Humanistic education celebrates empathy and creativity, yet it seldom provides learners with concrete practices for living those values. In this study we reframe dedication from a marginal cultural courtesy into a method for embedding creativity and mutual care. We report on two 30-hour professional development courses in which 33 teachers learned to dedicate songs and to organize song-dedication activities with their own classes, practicing the routine during the training. Using dedication as a gift-giving exercise, we traced its cognitive, creative, social and cultural dimensions and mapped three dedication types: egocentric, altruistic, and dialogic. The Dedication Triangle (Self–Gift–Recipient) shows how constrained creativity weaves these vertices into shared meaning. We argue that dedication operates as a triple-function pedagogical device that simultaneously mobilizes imaginative thought, enacts egalitarian gift exchange and meets social emotional goals. The study therefore offers an actionable model for fostering empathy, creativity and relationship skills through music-mediated dialogue.
{"title":"Song dedication as creative gift practice: Toward a framework for dedication education","authors":"Benzi Slakmon , Dmitriy Skulskiy , Orly Shapira , Ori Leshman","doi":"10.1016/j.tsc.2025.102032","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tsc.2025.102032","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Humanistic education celebrates empathy and creativity, yet it seldom provides learners with concrete practices for living those values. In this study we reframe dedication from a marginal cultural courtesy into a method for embedding creativity and mutual care. We report on two 30-hour professional development courses in which 33 teachers learned to dedicate songs and to organize song-dedication activities with their own classes, practicing the routine during the training. Using dedication as a gift-giving exercise, we traced its cognitive, creative, social and cultural dimensions and mapped three dedication types: egocentric, altruistic, and dialogic. The Dedication Triangle (Self–Gift–Recipient) shows how constrained creativity weaves these vertices into shared meaning. We argue that dedication operates as a triple-function pedagogical device that simultaneously mobilizes imaginative thought, enacts egalitarian gift exchange and meets social emotional goals. The study therefore offers an actionable model for fostering empathy, creativity and relationship skills through music-mediated dialogue.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47729,"journal":{"name":"Thinking Skills and Creativity","volume":"60 ","pages":"Article 102032"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145527141","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2025-11-12DOI: 10.1016/j.tsc.2025.102061
Hong Zhang , Jie Wei , Cheryl Zhenyu Qian
In the rapidly evolving field of graphic design, this research critically examines the enduring significance of intuition amidst the advent of generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) and image-generation technologies. Despite the increasing integration of AI into design methodologies, intuition remains a cornerstone of creativity. This study investigates the interplay between intuition and AI-assisted design through a structured inquiry involving 20 participants, comprising graduate students and experienced graphic designers (aged 21–45) with prior experience using AI design tools. Utilizing Cultural Probes, including Design Challenge Cards, Intuition Tracking Sheets, and retrospective interviews, participants documented their intuitive decision-making processes while creating a scientific journal cover using ChatGPT-4.0′s image-generation technology. The findings elucidate the “Intuition Flow” concept within the Gen AI-augmented design process, highlighting a nuanced interplay between designers’ intuitive faculties and AI. By bridging empirical insights with existing scholarship, the study advances a theory-informed understanding of how intuition is reconfigured in AI-supported creative practice. It offers both theoretical and practical insights for the management of intelligent, creative design, illustrating how the fusion of human intuition and Gen AI can drive innovation in contemporary graphic design.
