Trends and Innovations in the Development of Creative Thinking Skills in Education: A Comprehensive Analysis

This study aims to conceptually and technically review the literature on creative thinking skills (CTS) in education through bibliometric analysis. This study addresses several key research areas: descriptive features of retrieved empirical studies on CTS, annual scholarly production trends and thematic evolution of CTS, the most relevant and high-impact sources using Bradford's Law in CTS, the most cited articles on CTS, the most relevant countries for CTS research, and trending research themes for further investigation in the field of CTS. This study analyzed 641 articles from the Scopus database published between 2015 and 2025 using a systematic literature review and a bibliometric analysis approach. The main tools used in the analysis were VOSviewer and Biblioshiny. The results showed that CTS is an increasingly important research area in education, with scholarly output increasing steadily from 2015 to 2025. Key topics such as project-based learning, technology integration, and human-centred educational approaches dominate the research trends. In addition, international collaboration plays an essential role in advancing the field. The thematic evolution shifts towards innovative teaching methods, emphasizing creative thinking as the key to addressing complex global challenges. Consequently, these findings imply a need for curriculum reforms that integrate technology and human-centred approaches, alongside strengthened international collaboration to address future global educational challenges. This study provides a broad review and evaluation of the state of research on creative thinking skills in education, providing valuable insights for educators, researchers, policy makers and education stakeholders worldwide.