This qualitative study explores the current status of senior high school teachers’ pedagogical sensitivity to thinking instruction (PSTI) and identifies pathways for enhancement, with a focus on classroom interaction dynamics; through in-depth classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis involving 12 teachers from three senior high schools in Chengdu, the study reveals three key findings: firstly, PSTI manifests in varying degrees, with most teachers demonstrating basic awareness but limited ability to scaffold higher-order thinking; secondly, key challenges include insufficient recognition of students’ thinking traces, over-reliance on preset lesson plans, and inadequate feedback strategies for divergent thinking; and thirdly, effective enhancement paths involve context-specific professional development, collaborative lesson study centered on thinking-oriented interaction, and reflective practice anchored in classroom discourse analysis, while the study also contributes to understanding how teachers can foster students’ critical and creative thinking through sensitive instructional responses.

Peng Hao. Pedagogical Sensitivity to Thinking Instruction among Senior High School Teachers: Current Status and Enhancement Paths A Qualitative Study Based on Classroom Interaction. Frontiers in Educational Research (2025), Vol. 8, Issue 9: 143-148. https://doi.org/10.25236/FER.2025.080922.

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