ABSTRACT
The 21st-century education system must prioritise developing students‘ creative thinking skills to foster a generation adaptable to change. Design thinking offers a structured, human-centred process for generating solutions to complex, ill-defined problems, making it a valuable tool for implementing Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 4: Quality Education and SDG 9: Innovation). Initially rooted in industrial and business sectors, design thinking was adapted for education in the 2000s, sparking interest among educational researchers. This study aims to map the research landscape on design thinking in education through bibliometric and content analysis of 2,330 articles published in Scopus-indexed journals between 2014 and 2024. Using VOSviewer and Biblioshiny software, metadata were quantitatively and statistically processed. Findings highlight significant opportunities for further research, as design thinking in education remains underexplored, particularly its connection to creative thinking—a critical 21st-century skill. This study underscores the need for more in-depth investigations into the role of design thinking in enhancing creativity and its broader applications in educational contexts.
