Associative experiment: methodological approaches and practical aspects

Abstract

The study is devoted to the problem of using an associative experiment in the context of educational system management. The method of associative experiment is considered as a tool for diagnosing implicit cognitive structures of participants in the educational process, providing objectification of latent representations and identification of communicative barriers. The purpose of the study is a comprehensive analysis of methodological approaches to conducting an associative experiment and determining its potential for optimizing management processes in educational organizations. The research methodology was based on the integration of a free, directed and chain associative experiment with elements of a semantic differential. The empirical base consisted of data obtained from 427 respondents (students, teachers, management staff) in the period 2021-2023. The results of the study revealed statistically significant differences in the associative fields of key pedagogical concepts between different groups of participants in the educational process (differentiation coefficient K=0.67, p<0.01). A correlation has been established between the consistency of associative fields and the effectiveness of intra-organizational communication (r=0.72). A method for diagnosing organizational culture based on an associative experiment (integral relevance index IR=0.83) has been developed and tested. The introduction of the associative experiment model into the management decision-making system increased their validity by 21.4%. The results obtained expand the theoretical understanding of cognitive mechanisms in educational systems and offer specific tools for improving educational management practices.