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Cross-jurisdiction synthesis This summary synthesises policy-level descriptions of technology, design and engineering education across 19 jurisdictions (Table 1). The dataset draws on official curriculum frameworks and associated guidance (listed in the Frameworks column). As a result, the synthesis reflects intended curriculum and assessment design rather than classroom enactment or resourcing levels. To maximise comparability across systems with different structures, each jurisdiction is summarised using six consistent descriptors that mirror the source dataset: Region; Subjects (the formal placement of technology education as a subject, learning area, field, or standards framework); Emphases (dominant purposes, competencies and priority knowledge); Features (curriculum architecture, progression logic and organisational design); Assessment (how learning is evidenced, judged and credentialed); and Frameworks (the key policy sources referenced). Across jurisdictions, the strongest point of convergence is the positioning of technology education as iterative, design-based problem solving. In most curricula, learners are expected to move from identifying needs/opportunities and defining criteria (briefs, requirements, constraints) to generating ideas, modelling/prototyping, making/realising, testing, evaluating, and refining. This “design–make–evaluate” logic is explicit in statutory Design and Technology subjects (e.g., England) and also foundational in broader learning areas and fields (e.g., Australia’s Technologies, Hong Kong’s Technology Education KLA, and New Zealand’s Technology learning area). Where curriculum structures vary by sub-national authority (e.g., Germany by Land; USA by state/district), the common policy rationale still centres on technological literacy developed through purposeful activity with systems, materials, and digital tools, even if the amount and coherence of provision differs in practice. Three cross-cutting emphases recur internationally. First, sustainability and responsible futures are increasingly embedded as core decision criteria rather than optional add-ons. Jurisdictions variously frame this as ecological transition and life-cycle thinking (e.g., France), circular economy and “preferred futures” (e.g., Australia; British Columbia), green transition and safe, responsible use of resources (e.g., Estonia), or systems-level reasoning about consequences and trade-offs (e.g., Sweden and several competency-led curricula). In some cases, sustainability is explicitly integrated with ethics, law and social responsibility—such as intellectual property and responsible innovation (e.g., China’s senior secondary framing) or a dedicated ‘impact of technology’ dimension (e.g., Hong Kong). Second, digitalisation and computational thinking are prominent across the dataset, though they are positioned differently: as a separate digital technologies subject (Australia), as integrated knowledge contexts/strands alongside materials and systems (Hong Kong; Scotland), as a distinctive emphasis within technology education (France), or as standards/benchmarks that shape local curricula (USA). The third recurring emphasis is interdisciplinarity and real-world relevance. Many frameworks explicitly connect technology learning to STEM, enterprise and innovation, and to career awareness or vocational orientation (e.g., Ontario’s pathway framing; Germany’s emphasis in some Länder; China’s modular senior secondary structure). Importantly, interdisciplinarity is rarely presented as generic integration; instead, it is typically anchored in authentic contexts (users, communities, industries, everyday life) and in the requirement to justify design decisions using evidence. Curriculum architecture and delivery models show meaningful diversity, producing different “routes” to the same broad aims. Some systems specify a single national subject with mandated themes and progression markers (e.g., France’s Cycle 4 Technologie; Sweden’s compulsory Teknik), which can support coherence and clearer minimum entitlement. Others define a learning area or subject field containing multiple subjects or contexts (e.g., Australia; Estonia; Hong Kong; Taiwan), relying on local curriculum design to integrate strands, allocate time, and select contexts. Modular delivery is a distinctive strategy for balancing entitlement with flexibility and resource constraints: British Columbia’s ADST modules (Grades 6–9), Hong Kong’s proposed core/extension modules, and China’s credit-based compulsory/selective/elective modules all reflect this approach. Federal and standards-based contexts demonstrate the greatest structural variability. Germany’s provision differs by Land and school type, and the USA commonly relies on locally adopted standards (e.g., STEL) and course offerings that can vary substantially between districts. These structural differences matter for comparative research because they shape who experiences which forms of technology education, for how long, and with what opportunities to specialise. Assessment approaches also vary, but a shared trend is the centrality of performance evidence from projects and artefacts. Competency-led curricula typically emphasise assessment through documentation of process (iteration records, reflections, feedback use) and evaluation of outcomes against criteria (e.g., British Columbia; Estonia). Craft-centred models similarly privilege teacher judgement of process and product quality, safety, and reflection (e.g., Finland). In contrast, mixed models combine coursework projects with written examinations and/or externally moderated components. England, Ireland, Singapore, China and Ontario each illustrate different balances of practical coursework and formal testing, often pairing a substantial design project (sometimes requiring a prototype) with assessment of conceptual knowledge, analysis and justification. Where external examinations are present, many systems still recommend formative assessment practices—feedback, iterative improvement, self/peer assessment and reflective evaluation—to support learning during projects, not only to grade the final product. A further comparative insight is the way jurisdictions handle breadth versus depth in technology education. Some frameworks aim for broad technological literacy spanning materials, systems and digital technologies, especially in earlier schooling (e.g., Hong Kong’s multiple knowledge contexts; France’s MEI framing; Sweden’s systems and control progression). Others create clearer opportunities for specialisation in later years through elective pathways, endorsed titles or modular choices (e.g., England’s post-14 qualifications; China’s selective compulsory and elective modules; Ontario’s senior secondary course options). This broad-to-deep shift is often justified as supporting both general capability (for all learners) and preparation for further study or employment (for some learners). Implications for research and policy are threefold. First, because design-based activity is near-universal in curriculum intentions, comparative studies should focus less on whether a design cycle exists and more on how it is operationalised—particularly the explicitness of criteria, the quality of iteration expectations, and the treatment of evidence and justification. Second, sustainability and digital competence are now mainstreamed in many systems, but the depth of integration varies; researchers may therefore compare whether these emphases appear as high-level aspirations, as assessable criteria within projects, or as mandated content/competency progressions. Third, structural diversity (subjects vs learning areas, modularisation, federal variability) suggests that equity of access is a central issue: curricula that rely heavily on local provision can amplify differences in facilities, teacher expertise and timetabling, while more centralised specifications can constrain local relevance if resources are insufficient. Overall, the dataset indicates strong international alignment on iterative design-and-make pedagogies, rising prominence of sustainability and digital competence, and persistent diversity in governance and credentialing—an important backdrop for interpreting cross-national outcomes or developing internationally informed curriculum reforms.