions, practices and actors“ reconstructs the genesis of different forms of pedagogical knowledge – scientific research knowledge, professional knowledge and knowledge of lay people. These different forms of knowledge are historically analysed regarding their often contradictory relationships and with respect to educational policy.

The Research Area in Detail

Some of the projects in this area of research focus on concepts that had been known to be “pedagogical“ since the 18th century and became a  historic “apriori“ of pedagogical knowledge. For example, these are: achievement, attention and interest, giftedness and abilities, later called "competences".

Pedagogical observation is the object of one of the projects in this research area: In the course of the 18th century, the observation of children and pupils and different means of note-taking became a central practice in generating pedagogical knowledge. These practices eventually were also implemented at school where they became a reflective category for the teaching profession and pedagogical staff.

Furthermore, this area of research comprises projects that focus on the production and the circulation of knowledge about education between different pedagogical actors, institutions (universities, non-university research institutes and teacher education institutes) and political establishment as a policy advisor after World War II.

Selected Introductory Articles

Behm, Britta/Drope, Tilman/Glaser, Edith/Reh, Sabine (2017): Wissen machen – Beiträge zu einer Geschichte erziehungswissenschaftlichen Wissens in Deutschland zwischen 1945 und 1990. Einleitung zum Beiheft. In: Reh, Sabine/Glaser, Edith/Behm, Britta/Drope, Tilman (Hrsg.): Wissen machen – Beiträge zu einer Geschichte erziehungswissenschaftlichen Wissens in Deutschland zwischen 1945 und 1990. Weinheim: Beltz, S. 7-15. (Zeitschrift für Pädagogik, Beiheft; 63).

Behm, Britta/Reh, Sabine (2016): (Empirische) Bildungsforschung – notwendig außeruniversitär? Eine Sondierung der Geschichte westdeutscher Bildungsforschung am Beispiel des Deutschen Instituts für Internationale Pädagogische Forschung (DIPF). In: Zeitschrift für Erziehungswissenschaft, Vol. 19, Suppl.1, S. 107-127. (Online: DOI: 10.1007/s11618-016-0701-7, free, view-only Version )

Berdelmann, Kathrin (2016): „Sein Inneres kennen wir nicht, denn es ist uns verschlossen“ – Schulische Beobachtung und Beurteilung von Kindern im 18. Jahrhundert. In: Zeitschrift für Grundschulforschung, Jg. 9, H. 2, S. 9-23.

Current Projects