Mukhayyarotin Niswati Rodliyatul Jauhariyah, Wasis, Titin Sunarti, Woro Setyarsih, Abu Zainuddin, Arif Rahman Hakim, Ladika Zuhrotul Wardi
This study explores research trends and the relationships among critical thinking, creative thinking, and problem-solving skills over the past decade, highlighting their key role in developing 21st-century competencies. A bibliometric approach was used, complemented by a systematic review following PRISMA guidelines, both based on metadata from the Scopus database. The bibliometric analysis examined publication growth, document types, contributing countries and institutions, and the most influential authors, supported by visualizations created with VOSviewer (network, overlay, and density maps). The initial Scopus search identified 642 documents published from 2014 to 2023. The results show a steady rise in publications, peaking in 2023, reflecting increasing scholarly interest in these three skills. Most documents were journal articles written in English, with the United States as the most productive country and Sebelas Maret University as the top contributing institution. Van Laar et al. (2019) emerged as the most cited authors. Visualization results reveal strong links among the three skills across several thematic clusters, demonstrating their conceptual interdependence. The systematic review also identified three highly relevant articles that highlight how instructional models, learning environments, and pedagogical interventions can improve these skills across different educational settings. Overall, the findings show that critical thinking, creative thinking, and problem-solving support each other and together form the foundation of higher-order thinking skills. These results emphasize the importance of incorporating these competencies into instructional design and educational policy to better prepare learners for complex real-world challenges. © 2026, Malque Publishing. All rights reserved.
Physics Education Study Program, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Surabaya, Indonesia; Science Education Study Program, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Surabaya, Indonesia