{"title":"Reimaging intuition: How artificial intelligence image-generation technologies reshape graphic designers' creative patterns","authors":"Hong Zhang , Jie Wei , Cheryl Zhenyu Qian","doi":"10.1016/j.tsc.2025.102061","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tsc.2025.102061","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In the rapidly evolving field of graphic design, this research critically examines the enduring significance of intuition amidst the advent of generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) and image-generation technologies. Despite the increasing integration of AI into design methodologies, intuition remains a cornerstone of creativity. This study investigates the interplay between intuition and AI-assisted design through a structured inquiry involving 20 participants, comprising graduate students and experienced graphic designers (aged 21–45) with prior experience using AI design tools. Utilizing Cultural Probes, including Design Challenge Cards, Intuition Tracking Sheets, and retrospective interviews, participants documented their intuitive decision-making processes while creating a scientific journal cover using ChatGPT-4.0′s image-generation technology. The findings elucidate the “Intuition Flow” concept within the Gen AI-augmented design process, highlighting a nuanced interplay between designers’ intuitive faculties and AI. By bridging empirical insights with existing scholarship, the study advances a theory-informed understanding of how intuition is reconfigured in AI-supported creative practice. It offers both theoretical and practical insights for the management of intelligent, creative design, illustrating how the fusion of human intuition and Gen AI can drive innovation in contemporary graphic design.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47729,"journal":{"name":"Thinking Skills and Creativity","volume":"60 ","pages":"Article 102061"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145623966","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2025-12-05DOI: 10.1016/j.tsc.2025.102101
Alaattin Arıkan
Spatial thinking skills are integral to understanding human nature and driving technological advancements. This research examined 41 pre-service teachers’ spatial thinking skills and spatial anxiety over four years using a longitudinal approach. The data were collected through the Santa Barbara Sense of Direction Scale (SBSOD), the Spatial Anxiety Scale (SAS), and a personal information form. Analyses were conducted using ANOVA, t-tests, correlation analysis, and two-level hierarchical linear modeling (HLM). ANOVA and temporal trends from HLM revealed that pre-service teachers’ environmental spatial skills and spatial anxiety did not follow a linear progression over the four years; however, environmental spatial skills peaked, and spatial anxiety was lowest, during the second year. Furthermore, HLM analyses identified spatial anxiety, preschool education background, GPA, and gender as significant predictors of environmental spatial thinking skills. Additionally, environmental spatial thinking skills, preschool education, and gender emerged as the key predictors of spatial anxiety. Given the absence of linear development, the research recommends revising the curriculum to adopt a progressive, reflective, and application-oriented structure that supports sustained growth. Furthermore, future research could prioritize affective and experiential factors, such as spatial anxiety and preschool education, over biological factors, such as gender, to better understand the mechanisms underlying differences in spatial thinking skills.
{"title":"A longitudinal study on pre-service teachers’ spatial thinking skills and spatial anxiety","authors":"Alaattin Arıkan","doi":"10.1016/j.tsc.2025.102101","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tsc.2025.102101","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Spatial thinking skills are integral to understanding human nature and driving technological advancements. This research examined 41 pre-service teachers’ spatial thinking skills and spatial anxiety over four years using a longitudinal approach. The data were collected through the Santa Barbara Sense of Direction Scale (SBSOD), the Spatial Anxiety Scale (SAS), and a personal information form. Analyses were conducted using ANOVA, <em>t</em>-tests, correlation analysis, and two-level hierarchical linear modeling (HLM). ANOVA and temporal trends from HLM revealed that pre-service teachers’ environmental spatial skills and spatial anxiety did not follow a linear progression over the four years; however, environmental spatial skills peaked, and spatial anxiety was lowest, during the second year. Furthermore, HLM analyses identified spatial anxiety, preschool education background, GPA, and gender as significant predictors of environmental spatial thinking skills. Additionally, environmental spatial thinking skills, preschool education, and gender emerged as the key predictors of spatial anxiety. Given the absence of linear development, the research recommends revising the curriculum to adopt a progressive, reflective, and application-oriented structure that supports sustained growth. Furthermore, future research could prioritize affective and experiential factors, such as spatial anxiety and preschool education, over biological factors, such as gender, to better understand the mechanisms underlying differences in spatial thinking skills.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47729,"journal":{"name":"Thinking Skills and Creativity","volume":"60 ","pages":"Article 102101"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145747207","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2025-12-06DOI: 10.1016/j.tsc.2025.102098
Hsu-Chan Kuo , Kuang-Yu Yang , Ying-Yao Cheng , Hsueh-Hua Chuang , Chih-Ching Chang
Cultivating learners' creative competence is a fundamental goal of 21st-century education and has been prioritised as a core competency in Taiwan's national curriculum guidelines (MOE, 2014; MOE, 2019). This study develops the Creative Competence Scale (CCS), providing a valuable tool for understanding teachers’ perceptions of the students’ creative competence and contextualising the practice of creativity education in school and classroom settings. Adopting a mixed-methods approach, this study underwent a rigorous development process in collaboration with 12 experts through four phases to establish the scale. The validation of the CCS was conducted with 290 participants in the pretest and 380 in the posttest phase. The CCS demonstrates strong measurement properties through a rigorous process of exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). It validates the underlying theoretical framework, confirming its four-dimensional structure: Creative personality traits, Thinking process, Creative outputs, and Environmental support. Regarding teachers' perceptions of creativity education practice, while most teachers recognise the growing importance of creativity, several misconceptions were identified. These include the tendency to attribute creativity solely to the arts or gifted education and an overemphasis on idea transmission, focusing on delivering creative concepts or learning content rather than genuinely engaging students in the creative process and recognising their creative outputs. Identifying these "blind spots" can help schools and teachers better integrate and prioritise creativity as a core value of the curriculum. This study offers evidence-based recommendations for bettering educational practice. These include strategies for enhancing teachers’ recognition of students’ creative personalities and cognitive processes, practical evaluation of students’ creative outcomes, and creating an environment that supports the cultivation of students’ creative competence. This research provides educators and policymakers with useful tools to systematically foster creative competence, supporting curricular goals and students' cognitive and personal growth by bridging the gap between theory and practice.
