Baltic Journal of Economic Studies 353 Vol. 10 No. 3, 2024 This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution CC BY 4.0 1 State Scientific Institution "Institute of Education Content Modernization", Ukraine E-mail: fliarkovska@ukr.net ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9461-4035 2 State Scientific Institution "Institute of Education Content Modernization", Ukraine (corresponding author) E-mail: m-viki@ukr.net ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0144-8654 3 Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture, Ukraine E-mail: drainc@ukr.net ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6980-8038 DOI: https://doi.org/10.30525/2256-0742/2024-10-3-353-357 INNOVATIVE TOOLS IN THE ACTIVITIES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICE SPECIALISTS Оlha Flyarkovska1, Viktoria Melnychuk2, Ryslan Dumenko3 Abstract. The article examines the issue of improving psychological services in the educational system of Ukraine. The psychological service is defined as a necessary component of the educational system which ensures the development of the personal, intellectual and professional potential of the society. The basic principles of the work of the psychological service of the educational system of Ukraine are considered. According to the results of the analysis of this work, attention is drawn to the fact that specialists of the psychological service should pay more attention to practical work with students during their working hours, and not to filling in documentation. Methodology. The study used theoretical and empirical research methods, in particular, theoretical analysis and generalisation of psychological practice; design of theoretical approaches and organisational and methodological conditions for improving the practical activities of psychological service specialists; questionnaires; study of methodological and reporting documentation; methods of statistical processing of experimental data. The purpose of the article is to analyse the effectiveness of the introduction of a unified electronic reporting system for psychological service specialists in the Ukrainian education system. Results. The paper presents the findings of a survey of psychological service specialists on the aforementioned issues. Furthermore, the publication provides evidence to support the necessity of implementing a unified electronic reporting system for the activities of psychological service specialists. The article examines the principal methods of methodological assistance for psychological service personnel, which facilitate the development of professional competencies, the exchange of experience, the theoretical and practical training of practical psychologists and social educators. The work highlights the importance of information and communication technologies (ICT) in ensuring the effective operation of the psychological service within the Ukrainian education system. Conclusion. The authors put forth a series of recommendations aimed at enhancing the system of psychological services through the implementation of a unified electronic reporting system. This system is distinguished by its multifunctionality. The efficacy of a unified electronic database for psychological service professionals has been demonstrated to enhance and expedite the process of data aggregation and analysis, thereby ensuring the prompt availability of diverse information for the purpose of effective managerial operations and the formulation of superior strategic decisions pertaining to human capital. Keywords: unified system of electronic reporting, purpose of activity, practical psychologists, principles, psychological service, psychological support, social pedagogues, structure, economic consequences. JEL Classification: D91, C38, H11 1. Introduction War creates insecurity, uncertainty and anxiety among the population, which affects the mental state of participants in the educational process. In addition, the military conflict leads to the destruction of educational institutions, loss of educational materials and infrastructure, displacement of the population, including students and teaching staff, as well as reduced access to quality education due to economic instability and reduced budgetary spending on education. Thus, according to experts, the amount of damage caused by Russian troops to Ukraine's infrastructure is almost 143.8 billion USD. As a result of the war waged Baltic Journal of Economic Studies 354 Vol. 10 No. 3, 2024 by Russia, educational institutions continue to suffer damage and destruction – currently there are 3,170 of them. Among them, almost 1,500 are secondary schools, 909 are preschools, and 528 are higher education institutions. As of the end of February 2023, losses in the education sector increased by 300 million USD compared to December's estimates to 8.9 billion USD. In such situations, there are usually problems with accessibility of education for children and young people, lack of qualified teaching staff and low levels of academic achievement. Analysis of recent research and publications. The problems of the economic and social consequences of the war in Ukraine and the impact of conflicts on the global economy are studied as internal problems by such researchers: H. Zhila, E. Nikolaev, I. Pilyaev, O. Plotnikov, H. Riy, I. Shemelynets, as well as foreign researchers K. Abay, C. Breisinger, J. Glauber, J. Hacker, A. Hertel-Fernandez, S. Jacob, P. Pierson, K. Thelen, and others. In modern economic conditions an educational institution will be able to maintain and strengthen its position under the condition of active introduction of innovations in the educational process of an economic, managerial and social nature. Innovative activity is carried out in conditions of systematic, constantly growing uncertainty, therefore a psychological service specialist must be able to react quickly and flexibly to changes in the educational environment, which requires the development and application of methodological and mathematical support tools for the possibility of making informed management decisions regarding innovative projects implemented within the boundaries of educational institutions. In modern conditions, education puts forward more stringent requirements for justifying decision-making, which leads to the need for a proper combination of intuitive, psychological methods with methods of mathematical problem solving. Therefore, research on the introduction of innovative tools in the activities of psychological service specialists is important and relevant today. What is the advantage of using innovative tools in the work of a practical psychologist and social educator? The main condition is saving time resources. The purpose of the article is to analyse the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of introducing a unified electronic reporting system for psychological service specialists in the Ukrainian education system. 