Improving digital twin experience through big data, IoT and social analysis: An architecture and a case study.

Industries such as construction and business companies are becoming increasingly digitized. The amount of data to be monitored and processed has increased significantly since the advent of the Internet of Things and the massive use of sensors. In addition to the data from these sensors, large amounts of data that require specific handling and processing are received. Much of this data is eventually represented in digital twins as a monitoring or decision-support tool. In this paper, we present an architecture to improve digital twin-based experiences that need to represent information from multiple sources. This architecture is demonstrated using the specific use case of a digital twin for an office of an Italian company. The implementation leverages the Matterport 3D media platform and integrates different technologies and sensors. An evaluation of the solution has also been carried out. The results show high user acceptance and the opening of multiple possibilities to enrich the virtual model with further data from different sources.

Interoperable software platforms for introducing artificial intelligence components in manufacturing: A meta-framework for security and privacy.

The irruption of advanced technologies and the limited knowledge of software architectures are making it difficult for many small and medium-sized manufacturing companies to keep up with what is being called the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0, Industry of the Future). Container orchestration platforms provide layers of simplification for key requirements such as interoperability, security, and privacy, and provide mechanisms that allow companies and technology providers to focus on their specific functionalities and goals, instead of investing considerable time and effort in the underlying platform on which the solution will operate. This article focuses on these platforms and the issues when developing them, and proposes a risk- and goal-oriented hybrid meta-framework for security and privacy analysis. The meta-framework uses well-known security and privacy standards and frameworks as a reference and can be used to understand assets and requirements and, in particular, to select and configure countermeasures. For practical evaluation of the meta-framework, it was applied to a real case. This case shows how the needs of the KITT4SME project platform were analyzed to support, among others, four manufacturing pilot cases and to define the key security and privacy features that should be introduced when implementing a software platform for easy uptake by small and medium enterprises.

Towards the definition of a European Digital Building Logbook: A survey.

Both the operational phase and embodied emissions that are introduced during the construction phase through the manufacture, sourcing, and installation of the building's materials and components are significant contributors to carbon emissions from the built environment. It is essential to change the current design and (re)construction processes in order to achieve the energy-saving targets for the EU building stock and move toward a society that is net carbon neutral. This change must be made from both a technical perspective as well as from a methodological perspective. To accomplish this, the EU has suggested several regulations and legislative steps to phase out inefficient structures. The most recent of these initiatives propose the idea of a Digital Building Logbook, which serves as a central repository for all pertinent building data, including information on energy efficiency. In this work, we present a survey of the elements that have been taken into consideration for the creation of the Digital Building Logbook to give an overview of what research has been done so far.

Academic Resilience in Mathematics and Science: Europe TIMSS-2019 Data.

BACKGROUND: Academically resilient students are those who exhibit high performance starting from a disadvantaged socioeconomic situation. This study aims to identify the personal, school, and national factors that are associated with that resilience in the European Union (EU). METHOD: The sample comprised 96556 fourth grade students from 21 EU countries participating in TIMSS-2019. Two three-level logistic regression models were specified for the overall sample. RESULTS: The EU has an average of 25.67% resilient students in mathematics and 24.16% in science. Student confidence and having done prior linguistic tasks at school were the variables with the most predictive power after accounting for gender and students' immigrant background. The European countries analyzed largely compensated for the doubly-disadvantaged situation of immigrant students. Those countries with higher proportions of low-performing students had fewer resilient students. CONCLUSIONS: The educational policies in the EU member states are able to largely compensate for unfavorable starting positions; fundamentally, policies of a social nature such as support for immigrant students, families, or schools.

Academic Self-Concept Dramatically Declines in Secondary School: Personal and Contextual Determinants.

Academic self-concept is one of the most important non-cognitive variables in determining students' attitudes towards school and their performance. The objective of this study was to use a longitudinal approach to analyze how academic self-concept changed between primary and secondary schools and to analyze the factors that affected that progression. The sample consisted of 7379 students (47.4% girls) evaluated at two time-points: fourth grade and eighth grade. Six schooling pathways were analyzed: repeating a year before fourth grade, repeating between fourth and eighth grade, and repeating eighth grade. Five two-level hierarchical linear models of intrasubject means were assessed. The results indicate that academic self-concept falls dramatically between primary school and secondary school, varying according to background variables. Nevertheless, the most influential factor was the students' schooling pathway. This study reinforces the evidence that, at least in the Spanish context, educational policies need to address alternatives to repetition.

Should we Help our Children with Homework? A Meta-Analysis Using PISA Data.

BACKGROUND: The role of homework in students' academic performance is a widely debated topic about which there is no definitive answer. The objective of this study was to analyse the importance of parental help with homework in academic achievement, testing its cultural invariance (by country), academic invariance (by subject), and the stability of its effects over time. METHOD: A meta-analysis was performed using the results of PISA evaluations from 2009, 2012, 2015, and 2018 from countries which applied the family PISA questionnaire. We analysed 180 effects and confirmed the fit of the model and the heterogeneity of the effects, performing an analysis of moderators and multimodal inference. RESULTS: Students who had more help with homework had lower academic achievement, with an overall effect (d) = 0.23, 95% CI [0.21, 0.25]. The effects were greater in Europe than in Asia. We did not find differences by subject type, and the results were stable over time. CONCLUSIONS: Family help with homework does not ensure students' academic success, and it is more important how that help is given than how much. This conclusion is valid for different types of subjects and is stable over time, with some variation between cultures.

Academic resilience in European countries: The role of teachers, families, and student profiles.

