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Systems
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Systems Thinking in Education: Learning, Design and Technology
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Systems Thinking in Education: Learning, Design and Technology

A special issue of Systems (ISSN 2079-8954). This special issue belongs to the section "Systems Practice in Social Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2026 | Viewed by 840

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Roger Hadgraft

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Engineering & Information Technology, University of Technology Sydney, PO Box 123, Broadway, Ultimo, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
Interests: graduate outcomes; academic standards; project-based learning; problem-based learning; development of professional practice skills

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Systems exist all around us, as atmospheric systems, ecosystems, health systems, telecommunication systems, and systems of law and order, among many more. Our education systems must educate and subsequently graduate students who possess an understanding of the intricate interplay of system behaviours in whatever occupation they choose to work. This Special Issue of Systems invites papers that explore challenges across educational fields, with a focus on learning systems concepts in professional contexts, the design of curricula to deliver those concepts, and supporting technology that enables us to manage the complex systems that underpin our society.

Some areas of focus include systems thinking, systems modelling, stakeholder engagement, systems engineering, emergence, feedback, causality, and the impact of artificial intelligence on systems applications across the professions.

Dr. Roger Hadgraft
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Systems is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • systems thinking
  • systems modelling
  • stakeholder engagement
  • systems engineering
  • emergence
  • feedback
  • causality
  • artificial intelligence

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

73 pages, 2781 KB  
Article
Systems Thinking in the Role of Fostering Technological and Engineering Literacy
by Brina Kurent and Stanislav Avsec
Systems 2026, 14(1), 5; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems14010005 - 19 Dec 2025
Viewed by 124
Abstract
This study examined whether the systems thinking approach integrating information and communication technology (ICT) and digital tools (hereafter referred to as the STICT approach) improves technological and engineering literacy (TEL) and related outcomes for pre-service preschool teachers. Although there is an expectation for [...] Read more.
This study examined whether the systems thinking approach integrating information and communication technology (ICT) and digital tools (hereafter referred to as the STICT approach) improves technological and engineering literacy (TEL) and related outcomes for pre-service preschool teachers. Although there is an expectation for preschool teachers to develop TEL, evidence-based models that systematically combine systems thinking with digital tools and ICT support remain scarce. Using a quasi-experimental design (n = 44; one-semester experiment), the experimental group explicitly integrated systems thinking and digital tools, while the comparison control group followed the traditional approach to teaching design, technology, and engineering (DTE) content; both groups focused on making products for preschoolers. The outcomes included multidimensional literacy, attitudes towards DTE, self-reported systems thinking, aspects of engagement, and focus group reflection. The analyses (ANCOVA/MANCOVA, regression/PLS, multi-group tests, thematic analysis) revealed notable results, including a higher post-test literacy for the experimental group and a lower perceived difficulty with technology. Both groups improved in the self-assessment of systems thinking, with no differences between them. The qualitative findings supported the educational value of the approach. In this pilot classroom experiment (n = 44), findings are consistent with an advantage of the STICT approach on the TEL composite and with lower perceived difficulty of technology, whereas self-assessed systems thinking improved similarly in both groups. Given the small sample and multiple outcomes, estimates carry considerable uncertainty and should be read as preliminary. We theorise that TEL gains arise primarily from systems thinking processes applied during design/evaluation, with ICT functioning as a cognitive-and-motivational scaffold that makes relations/feedback explicit and reduces perceived difficulty; self-assessed systems thinking improved in both groups. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systems Thinking in Education: Learning, Design and Technology)
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