2. Research on Approaches to Dominants of Development and Reproduction of Human Capital The problems of psychological services in the educational system are discussed in the works of O. Bezpalko, I. Beh, L. Burlachuk, V. Kyrychuk, O. Kyrychuk, V. Kremen, S. Maksymenko, V. Melnychuk, V. Panok, O. Flyarkovska, A. Furman, I. Tsushko and others. However, while the theoretical and practical aspects of the functioning of psychological services in educational institutions have been more or less studied, the issues of organisational and pedagogical foundations of psychological services in the Ukrainian education system have been studied very fragmentarily. The creation and development of psychological services in the educational system is based on a number of principles and a vision of its mission, goals and tasks, in particular on the above-mentioned understanding of the specifics of applied psychology and psychological practice and the history of the development of applied psychology in Ukraine (Maslou, 1997; Panok, 2017; Potashniuk, 2000; Furman, 2013). The national education system has deep traditions in the organisation and management of educational institutions (The Regulation on the Psychological Service in the Education System of Ukraine, approved by the Order of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine of May 22, 2018 No. 509, 2018). Specialists of the State Scientific Institution "Institute of Education Content Modernization" have developed an innovative reporting programme for specialists of psychological services. Innovative means of reporting in the Unified Electronic Reporting System (UERS) make it possible to determine and prove the efficiency, effectiveness and economic component of the applied programmes. The system is designed for practical psychologists, social educators, methodologists and other employees of the psychological service of the Ukrainian education system. The range of its functions makes the work of psychological service workers much easier. "Applied psychology as a theoretical basis for the activity of the psychological service. When it comes to the methodological support of the activity of a holistic psychological service as a single coordinated system, different schools, concepts and directions in psychology are ineffective, as they do not provide unity of approaches, methods and methods of psychological practice. In the theoretical 'field' of psychology, different theoretical and methodological positions are often incompatible both at the level of the categorical and conceptual apparatus and at the level of individual methods." (Maslou, 1997; Maksymenko, 2004; Potashniuk, 2000; Furman, 2013) Therefore, according to the authors, the use of a unified electronic reporting system in the activities of a psychological service specialist has significant advantages over the previous year's outdated and cumbersome forms. The advantage of the programme lies in the application of certain established actions to specific Baltic Journal of Economic Studies 355 Vol. 10 No. 3, 2024 conditions of practical activity. The technology of work in the system provides for obtaining a certain final result, which is planned in the practical activity of a specialist and gives an opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of one's own activity, and is considered as a separate type of professional activity "work documentation, planning, reporting" (The Regulation on the Psychological Service in the Education System of Ukraine, approved by the Order of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine of May 22, 2018 No. 509, 2018) is based on the use of an electronic database innovative systems. The development of the educational system is impossible without the development of strategic directions of its activity based on innovations, i.e., having an innovative character. It should be noted that the process of introducing innovations gives rise to innovative activities, that is, activities aimed at using scientific research and development and leading to effective implementation. According to this interpretation, innovative activity means the whole innovative process without exception, starting with the emergence of a scientific and technical idea and ending with its functioning. It can be argued that the main direction of the innovation process is the novelty of the solution, and at the same time its implementation in one's own activity is accompanied by positive changes. A modern, innovative approach to data collection in the system of psychological services is to introduce it into the professional activities of the UERS. We can assume that the results of such work will increase the effectiveness of psychological assistance and psychological support, improve the professional training of future psychological service specialists. Psychological practice (psychological activity) is, in authors' opinion, the basic category for understanding the essence of applied psychology (Maslou, 1997; Maksymenko, 2004; Shapar, 2009; Furman, 1992). The definition of the essence of psychological technology and its substantiation as a methodological unit in applied psychology allowed to create conditions for methodological support of psychological practice, in particular, in the activities of the psychological service of the education system. On the basis of theoretical ideas about the essence of applied psychology and features of methodological support of psychological practice, the structure, organisational principles, goals and objectives of the psychological service in the education system are substantiated. Today, the psychological service can be considered one of the most important results of reforming the national education system (The Law of Ukraine "On Education" of September 5, 2017, No. 2145-VIII). In order to analyse the activities, improve the scientific and methodological support of psychological support and social and pedagogical work, and increase the efficiency of the psychological service in the Ukrainian education system, a survey of psychological service specialists was conducted. The study involved 20,079 psychological service professionals. Among them were 13,174 