Teaching strategies in higher education in OECD member countries (2021–2025) and their effects on learning, motivation, and competence development: a PRISMA systematic review

Teaching strategies in higher education have gained increasing prominence in recent years, alongside the expansion of active, collaborative, and technology-supported pedagogies. This systematic review analyzed recent scientific evidence on teaching strategies in higher education institutions across Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) member countries, describing their methodological characteristics and their effects on learning, motivation, and competence development. A structured search was conducted in Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, ERIC, and PubMed. Peer-reviewed empirical studies published between 2021 and 2025 in English or Spanish, addressing teaching strategies in higher education within OECD countries, were included. Eligibility criteria were defined using the PCC framework; study selection followed the PRISMA 2020 guidelines; methodological quality was assessed using MMAT-2018 at the item level, without an overall quality score. Of the 564 records identified, 121 studies met the inclusion criteria and were incorporated into the qualitative synthesis. The findings showed a predominance of quantitative designs, mainly non-randomized studies and randomized controlled trials, complemented by mixed-methods and qualitative research. The teaching strategies were grouped into two main pedagogical families: student-centered active learning and technology-mediated or hybrid learning, together with an intermediate mixed category. Across the three groups, formative assessment and structured feedback emerged as shared pedagogical dimensions rather than as independent strategic categories. Most studies were conducted in European contexts and focused on health sciences, education, engineering, and related fields. These strategies were associated with improvements in academic performance, motivation, engagement, self-regulation, and the development of professional and socio-emotional competences. However, recent evidence remains fragmented by discipline, type of intervention, and assessment method, limiting a comprehensive understanding of their impact on university students. Furthermore, the concentration of studies in health sciences and education restricts the generalizability of the findings to other fields such as engineering, the humanities, and the social sciences. Overall, the evidence suggests that higher education systems in OECD countries are progressively adopting more active, hybrid, and technology-enhanced pedagogical models.