In recent years, project-based learning (PBL) has gained popularity under the umbrella or international organizations, governments and schools that view this methodology as a tool to improve student learning and promote the skills of the 21st century through the exploration, creation and the construction of solutions to problems. Meanwhile, studies have begun on the effects of this education, revealing their possibilities and real limitations. This review formulates the following questions: what impact do project-based instruction and centres of interest have on student learning? What are the characteristics of the most effective programs? For whom are these programs most effective?