The Role Of Interactive Methods In Developing Creative Thinking In Chemistry Education

The article examines how interactive teaching methods catalyze creative thinking in chemistry education at the tertiary level, with particular attention to the preparation of pre-service chemistry teachers. Drawing on constructivist learning theory and contemporary research in chemistry education, the study reframes creativity not as a solitary act of insight but as a learnable, social, and iterative competence that emerges through problem framing, representational fluency, and metacognitive regulation. The research aims to clarify conceptual pathways through which interactive approaches—problem-based learning, process-oriented guided inquiry learning (POGIL), case-based debate, Socratic dialogue, and simulation-rich labs—scaffold divergent and convergent thinking within the macroscopic–submicroscopic–symbolic “triplet” of chemical knowledge. Methodologically, the paper conducts a narrative synthesis of empirical literature and reports a design-based pilot implemented in a methods course for prospective chemistry teachers, integrating two iterative cycles of interactive modules aligned to creativity indicators: originality, flexibility, elaboration, and problem sensitivity. The results converge on three claims. First, creativity in chemistry is best developed when learners are required to translate among representational registers, making their reasoning publicly inspectable in dialogic settings. Second, structured interactivity, rather than generic “activity,” is decisive; the presence of explicit roles, consensus-building protocols, and formative feedback doubles the likelihood that students generate novel yet chemically valid solutions. Third, creative gains depend on meta-level prompts that surface criteria of chemical plausibility and model limitations, which together prevent imaginative ideation from drifting into misconception. The paper concludes with a model of interactive–creative alignment for chemistry teacher education, a set of assessable indicators and rubrics, and implications for curriculum design and policy.

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