Perceptions of school, students, parents, teachers and school technicians

The article reveals the results of an empirical study of social perceptions about the school participants in the educational process: students, parents, teachers, and school technicians. 388 respondents participated in the study. The study was conducted in 2019–2020 in schools with the introduction of the "New Ukrainian School" reform at the level of primary education. The associative test was use as a research method. The analysis of the obtained results was carried out by the method of qualitative and quantitative statistics (correlation and cluster analysis –agglomerative and Conditional Inference Trees). The study confirmed the classic provisions of the concept of social perceptions regarding cognitive polyphasia, variability, and correlation of associative series with a certain group of respondents. It is found out that all participants in the educational process have a common field of social perceptions about the school, which are reflected in twenty-two associative series of categories. In this case, the pattern of combinations of associations, their core, and periphery in each group was specifically outlined, which carries unique meanings. The bearers of the most specific perceptions about the state-value purpose of the school were technical workers. The position of teachers is presented as transformational according to the tasks of interaction, teaching, assessment, mediation, and public presentations. The position of parents received a double view regarding the school administration (as a customer) and teachers (indirectly subordinated). Students' perception of the school was formed around three key positions: the boundaries of the educational process, spending time, and the actual social significance of education, which determines the direction of its conscious acquisition. It is found out that the unification of data of all groups of the sample makes semantic changes in the associative series, and giving preference to the generalized interpretation of the school by all participants in the educational process can eliminate the features of each group and its unique contribution to education. It is proved that according to the quantitative composition of each group in relation to the situation, perceptions of the school can undergo dynamic changes. The study provides a basis for expanding the range of targeted research to determine the socio-psychological characteristics of participants in the educational process as separate and independent categories of stakeholders in education