{"title":"Prioritising creativity at the heart of the curriculum: Developing a creative competence scale and investigating teachers' perceptions of nurturing students' creative competence","authors":"Hsu-Chan Kuo , Kuang-Yu Yang , Ying-Yao Cheng , Hsueh-Hua Chuang , Chih-Ching Chang","doi":"10.1016/j.tsc.2025.102098","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tsc.2025.102098","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cultivating learners' creative competence is a fundamental goal of 21st-century education and has been prioritised as a core competency in Taiwan's national curriculum guidelines (MOE, 2014; MOE, 2019). This study develops the Creative Competence Scale (CCS), providing a valuable tool for understanding teachers’ perceptions of the students’ creative competence and contextualising the practice of creativity education in school and classroom settings. Adopting a mixed-methods approach, this study underwent a rigorous development process in collaboration with 12 experts through four phases to establish the scale. The validation of the CCS was conducted with 290 participants in the pretest and 380 in the posttest phase. The CCS demonstrates strong measurement properties through a rigorous process of exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). It validates the underlying theoretical framework, confirming its four-dimensional structure: Creative personality traits, Thinking process, Creative outputs, and Environmental support. Regarding teachers' perceptions of creativity education practice, while most teachers recognise the growing importance of creativity, several misconceptions were identified. These include the tendency to attribute creativity solely to the arts or gifted education and an overemphasis on idea transmission, focusing on delivering creative concepts or learning content rather than genuinely engaging students in the creative process and recognising their creative outputs. Identifying these \"blind spots\" can help schools and teachers better integrate and prioritise creativity as a core value of the curriculum. This study offers evidence-based recommendations for bettering educational practice. These include strategies for enhancing teachers’ recognition of students’ creative personalities and cognitive processes, practical evaluation of students’ creative outcomes, and creating an environment that supports the cultivation of students’ creative competence. This research provides educators and policymakers with useful tools to systematically foster creative competence, supporting curricular goals and students' cognitive and personal growth by bridging the gap between theory and practice.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47729,"journal":{"name":"Thinking Skills and Creativity","volume":"60 ","pages":"Article 102098"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145747208","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2026-01-09DOI: 10.1016/j.tsc.2025.102126
Yung-Ting Chuang, Kuan-Chin Su
Programming is a core skill in computer science education, crucial for developing problem-solving abilities and enhancing learning outcomes. Prior research, often limited by small samples or self-reported data, lacks further behavioral insights, especially in Asian contexts. This study investigates the impact of programming experience and gender on coding behavior to improve curriculum design and teaching strategies. To address this, we analyzed 180 participants’ coding behavior across three programming challenges, measuring time spent in the development environment, copy-and-paste frequency, submissions, and correctness rate.
Our findings reveal that participants with greater programming experience employed more sophisticated coding and debugging strategies, whereas those with less experience often neglected structured planning, making it more difficult for them to achieve higher accuracy. Additionally, notable gender differences were observed: males tended to debug iteratively with higher submissions, while females spent more time understanding problems before implementing solutions. Overall, both programming experience and gender influenced coding behavior, underscoring the need for tailored instructional support to enhance learning effectiveness and engagement. Unlike earlier studies dominated by Western samples and self-reported data, this study provides objective behavioral evidence from Asian learners, adding cross-cultural insight into how programming experience and gender shape coding behavior.
