A Contextual Approach to Technological Understanding and Its Assessment

Abstract

Technological understanding is not a singular concept but varies depending on context. Building on De Jong and De Haro's (2025) notion of technological understanding as the ability to realise an aim through the use of a technological artefact, this paper refines the concept as an ability that differs by context and degree. We extend the original specification developed for a design context by introducing two additional contexts: operation and innovation. Each context represents a distinct way of realising an aim through technology, yielding three types of technological understanding. To clarify the nature of technological understanding further, we propose an assessment framework based on counterfactual reasoning. Each type of understanding is associated with the ability to answer a specific set of what-if questions concerning changes in an artefact's structure, performance, or appropriateness. Distinguishing these different types helps focus efforts to improve technological understanding, clarifies the epistemic requirements of different forms of engagement with technology, and supports a pluralistic perspective on expertise.