Susilawatia, Y.L. Sukestiyarno, Emi Pujiastutia, Tri Sri Noor Asihal
Higher education is increasingly expected to prepare graduates with creativity, collaboration, communication, and problem-solving capacities required for complex 21st-century contexts. Design thinking has gained attention as a promising pedagogical approach, yet its educational role remains conceptually fragmented and unevenly implemented. Existing research often treats design thinking as either a process, mindset, or instructional technique, leaving unclear how it functions as a coherent pedagogical framework for competency development and meaningful learning. This study aims to reconceptualize design thinking in higher education by systematically examining its conceptual foundations, pedagogical mechanisms, and relationship with 21st-century competencies. A systematic literature review was conducted using the Scopus database and PRISMA-guided screening procedures, resulting in a final analytical sample of 46 peer-reviewed studies. The findings show that design thinking is best understood as an integrated pedagogical framework rather than a discrete method. Its stages activate distinct learning processes: empathy supports perspective-taking and collaboration, ideation promotes creativity, prototyping enables applied problem-solving, testing strengthens critical refinement, and reflection facilitates meaningful learning. The study contributes theoretically by integrating constructivist, experiential, and socio-cognitive perspectives into a mechanism-based model of design thinking pedagogy. Methodologically, it provides a structured synthesis that addresses conceptual fragmentation in prior research. Practically, the findings offer guidance for curriculum design, teaching strategies, and assessment practices that support competency-oriented higher education. © 2026, University of Hawaii Press. All rights reserved.
Universitas Negeri Semarang, Indonesia
