Evolution of Thinking Skills Research in Educational Psychology: A Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract

Thinking skills have become a central focus in educational psychology as rapid technological progress demands learners who can think critically, creatively, and adaptively in complex environments. Despite growing interest, the evolution of thinking skills research remains fragmented, with limited understanding of its intellectual structure, thematic development, and global research patterns. Addressing this gap, this study conducts a comprehensive bibliometric analysis to map the scientific landscape and identify emerging trajectories in the field. Data were collected using Scopus advanced searching with keywords related to thinking skills, educational psychology, and their intersection, resulting in a final dataset of 690 documents. The dataset was cleaned and analyzed to generate descriptive statistics on publication trends, authorship patterns, country productivity, and document impact. VOSviewer software was then employed to visualize co-authorship networks, keyword co-occurrence, citation structures, and thematic clustering. The results reveal a steady increase in publications over the past decade, with strong contributions from the United States, the United Kingdom, China, and Australia. Keyword co-occurrence analysis identifies prominent themes such as critical thinking, computational thinking, higher-order cognitive skills, instructional design models, digital learning, and bibliometric analysis, forming several distinct clusters that reflect the field’s multidimensional nature. Co-authorship mapping shows growing international collaboration, particularly among Western and Asian academic networks. Overall, this study provides an integrated overview of the intellectual progress in thinking skills research within educational psychology, highlighting the shift toward digital learning environments and interdisciplinary approaches. The findings contribute to a clearer understanding of research directions, methodological evolution, and knowledge gaps, offering valuable insights for scholars seeking to advance research on thinking skills in contemporary educational contexts.