Background Creative thinking is a core competence in science education for addressing complex environmental, technological, and societal challenges. However, students’ creative thinking performance remains insufficient, highlighting the need for a valid and reliable performance-based assessment instrument. This study aimed to develop and validate the Creative Thinking Performance Test (CTPT) to measure four dimensions of creative thinking in science learning: sensitivity, flexibility, novelty, and elaboration. Methods The CTPT was developed through several stages: blueprint construction based on four creative thinking dimensions, essay item development, expert validation using the Delphi technique, pilot testing, and psychometric evaluation. The instrument was administered to 138 elementary school teacher education students with diverse demographic and academic characteristics. Data were analyzed using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), and Rasch modeling to examine construct validity, reliability, and item characteristics. Results The findings revealed variations in students’ creative thinking skills based on demographic and academic factors. EFA and CFA supported the four-dimensional structure of the instrument. Rasch analysis confirmed good item fit, appropriate difficulty levels, and satisfactory reliability indices. Conclusions The study introduces the CTPT as a valid, reliable, and contextually relevant performance-based assessment tool for science education. The instrument complements conventional tests used by lecturers and provides practical support for assessing and enhancing students’ creative thinking skills in natural science learning contexts.
Hasibuan et al. (Thu,) studied this question.