The Multidimensionality and Domain‐Specificity of <scp>PISA</scp> 2022 Creative Thinking Assessment: From Competency Model to Measurement Model

ABSTRACT The PISA Creative Thinking (CT) assessment measures 12 facets of CT across four domains and three thinking processes, operationalized through 18 tasks for a total of 32 items. While this represents a comprehensive multidimensional competency model that reflects CT in a diverse range of situations, the aggregation of performance into a unidimensional scale raises important questions. Although a single “general” CT score (i.e., thinking‐process general and domain‐general) offers practical advantages for reporting at the country level—for example, country rankings—the potential loss of information about domain‐specific and process‐specific dimensions warrants further investigation. This paper first reviews the PISA CT competency model and its mapping of items in the final assessment. It then critically examines the substantive meaning of the general CT score, the unidimensional measurement model applied in PISA 2022 Volume 3, and its alignment—or lack thereof—with the underlying multidimensional competency framework of the PISA CT assessment. Finally, alternative multidimensional measurement models are outlined, with a discussion of their interpretation and potential utility for advancing creativity theory and informing educational policies. Together, the paper concludes by emphasizing the importance of adopting a multidimensional approach to re‐evaluate current PISA findings and support meaningful secondary analyses that can leverage this rich dataset.