Student's performance dataset on multidimensional 21st-century thinking skills in physics ability assessment

Assessing students' 21st-century thinking skills is essential to meet the demands of modern education, support academic achievement, and align with evolving educational standards. This paper presents an open dataset on educational measurement of students' performance in critical and creative thinking, within the theoretical framework of assessing physics ability as a multidimensional construct. Our data were collected using researcher-developed instruments comprising 12 essay items. Some experts in educational measurement and physics education reviewed the instruments. A total of 330 senior high school students from three schools in Indonesia participated in the assessment. After attempting the test, all participants were given a structured questionnaire to evaluate the practicality and usefulness of the developed instruments, which yielded overall positive responses. This dataset supports the development of more effective assessment models for 21st-century competencies. It offers valuable insights for educators, researchers, and policymakers to inform curriculum design and policy development aligned with 21st-century learning objectives.