{"title":"The impact of programming experience and gender on coding behavior","authors":"Yung-Ting Chuang, Kuan-Chin Su","doi":"10.1016/j.tsc.2025.102126","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tsc.2025.102126","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Programming is a core skill in computer science education, crucial for developing problem-solving abilities and enhancing learning outcomes. Prior research, often limited by small samples or self-reported data, lacks further behavioral insights, especially in Asian contexts. This study investigates the impact of programming experience and gender on coding behavior to improve curriculum design and teaching strategies. To address this, we analyzed 180 participants’ coding behavior across three programming challenges, measuring time spent in the development environment, copy-and-paste frequency, submissions, and correctness rate.</div><div>Our findings reveal that participants with greater programming experience employed more sophisticated coding and debugging strategies, whereas those with less experience often neglected structured planning, making it more difficult for them to achieve higher accuracy. Additionally, notable gender differences were observed: males tended to debug iteratively with higher submissions, while females spent more time understanding problems before implementing solutions. Overall, both programming experience and gender influenced coding behavior, underscoring the need for tailored instructional support to enhance learning effectiveness and engagement. Unlike earlier studies dominated by Western samples and self-reported data, this study provides objective behavioral evidence from Asian learners, adding cross-cultural insight into how programming experience and gender shape coding behavior.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47729,"journal":{"name":"Thinking Skills and Creativity","volume":"60 ","pages":"Article 102126"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145976679","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2025-12-05DOI: 10.1016/j.jhlste.2025.100592
Giovanna Bertella , Lucia Tomassini
This commentary introduces the dimension of identity into the recent discussions about tourism academics’ challenging work environment and focuses on the possibility for improvements. We conducted a literature study building on a 2024 letter to the editor and 11 related papers. Through a narrative analysis, we identified three main issues (health, justice, research quality) framing the perceived challenges, four identities (victims, accomplices, advocates for change, activists), and two critically important elements (reflexivity, creativity). We close our commentary reflecting on to what extent and how improvements in tourism academic work environment could be achieved.
{"title":"Who are we? identity in tourism academia","authors":"Giovanna Bertella , Lucia Tomassini","doi":"10.1016/j.jhlste.2025.100592","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jhlste.2025.100592","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This commentary introduces the dimension of identity into the recent discussions about tourism academics’ challenging work environment and focuses on the possibility for improvements. We conducted a literature study building on a 2024 letter to the editor and 11 related papers. Through a narrative analysis, we identified three main issues (health, justice, research quality) framing the perceived challenges, four identities (victims, accomplices, advocates for change, activists), and two critically important elements (reflexivity, creativity). We close our commentary reflecting on to what extent and how improvements in tourism academic work environment could be achieved.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51666,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Hospitality Leisure Sport & Tourism Education","volume":"38 ","pages":"Article 100592"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145685870","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
In the 21st century, creative thinking is a fundamental higher-order cognitive ability that considerably influences teenagers’ academic achievements and future career prospects. Despite the extensiveness of research investigating the characteristics influencing creative thinking, studies that examine the factors associated with creative thinking via appropriate research methods remain limited. This study, which utilized an internationally representative sample (N = 69,398) across 9 countries and regions, outperformed significantly the OECD average in creative thinking in PISA 2022. Based on the opportunity–propensity (O-P) framework, it thoroughly examined the relative contribution of opportunity factors and propensity factors in adolescent students’ creative thinking. The hierarchical linear model and the random forest model were selected as the analytical methods. The findings indicate the following: (1) propensity factors have high relative explanatory power; (2) ESCS is a dominant predictor of creative thinking; (3) digital technology actively promotes the development of creative thinking; and (4) creative activities as well as multicultural atmosphere provided by schools play a key role in creative thinking. This research provides insights into comprehensively utilizing students’ creative thinking potential from a quantitative perspective and integrating various factors in digital environments.
