Background: The growth of teaching practices conducted to promote cognitive activation and active participation in the classroom in recent years has become the epicentre of an active debate regarding their effectiveness.

Objectives: This study is aimed to shed some light on this topic by empirically analysing the causes and consequences of more modern strategies in Spanish secondary schools.

Methods: The database used in the study was PISA 2018. In order to analyse the causes behind the teaching style followed by teachers, a logit model was used. Likewise, to analyze the consequences that a modern teaching style has on students at the age of 15, we used propensity score analysis techniques.

Results and Conclusions: Regarding the results obtained through a logit model, it is shown that the likelihood of a modern teaching style decreases if teachers work for a state school or if they usually apply traditional strategies. Similarly, this series of practices are shown to be more common in schools where teachers and students make greater use of digital devices. The second section of results, focused on analysing the effect this type of teaching strategies has on cognitive, non‐cognitive and wellbeing among students, show that, on the one hand, modern teaching style negatively affects students' performance in mathematics, science or language. On the other hand, modern teaching style has been shown to contribute to improving the students' well‐being, motivation and cooperation, only being significant the latter. Moreover, this teaching style contributes to reducing bullying among students.