APPLICATION OF THE "SPIRAL OF SILENCE" THEORY IN STRESS AND CONFLICT MANAGEMENT IN GENERAL EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

Аннотация

В статье предлагается внедрение инновационной системы на основе теории «спирали молчания» — одного из коммуникативных подходов в процессе управления стрессом и конфликтами в общеобразовательных учреждениях. Раскрываются механизмы выявления и предотвращения скрытых конфликтов через формирование психологически безопаснойсреды,анонимногообмена мнениями ивозможностей открытого диалога. Ключевые слова: Стресс, противоречие, управление конфликтами, спираль молчания, коммуникация,психологическая безопасность,образовательноеучреждение. Introduction. Stress and conflict in modern educational institutions directly affect the quality of relationships between school leaders, teachers, students, and parents. Mismanagement, communication breakdowns, and the disregard for informal opinions create psychological stress in the environment. Such situations often manifest themselves not as open conflict, but in the form of internal resistance or silence [1]. The Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan No. PF-51 dated March 19, 2025 “On additional measures to improve the efficiency of the management system in the field of preschool and school education” reflects the tasks and objectives on the issues of “attracting highly qualified personnel to the management system in the field of preschool and school education, ensuring that the reforms being implemented reach the lowest level, providing appropriate incentives to system employees, and achieving quality http://www.internationaljournal.co.in/index.php/jasass 374 Volume15Issue04, April2025 Impact factor: 2019: 4.679 2020: 5.015 2021: 5.436, 2022: 5.242, 2023: 6.995, 2024 7.75 education by improving the efficiency of the vertical management system.” This decree proves that one of the most pressing issues today is the problems of education, especially those in education management. In education management, it is not enough to manage conflicts only openly. On the contrary, getting to the root of hidden conflicts and identifying them early is an important task of modern management. In this regard, the theory of the “spiral of silence” from communicativepsychology can serve as animportant theoretical basis. Analysis of the literature on the topic. The term “spiral of silence” (German: Schweigespirale) was proposed by the German scientist Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann in 1974, explaining the tendency of individuals to hide their views due to the pressure of public opinion [2]. According to her, people, fearing social rejection, remain silent without disclosing their views that contradict the opinion of society. This in turn increases the discontent in silence and, over time, covers up real problems in society [3]. In a school environment, teachers, students, or parents withdraw from open communication and refrain from expressing their opinions lead to this spiral of behavior. Such situations increase stress, intensify internal contradictions, and disrupt the internal healthy environment in theinstitution. Research methodology. Stress and conflict management in secondary education institutions is being implemented through various successful experiences abroad. These experiences will help to successfully implement the process of stress and conflict management and improve the quality of the educational process. Each educational institution can apply these experiences in accordance with itsown conditions. Analysis and results. As part of the study, we propose the following new management mechanism forthe “spiral ofsilence” inthe educational system (institution)(Figure 1): Figure 1.Components ofthe“Spiral ofSilence”. 1.Anonymous feedback platforms: – Schools will introduce anonymous surveys via Google Forms, Telegram and other social networks, “feedback boxes” created based on innovative approaches to freely express opinions, for example, a device with a good and bad button. This device will be installed in a place where http://www.internationaljournal.co.in/index.php/jasass 375 Volume15Issue04, April2025 Impact factor: 2019: 4.679 2020: 5.015 2021: 5.436, 2022: 5.242, 2023: 6.995, 2024 7.75 everyone can see it. Real daily surveys will be conducted on it. The results will be analyzed based on the level of positive or negative. This will reveal the hidden opinions of teachers, parents and students. 2.Creating an environment of psychological safety: – Motivational programs that allow teachers to freely express their opinions (for example, a program called “Green Light”. The essence of this is that you can talk about anything you want, criticize,express your opinionfreely and you willnot be punished forit); – Organizing special psychological trainings with students (inviting qualified psychologists to the educational institution, helping to remove psychological barriers in students, developing their abilityto freely express theiropinions). 3.Organizingopen communication spaces: – Communication based on the principle of “We listen and we solve”; – A “free podium” pedagogical council a