Balan I.V.
PEDAGOGICAL DESIGN OF EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH IN THE CONTEXT OF NETWORKED INTERACTION BETWEEN A UNIVERSITY AND GENERAL EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS ^{[№ 2 ' 2026]}
In the current context of Russian education development, integration processes between higher education and general education institutions are intensifying. Networked interaction is considered one of the key forms of such collaboration. However, the transition from a classic linear experiment conducted at a single school to research within a multifaceted networked context raises new challenges related to ensuring the reliability of the obtained results. The issue of pedagogical design of the experiment, which in this context is interpreted as a methodological framework defining the logic, structure, and procedures for testing a scientific hypothesis, is particularly relevant. The classic structure of a pedagogical experiment, represented by the ADDIE (analysis, design, development, implementation, evaluation) model, undergoes significant changes in the context of networked interaction. Networked collaboration is characterized by its multi-subjectivity: instead of a single research team and a single experimental site, a multi-level structure of participants is formed, including the university, partner schools, students, mentor teachers, and the administration of educational institutions. The effectiveness of such collaboration is ensured by organizing consultation seminars and using digital platforms, in particular the "Pedagogical Practice" information retrieval system, which allows for the consideration of students' individual educational needs and professional interests. A key issue requiring special consideration is ensuring the validity of the experiment in a distributed setting. Following traditional validity theory, threats to internal validity (background events, natural development of subjects, heterogeneity of the cohort, attrition, diffusion of effects) and external validity (interaction of selection and exposure, experimental background effects, reactivity of measurements) are identified. The specific nature of the experimental field is determined by a number of factors: the university's status (a branch located in a small town), the focus of training (teacher education), the distribution of experimental sites (schools with varying conditions, staffing levels, and facilities), and the characteristics of the student population (a high proportion of students from rural areas — 60–66% — and 22% with work experience). Validation strategies are used to minimize the identified threats and enhance the reliability of the findings. These include data triangulation (comparison of student self-assessments, expert assessments by mentor teachers, analysis of work products, and information retrieval system data), peer debriefing (regular discussion of interim results with faculty, teachers, and education administration representatives), discussion of the study results with the student participants themselves, and long-term participant observation spanning the period from 2020 to 2026. The implementation of these strategies ensures the necessary level of internal and external validity for experiments conducted in the context of networked interaction between universities and general education organizations.