Integration of critical and creative thinking as a resource for the innovative development of the individual in the academic environment

Abstract

The conditions for the development of modern society are continuous transformations, a high level of uncertainty, and the rapid obsolescence of information. In such realities, the traditional educational paradigm, focused on the reproductive acquisition of knowledge, loses its effectiveness. The modern labor market and the scientific community require specialists capable not only of analyzing available data but also of generating unconventional solutions, creating an innovative product. For a long time in the academic environment, critical and creative thinking were viewed as polar constructs: critical thinking as analytical and evaluative, and creative thinking as divergent and imaginative [1]. However, creativity without critical analysis leads to the generation of unviable ideas, while critical thinking without a creative component threatens intellectual stagnation. Therefore, the integration of these two types of thinking becomes a key resource for the formation of an innovative personality, which determines the acute relevance of this study. The Gemini artificial intelligence search model was used for analysis and source retrieval when writing the article [2].