- WA students among the world's most creative thinkers in Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)
- PISA measures 15-year-olds' ability to use reading, mathematics and science knowledge and skills to meet real-life challenges
- Creative thinking was assessed as an innovative domain for the first time in PISA 2022
Fifteen-year-old Western Australian students have rated among the most creative thinkers in comparison to other students globally.
Creative thinking was assessed as an innovative domain for the first time in the Programme for International Student Assessment, which measures 15-year-olds' ability to use reading, mathematics and science knowledge and skills to meet real-life challenges.
Australia's performance was ranked fourth among 64 participating countries, and 90 per cent of Western Australian 15-year-old students met the National Proficient Standard in creative thinking - the second highest in the country, after the ACT.
A total of 64 countries and economic regions participated in the PISA 2022 creative thinking assessment, and 13,437 Australian students from 743 schools took part, including 1,886 students from 103 schools in WA.
The PISA 2022 creative thinking assessment measured students' abilities to generate multiple ideas or solutions to a given problem or scenario, generate creative original and useful ideas, and evaluate and improve the quality of ideas and select the most effective or appropriate ones.
Students in participating schools completed a two-hour computer-based test and a
45-minute questionnaire about their family background, attitudes towards learning, the availability and use of information and communications technology, engagement, and beliefs and attitudes towards creative thinking.
Comments attributed to Education Minister Dr Tony Buti:
"Nurturing and teaching creative thinking skills in students empowers them to innovate, problem solve and adapt in an ever-changing world.
"It's pleasing to note that, in the OECD's release of the PISA 2022 creative thinking assessment, Australia's performance was ranked fourth among 64 participating countries, and 90 per cent of Western Australian 15-year-old students met the National Proficient Standard in creative thinking - the second highest in the country.
"It is important that our young people develop their critical and creative thinking skills along with foundation skills, such as literacy and numeracy, to meet the challenges and opportunities of the future.
"Through the Western Australian curriculum, students have opportunities to engage with and develop critical and creative thinking skills across learning areas by generating and evaluating knowledge, clarifying concepts and ideas, seeking possibilities, considering alternatives and solving problems."
