Developing Students’ Creativity and Critical Thinking in Higher Education: a Human Capital Theory Perspective

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-440-2_7How to use a DOI?

Keywords

human capital; creativity; critical thinking; higher education

Abstract

In the context of a knowledge-driven economy, education is viewed as an investment in the enhancement of individual productivity, the promotion of economic development, and the fulfilment of societal demands from the perspective of Human Capital Theory. Higher education institutions are pivotal in equipping graduates with employability skills and aligning curricula with market needs to better prepare their students for a dynamic workplace. Among many diverse skills needed for occupational demands in the 21^st century, cognitive competencies such as creativity and critical thinking stand out as central to personal and professional development. This article seeks to elucidate the significance of creativity and critical thinking in navigating an ever-changing and complex world, underpinned by Human Capital Theory, while also exploring the processes behind cultivating these crucial competencies. The findings of this paper suggest that creativity and critical thinking, to a certain degree, signify individual human capital and reflect their preparedness for employment in an unknown future. The intellectual independence nurtured through creativity and critical thinking serves as the foundation for knowledge creation in dealing with new challenges, rather than reproduction, as reinforced in Karl Popper’s Three World Theory of knowledge construct. Innovative pedagogic practices, including experiential learning and technological integration, are effective in cultivating creativity and critical thinking. Future research may be directed beyond the reductionist view of education for fostering creativity and critical thinking as merely a tool for enhancing human capital, advocating for the inclusion of sociocultural factors in its scope.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Download article (PDF)

TY  - CONF
AU  - Yuan Wei
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/07/10
TI  - Developing Students’ Creativity and Critical Thinking in Higher Education: a Human Capital Theory Perspective
BT  - Proceedings of the 2025 11th International Conference on Humanities and Social Science Research（ICHSSR 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 52
EP  - 61
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-440-2_7
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-440-2_7
ID  - Wei2025
ER  -