{"title":"Investigating the factors influencing secondary school students’ creative thinking based on the opportunity–propensity framework: Evidence from high-performing countries and regions","authors":"Shuqi Zhang , Qiang Jiang , Weiyan Xiong , Jiarong Fan , Wei Zhao","doi":"10.1016/j.tsc.2025.102067","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tsc.2025.102067","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In the 21st century, creative thinking is a fundamental higher-order cognitive ability that considerably influences teenagers’ academic achievements and future career prospects. Despite the extensiveness of research investigating the characteristics influencing creative thinking, studies that examine the factors associated with creative thinking via appropriate research methods remain limited. This study, which utilized an internationally representative sample (<em>N</em> = 69,398) across 9 countries and regions, outperformed significantly the OECD average in creative thinking in PISA 2022. Based on the opportunity–propensity (O-P) framework, it thoroughly examined the relative contribution of opportunity factors and propensity factors in adolescent students’ creative thinking. The hierarchical linear model and the random forest model were selected as the analytical methods. The findings indicate the following: (1) propensity factors have high relative explanatory power; (2) ESCS is a dominant predictor of creative thinking; (3) digital technology actively promotes the development of creative thinking; and (4) creative activities as well as multicultural atmosphere provided by schools play a key role in creative thinking. This research provides insights into comprehensively utilizing students’ creative thinking potential from a quantitative perspective and integrating various factors in digital environments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47729,"journal":{"name":"Thinking Skills and Creativity","volume":"60 ","pages":"Article 102067"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145579742","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2025-11-11DOI: 10.1016/j.tsc.2025.102059
Rafael Porlán-Ariza, Ángel F. Villarejo-Ramos, Pablo Ledesma-Chaves, Eloy Gil-Cordero
In recent years, the University of Seville has been making an enormous effort to improve teaching through the FIDOP programme (Teacher Training, Innovation and Teaching Research Programme), which has involved the participation of numerous teachers interested in improving their teaching model. This change has been encouraged by the design, experimentation and evaluation of Classroom Improvement Cycles (CIMA), which involves a complete innovation in teaching methodology, content and evaluation. Although these cycles are, according to internal evaluation processes, leading to advances in the development of teaching, there is still no information available that describes the factors that influence the teaching staff when implementing CIMA. This work aims to contribute to this direction through a construct-based model on the adoption of innovations, where teachers' opinions are analysed in relation to three types of constructs: personal, external and institutional, associated with their relationship with the university. The analysis methodology used was based on a comparative study of fs/QCA qualitative factors with necessary condition analysis (NCA) on the results obtained from three samples of teachers participating in the FIDOP programme. The results achieved have made it possible to identify the specific factors that determine the adoption and development of the CIMA for each of the sub-samples, establishing the similarities and differences between them, highlighting in all of them a common perception of the absence of institutional support and commitment.
{"title":"Factors influencing the adoption of teaching innovations by university teachers: A comparative analysis using the FS/QCA-NCA methodology","authors":"Rafael Porlán-Ariza, Ángel F. Villarejo-Ramos, Pablo Ledesma-Chaves, Eloy Gil-Cordero","doi":"10.1016/j.tsc.2025.102059","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tsc.2025.102059","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In recent years, the University of Seville has been making an enormous effort to improve teaching through the FIDOP programme (Teacher Training, Innovation and Teaching Research Programme), which has involved the participation of numerous teachers interested in improving their teaching model. This change has been encouraged by the design, experimentation and evaluation of Classroom Improvement Cycles (CIMA), which involves a complete innovation in teaching methodology, content and evaluation. Although these cycles are, according to internal evaluation processes, leading to advances in the development of teaching, there is still no information available that describes the factors that influence the teaching staff when implementing CIMA. This work aims to contribute to this direction through a construct-based model on the adoption of innovations, where teachers' opinions are analysed in relation to three types of constructs: personal, external and institutional, associated with their relationship with the university. The analysis methodology used was based on a comparative study of fs/QCA qualitative factors with necessary condition analysis (NCA) on the results obtained from three samples of teachers participating in the FIDOP programme. The results achieved have made it possible to identify the specific factors that determine the adoption and development of the CIMA for each of the sub-samples, establishing the similarities and differences between them, highlighting in all of them a common perception of the absence of institutional support and commitment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47729,"journal":{"name":"Thinking Skills and Creativity","volume":"60 ","pages":"Article 102059"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145579715","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This study aims to investigate the core psychological mechanisms underlying students’ creative problem-solving (CPS) skills. A structural model was developed and tested, integrating three psychological dispositions: design thinking mindset, creative self-efficacy, and critical thinking disposition. A serial multiple mediation model was employed to investigate both the direct and indirect relationships between the design thinking mindset and CPS skills. Measurement instruments were adapted based on relevant psychological and learning theories to fit the learning characteristics of vocational high school students. The sample consisted of 464 11th graders from five vocational high schools in southern Taiwan. Structural equation modeling and confirmatory factor analysis were conducted to validate the model and measurement instruments. Results indicated that the model demonstrated an acceptable model fit, and the design thinking mindset was directly associated with CPS skills and indirectly related to them through a sequential path involving creative self-efficacy and critical thinking disposition. In other words, students with a higher level of design thinking mindset tended to exhibit stronger creative self-beliefs and critical thinking tendencies, which may contribute to better CPS performance. The modified instruments showed satisfactory reliability and validity. These findings provide theoretical support for future research on creative thinking processes and offer implications for curriculum design in vocational education by highlighting the importance of fostering students’ reflective and creative dispositions.
