Table 1_Assessing technology and engineering learning outcomes of pre-service preschool teachers through epistemic networks of DSRP systems thinking.docx

Using ENA, we identified differences in the prominence and co-occurrence of DSRP-related reasoning elements between students taught through the technology-enhanced systems-thinking approach (STICT) and those taught through a traditional approach. The findings revealed distinguishable DSRP epistemic network structures between the two groups, with the STICT group displaying a more heterogeneous structure and the traditional group showing a more concentrated network around system organisation, functional relationships, and multiple perspectives.

The ENA indicators were more clearly associated with written report quality than with technical product quality. This study contributes to the assessment of systems-oriented reasoning. It suggests that integrating DSRP-based coding and ENA provides complementary evidence about systems-oriented reasoning beyond that captured by product quality alone, thereby contributing to a broader assessment of technology and engineering learning outcomes in authentic higher education assessment tasks.</p>