Development of students’ creative thinking through interactive learning

Abstract

The relevance of the topic is driven by the transformation of the educational environment through digitalization, the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence technologies, the need to develop flexible cognitive skills, and the increasing importance of students’ creative self-realization within inclusive education. The purpose of the study is to generalize the theoretical foundations of creative thinking development among learners and to identify opportunities for interactive learning and digital technologies to foster creative competencies in the professional training of higher education students. To achieve this goal, the methods of scientific generalization, comparative analysis, systematization of psychological and pedagogical approaches, structural-logical modeling, and SWOT analysis were employed. The study characterizes the features of divergent, critical, associative, and digital thinking within the structure of learners’ creative activity. The influence of the digital educational environment on learners' cognitive processes, motivation, and communicative activity is determined. Interactive methods for developing learners’ creative potential are systematized by type of thinking and by the psychological and pedagogical effects of their application. A set of interactive tasks has been developed to enhance learners’ creative activity through digital platforms, visual services, and artificial intelligence tools. An assessment framework for evaluating the level of creative thinking development in interactive learning environments has been designed, encompassing cognitive, communicative, and digital criteria. The conducted SWOT analysis identified the advantages, risks, and opportunities of using interactive technologies in psychological and pedagogical education, particularly amid digitalization, information overload, and the integration of artificial intelligence-based services into the educational process. The practical significance of the research results lies in the possibility of applying the proposed interactive methods, creative tasks, and approaches to assessing creative thinking in the professional training of future teachers and psychologists within blended and distance learning environments.