{"title":"A dual mediation model linking design thinking mindset to creative problem-solving skills through creative self-efficacy and critical thinking disposition","authors":"Pei-Jung Lee , Jeng-Fung Hung , Pen-Hwang Liau , Chun-Yen Tsai","doi":"10.1016/j.tsc.2025.102055","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tsc.2025.102055","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study aims to investigate the core psychological mechanisms underlying students’ creative problem-solving (CPS) skills. A structural model was developed and tested, integrating three psychological dispositions: design thinking mindset, creative self-efficacy, and critical thinking disposition. A serial multiple mediation model was employed to investigate both the direct and indirect relationships between the design thinking mindset and CPS skills. Measurement instruments were adapted based on relevant psychological and learning theories to fit the learning characteristics of vocational high school students. The sample consisted of 464 11th graders from five vocational high schools in southern Taiwan. Structural equation modeling and confirmatory factor analysis were conducted to validate the model and measurement instruments. Results indicated that the model demonstrated an acceptable model fit, and the design thinking mindset was directly associated with CPS skills and indirectly related to them through a sequential path involving creative self-efficacy and critical thinking disposition. In other words, students with a higher level of design thinking mindset tended to exhibit stronger creative self-beliefs and critical thinking tendencies, which may contribute to better CPS performance. The modified instruments showed satisfactory reliability and validity. These findings provide theoretical support for future research on creative thinking processes and offer implications for curriculum design in vocational education by highlighting the importance of fostering students’ reflective and creative dispositions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47729,"journal":{"name":"Thinking Skills and Creativity","volume":"60 ","pages":"Article 102055"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145579713","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The development of students’ thinking skills, considered indispensable in 21st Century education, relies considerably on the beliefs and teaching practices of their instructors. While a lot has been written by educational researchers on the topic of “teaching thinking”, relatively little has been reported on higher education instructors’ own views and conceptions, priorities, and practices regarding the broad set of thinking skills that they may consider important for their students to develop. In this research therefore, we attempted to address this gap by conducting a qualitative survey of higher education instructors in Japan, Europe, and Australia. Ninety-nine instructors voluntarily completed our survey. We found both similarities and differences between countries/region in what the instructors considered important. Such differences may arise from country/regional variations in educational and societal views. We also found good alignment between skills and the learning objectives the instructors reported setting, and between the teaching and assessment practices they described and the thinking skills they considered important. However, it was not always clear what aspects of the skills might be facilitated by the practices. Furthermore, many of the instructors indicated some difficulties in fitting thinking skills promotion in their courses. Insights we gain from this study can usefully inform efforts at facilitating greater effectiveness in promoting thinking skills development in higher education.
{"title":"The development of students’ thinking skills: Perspectives from higher education instructors in Japan, Europe, and Australia","authors":"Emmanuel Manalo , Maribel Blasco , Rebeca Cerezo , Rachel Dryer , Tamim Elbasha , Rei Hirayama , Natalia Suarez Fernandez , Ayano Tsuda","doi":"10.1016/j.tsc.2025.102028","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tsc.2025.102028","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The development of students’ thinking skills, considered indispensable in 21st Century education, relies considerably on the beliefs and teaching practices of their instructors. While a lot has been written by educational researchers on the topic of “teaching thinking”, relatively little has been reported on higher education instructors’ own views and conceptions, priorities, and practices regarding the broad set of thinking skills that they may consider important for their students to develop. In this research therefore, we attempted to address this gap by conducting a qualitative survey of higher education instructors in Japan, Europe, and Australia. Ninety-nine instructors voluntarily completed our survey. We found both similarities and differences between countries/region in what the instructors considered important. Such differences may arise from country/regional variations in educational and societal views. We also found good alignment between skills and the learning objectives the instructors reported setting, and between the teaching and assessment practices they described and the thinking skills they considered important. However, it was not always clear what aspects of the skills might be facilitated by the practices. Furthermore, many of the instructors indicated some difficulties in fitting thinking skills promotion in their courses. Insights we gain from this study can usefully inform efforts at facilitating greater effectiveness in promoting thinking skills development in higher education.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47729,"journal":{"name":"Thinking Skills and Creativity","volume":"60 ","pages":"Article 102028"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145579817","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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