Synergetic integration of cognitive-behavioral training and tactical team exercises for sustainable growth of cadets’ communicative self-efficacy under uncertainty

Abstract

The article is devoted to the substantiation and empirical verification of the technology of synergetic integration of cognitive-behavioral training and tactical team exercises as a means of sustainable growth of cadets’ communicative self-efficacy under conditions of uncertainty. The aim of the study is to quantitatively assess the effectiveness of an integrated educational and training module that includes targeted correction of cognitive and affective components of self-efficacy and their subsequent reinforcement in tactical activities. Within the framework of a formative pedagogical experiment conducted at a higher military command school, 124 third-year cadets were examined and divided into experimental and control groups of 62 persons each; the experimental group implemented a 120-hour module combining blocks of cognitive-behavioral training (identification and restructuring of automatic negative thoughts, development of assertiveness, techniques of emotional self-regulation) and tactical team exercises with mandatory conscious application of the acquired techniques. Diagnostics were carried out using the general self-efficacy scale, an author-designed questionnaire of communicative self-efficacy components under uncertainty, expert assessments of communicative behavior during the tactical team exercises, analysis of performance products, and standardized observation; data processing was conducted in IBM SPSS Statistics 26.0 using Student’s t-test, ANOVA, and Spearman’s rank correlation. The results showed a statistically significant and substantially higher increase in the cognitive, affective, and behavioral components of communicative self-efficacy in the experimental group (64.5–72.6% versus 7.1–11.5% in the control group), a reduction in indicator variability, and pronounced positive correlations between the degree of mastery of cognitive-behavioral correction techniques, the speed and accuracy of tactical decision-making, the number of communicative errors, and the integrated assessment for the tactical team exercises. It is concluded that the synergetic integration of cognitive-behavioral training and tactical team exercises forms a closed loop of “cognitive work – action – reflection,” ensuring prolonged growth of communicative self-efficacy and can be regarded as an effective model for optimizing the educational environment of military universities.