PISA 2022 surveyed creative thinking at the end of mandatory schooling as an innovative domain for the first time.

Definition

Creative thinking in the PISA study refers to the ability to produce, review and improve diverse and creative ideas. These ideas can relate to the following areas:

• Effective solutions to real-world problems

• Advances in knowledge

• Effective expressions of imagination.

In the latter case, however, ideas must be novel and practical.

Tasks

The PISA tasks on creative thinking focus on skills which young people can develop. In doing so, they minimise the importance of innate talent for certain achievements.

Creative thinking can be applied to two contexts:

• Learning contexts that require the expression of a person's inner world (e.g. creative writing)

• Areas which require the development of ideas for researching topics, problems or societal issues.

The tasks are divided into two areas:

• Creative expression (verbal or graphic)

• Problem solving (scientific or social).