Applying artificial neural networks, symmetrical and asymmetrical approaches to measure the nexus of digital competences among European educators

• Cutting-edge research on digital competences in European education. • CSCW lens reveals crucial insights into digital information management. • Multi-method design (PLS-SEM, fsQCA, ANN) provides holistic understanding. • Collaboration is a primary catalyst for effective digital assessment practices. This study explores the interrelationships among digital tool usage, digital content creation, technology-supported collaboration, and digital assessment practices among 250 in-service teachers from Türkiye, Portugal, Romania, and Spain. Training participants completed structured and open-ended questions as part of a European-funded program delivered through a gamified Learning Management System designed to enhance collaboration. A comprehensive mixed-methods approach integrated Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), Multi-Group Analysis (MGA), Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), and fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA), providing complementary perspectives on the data-driven associations among digital competence dimensions. PLS-SEM results revealed significant positive correlations among digital tool usage, content creation, collaboration, and assessment. Digital collaboration (β = 0.513) and content creation (β = 0.202) were positively associated with digital assessment, with collaboration (β = 0.370) showing a stronger associative pathway between tool usage and assessment than content creation (β = 0.139). fsQCA identified that the concurrent presence of tool usage, content creation, and collaboration was linked to higher digital assessment outcomes (consistency = 0.847). ANN sensitivity analysis highlighted the relative importance of collaboration (1.02) compared with tool usage (0.53) and content creation (0.24) in revealing associations within digital assessment practices. These multi-method correlational findings underscore the central role of technology-supported collaboration in integrating digital competences and provide data-driven insights for educational policy and teacher professional development.