The shift toward competency-based education has foregrounded creative thinking as a core transversal competence demanded by contemporary knowledge economies. This article investigates didactic opportunities for fostering students’ creative thinking within the framework of the competency-based approach and offers an empirically grounded model for its integration into higher-education curricula. Drawing on a mixed-methods study conducted at three Uzbek universities over two academic years, the research analyses classroom practices, evaluates learning outcomes with validated psychometric instruments, and explores students’ and instructors’ perceptions through semi-structured interviews. Quantitative findings demonstrate statistically significant growth in creative fluency, originality, and flexibility among cohorts exposed to a redesigned instructional sequence integrating problem-based, project-based, and reflective modalities. Qualitative data reveal that explicit alignment of creative tasks with clearly articulated competence descriptors strengthens learner motivation, while formative feedback loops cultivate metacognitive regulation of the creative process. The article argues that creativity-centred competence formation is most effective when embedded in authentic disciplinary contexts supported by dialogic pedagogy and digital collaboration tools. Recommendations for curriculum designers and policy makers are provided.

Creative thinking, competency-based approach, didactics, higher education

Torrance E.P. Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking: Manual for Figural Forms A and B. 2nd ed. Bensenville: Scholastic Testing Service, 2008. 199 p.

Kirton M.J. Adaption-Innovation: In the Context of Diversity and Change. London: Routledge, 2003. 386 p.

OECD. The Future of Education and Skills: Education 2030. Paris: OECD Publishing, 2019. 124 p.

UNESCO. Creativity and Critical Thinking: Priority Areas for Education in a Changing World. Paris: UNESCO Publishing, 2021. 72 p.

Beghetto R.A., Kaufman J.C. Toward a Broader Conception of Creativity: A Case for “Mini-C” Creativity // Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts. 2007. Vol. 1, № 2. P. 73-79.

Cropley A.J. Creativity in Education: An American Retrospect // International Review of Education. 2019. Vol. 65, № 1. P. 1-15.

Csikszentmihalyi M. Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention. New York: HarperCollins, 2013. 456 p.

DeHaan R.L. Teaching Creativity and Inventive Problem Solving in Science // CBE—Life Sciences Education. 2009. Vol. 8, № 3. P. 172-181.

Guilford J.P. The Nature of Human Intelligence. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1967. 538 p.

Hattie J. Visible Learning: A Synthesis of Over 800 Meta-analyses Relating to Achievement. London: Routledge, 2009. 378 p.

Kolodner J.L. Case-Based Reasoning. San Mateo: Morgan Kaufmann, 2014. 672 p.

Robinson K. Out of Our Minds: Learning to Be Creative. Oxford: Capstone, 2017. 400 p.

Sawyer R.K. Explaining Creativity: The Science of Human Innovation. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012. 568 p.

Sternberg R.J. The Assessment of Creativity: An Investment-Based Approach // Creativity Research Journal. 2018. Vol. 30, № 3. P. 244-253.

Treffinger D.J., Young G.C., Selby E.C., Shepardson C. Assessing Creativity: A Guide for Educators. Sarasota: Center for Creative Learning, 2002. 148 p.

Vygotsky L.S. Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1978. 159 p.

Zhao Y. World Class Learners: Educating Creative and Entrepreneurial Students. Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press, 2012. 304 p.

Министерство высшего образования, науки и инноваций Республики Узбекистан. Национальная рамка квалификаций: утверждена постановлением № 278 от 14.08.2022 г. Ташкент, 2022. 34 с.

Постановление Президента Республики Узбекистан «О мерах по коренному совершенствованию системы подготовки квалифицированных кадров» от 24.05.2023 г. № ПП-152. Народное слово. 2023. 26 мая.

Элгин Д. Творческое мышление как компетенция XXI века // Педагогика. 2024. № 12. С. 17-25.