practical psychologists and 6,905 social workers (Figure 1). The overwhelming majority of respondents – 14,016 psychological service professionals, including 8,738 practical psychologists and 5,278 social workers – have 1-15 years of pedagogical experience (Figure 2). According to the data obtained during the study (Figure 3), psychological service specialists in the 2021/2022 academic year allocated from 30% to 60% of their working time to filling out statistical and analytical reports and work plans. After the introduction of the UERS in the 2022/2023 academic year, these same specialists began to spend more of their working time helping children and families affected by military conflicts, assisting veterans and their families, combating domestic violence, bullying/ cyberbullying, child crime, preventing human trafficking and suicidal tendencies among children, etc., as they now need significantly less time to complete statistical and analytical reports, work plans, etc. – from 5 to 20% less than before. Figure 1. Distribution of psychological service employees by speciality 2023/2024 Source: Zavalevskyi Yu., Flyarkovska O., Melnychuk V., Kaulina N. Statistical and analytical materials of the state and development of the psychological service in the education system of Ukraine (2023/2024). 2024. 62 p.   Baltic Journal of Economic Studies 356 Vol. 10 No. 3, 2024 Thus, according to the results of the study, the introduction of the UERS for psychological service specialists in the Ukrainian education system will save working time and maximise its use for other types of work. 3. Conclusions In the context of reforming the education system in Ukraine, the search for an answer to the question of how to improve the work of psychological service specialists led to the implementation of practical psychologists and social pedagogues from the UERS. The research carried out not only revealed the willingness of psychological service professionals to work in the UERS, but also identified how the UERS is used in the professional activities of practising psychologists. Thus, the authors found that the survey experts were initially apprehensive about filling out the UERS. It was extremely important to find out the respondents' self-assessment of their digital competence. Based on the suggestions received from the respondents and the results of the survey, a series of trainings on how to work with the UERS was conducted. To develop Figure 2. Length of service of psychological service employees Source: Zavalevskyi Yu., Flyarkovska O., Melnychuk V., Kaulina N. Statistical and analytical materials of the state and development of the psychological service in the education system of Ukraine (2023/2024). 2024. 62 p.   3885 2327 2526 1877 1133 1288 2612 1293 1373 738 313 488 0-5 6 10 11 15 16-20 21-25 more than 25 Practical psychologist Social pedagogue Figure 3. Percentage of working time spent on completing documentation Source: Zavalevskyi Yu., Flyarkovska O., Melnychuk V., Kaulina N. Statistical and analytical materials of the state and development of the psychological service in the education system of Ukraine (2023/2024). 2024. 62 p.   Baltic Journal of Economic Studies 357 Vol. 10 No. 3, 2024 and practice the digital competence of psychological service specialists, namely, work in the UERS. All training materials were recorded and posted on the website of the State Scientific Institution "Institute of Education Content Modernization". Therefore, working at the UERS is a prerequisite for the emergence of new requirements for the professional activity of a psychological service specialist. A modern practical psychologist and social pedagogue must be aware of the trends of informatisation of education (especially at the elementary level) and be able to use new information and educational technologies, apply the possibilities of ICT in professional activities, which is one of the main conditions for the use of UERS in the process of their activities. The analysis of the obtained statistical and analytical data allowed us to establish an increase in the productivity of psychological service specialists. The methods proposed in this paper will allow to change a rather chaotic system into a much simpler one. Numerous statistical forms are replaced by simple fills in an electronic database. Thus, the specialists of the psychological service emphasise the fact that the proposed system minimised the time spent on filling out documentation and planning, which made it possible to direct their working time to more necessary and popular types and forms of work, and thus management activities will also be more efficient and productive in making informed decisions and ensuring stable and sustainable economic growth. References: Maslou, A. (1997). Psychology of being. M.: "Refl-buk"; K.: "Vakler". Maksymenko, S. D. (Eds.) (2004). General psychology. Vinnytsia: Nova Knyha. Pavlyshyna, O. & Rudenko, T. (Eds.) (2019). Interviewing for psychologists: a simple and useful guide. Panok, V. H. (2017). Applied psychology. Theoretical problems. Kyiv: Nika-Tsentr. The Regulation on the Psychological Service in the Education System of Ukraine, approved by the Order of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine of May 22, 2018 No. 509. Available at: https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/ laws/show/z0885-18 Potashniuk, R. Z. (Eds.) (2000). Psychohygiene. Lutsk: Nadstria. The Law of Ukraine "On Education" of September 5, 2017, No. 2145-VIII. Available at: http://zakon3.rada.govua/ laws/show/2145-19 Shapar, V. B. (2009). Psychological explanatory dictionary of the most modern terms. Kharkiv: Prapor. Furman, A. V., & Nadvynychna, T. N. (2013). Psychological service of the university: from model to technology. Psychology and Society, Vol. 2, p. 80–104. Furman, A. V., Boltivets, S. I., Klishenko, V. V., & Hornostai, P. I. (1992). Psychological service: what should it be. Ridna shkola, Vol. 11–12, p. 34–37. Jimerson, S. R., Stewart, K., Skokut, M., Cardenas, S., & Malone, H. (2009). How many school psychologists are there in each country of the world?: International estimates of school psychologists and school psychologist-to-student ratios. School Psychology International, Vol. 30(6), p. 555–567. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0143034309107077 The National Association of School Psychologists. Available at: https://www.nasponline.org/about-school- psychology/state-shortages-data-dashboard Received on: 16th of June, 2024 Accepted on: 28th of August, 2024 Published on: 20th of September, 2024