A Narrative Literature Review on the Influence of Learning Styles on 21st-Century Competencies among Students

This study addresses the persistent challenge of students’ limited mastery of 21st-century competencies, which is often attributed to the insufficient integration of diverse learning styles in classroom practices. The primary objective is to examine the relationship between students’ learning styles and the development of critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity (4C) skills. Employing a Narrative Literature Review (NLR) approach, this study synthesizes evidence from five carefully selected primary studies, complemented by secondary data from reputable open-access academic journals. The inclusion criteria encompassed topical relevance, publication within the last five years, accessibility, and indexing in recognized scholarly databases. The analysis indicates that multimodal learning approaches significantly enhance learning effectiveness and support the development of 4C competencies. Furthermore, the findings suggest that instructional strategies tailored to accommodate diverse learning preferences contribute to more meaningful and engaging learning experiences. In conclusion, the alignment between teaching practices and students’ learning styles plays a critical role in fostering adaptive, creative, and sustainable educational outcomes, thereby supporting the demands of 21st-century learning environments.