Academic resilience is a student's ability to achieve academic results significantly higher than would be expected according to their socioeconomic level. In this study, we aimed to identify the characteristics of students, families, and teacher activities which had the greatest impact on academic resilience. The sample comprised 117,539 fourth grade students and 6,222 teachers from 4,324 schools in member states of the European Union that participated in the PIRLS 2016 study. We specified a two-level hierarchical linear model in two phases: in the first level we used the students' personal and family background variables, in the second level we used the variables related to teaching activity. In the first phase we used the complete model for all countries and regions, in the second phase we produced a model for each country with the highest possible number of statistically significant variables. The results indicated that the students' personal and family variables that best predicted resilience were the reading self-confidence index, which increased the probability of student resilience by between 62 and 130 percentage points, a feeling of belonging to the school, which increased the chances of being resilient by up to 40 percentage points, and support from the family before starting primary school (Students from Lithuania who had done early literary activities in the family setting were twice as likely to be resilient than those who had not). The teaching-related factors best predicting resilience were keeping order in the classroom, a safe and orderly school environment (increasing chances of resilience by up to 62 percentage points), and teaching focused on comprehension and reflection, which could increase the probability of resilience by up to 61 percentage points.

Predictors of Global Non-Motor Symptoms Burden Progression in Parkinson's Disease. Results from the COPPADIS Cohort at 2-Year Follow-Up.

Background and Objective: Non-motor symptoms (NMS) progress in different ways between Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. The aim of the present study was to (1) analyze the change in global NMS burden in a PD cohort after a 2-year follow-up, (2) to compare the changes with a control group, and (3) to identify predictors of global NMS burden progression in the PD group. Material and Methods: PD patients and controls, recruited from 35 centers of Spain from the COPPADIS cohort from January 2016 to November 2017, were followed-up with after 2 years. The Non-Motor Symptoms Scale (NMSS) was administered at baseline (V0) and at 24 months ± 1 month (V2). Linear regression models were used for determining predictive factors of global NMS burden progression (NMSS total score change from V0 to V2 as dependent variable). Results: After the 2-year follow-up, the mean NMS burden (NMSS total score) significantly increased in PD patients by 18.8% (from 45.08 ± 37.62 to 53.55 ± 42.28; p < 0.0001; N = 501; 60.2% males, mean age 62.59 ± 8.91) compared to no change observed in controls (from 14.74 ± 18.72 to 14.65 ± 21.82; p = 0.428; N = 122; 49.5% males, mean age 60.99 ± 8.32) (p < 0.0001). NMSS total score at baseline (ß = -0.52), change from V0 to V2 in PDSS (Parkinson's Disease Sleep Scale) (ß = -0.34), and change from V0 to V2 in NPI (Neuropsychiatric Inventory) (ß = 0.25) provided the highest contributions to the model (adjusted R-squared 0.41; Durbin-Watson test = 1.865). Conclusions: Global NMS burden demonstrates short-term progression in PD patients but not in controls and identifies worsening sleep problems and neuropsychiatric symptoms as significant independent predictors of this NMS progression.

Resilient and low performer students: Personal and family determinants in European countries.

BACKGROUND: Students' academic achievement depends on their personal, family and sociocultural characteristics. This study aims to identify the personal and family factors of European students who do not perform as expected, whether by surpassing expectations (resilient) or by failing to meet them (low performers). METHOD: The sample was composed of 117,539 fourth grade students who completed the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) test, from 23 European Union countries. Academic performance was evaluated via a reading comprehension test. For each country, two binary logistic regression models were used, one for resilient students and the other for low performers. Variables related to the students and their families were used as predictor variables. RESULTS: Significant differences were found between European countries in terms of the proportion of resilient and low performing students. The two variables with the most predictive power were student confidence with reading, and having done early literacy activities. CONCLUSIONS: Students' personal characteristics and family conditions are instrumental in students being considered resilient or low performers.

Study on the prevalence and factors associated to vulvodynia in Spain.

OBJECTIVE: To study the prevalence and epidemiological characteristics of women with vulvodynia. To assess the risk factors associated to the disease. STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional study was made in which questionnaires were anonymously and confidentially distributed to Spanish women over 18 years of age between April 2016 and September 2017. The questionnaires were distributed by e-mail and through social networks, women's associations and specific websites. This type of questionnaire has been validated and used in many studies of this kind. The women answered questions referred to epidemiological aspects, demographic parameters, medical history, the presence of vulvodynia, associated factors, and comorbidities. RESULTS: A total of 684 questionnaires were completed. The prevalence of vulvodynia was 6.6% (45 women). Thirteen percent (95 women) had experienced vulvodynia at some point in life. The factors associated to vulvodynia were prior vaginal deliveries (p = 0.001), vulvovaginal candidiasis (p < 0.001) and urinary tract infections (p < 0.001). Other pain syndromes such as fibromyalgia (p = 0.012), painful bladder syndrome/ interstitial syndrome (p < 0.001), temporomandibular joint pain (p = 0.021), coxofemoral pain (p = 0.001) or headache (p = 0.001) have also been associated to vulvodynia. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of vulvodynia in Spain is similar to that found in other countries. Many factors are involved in its development and persistence, particularly the presence of other pain syndromes and recurrent infections that could trigger complex inflammatory reactions.

An ecological view of measurement: focus on multilevel model explanation of differential item functioning.

BACKGROUND: The 3rd Regional Comparative and Explanatory Study reports, analyses and compares academic results in mathematics, sciences, and reading for 15 Latin American countries. Validity is the foundation of a testing procedure, and the process of validation is important to the overall success of educational assessment as a whole. This methodological study deals specifically with an ecological point of view which includes and situates the person, process, context, and time of the testing situation. These descriptions indicate specific events showing how and what variables at the individual, school, or country level can give a deep understanding of the response process. The aims were to investigate ecological explanations of differential item functioning. METHOD: The study analysed the science test given in 2013 to 6th grade students and the data pool consisted of 12,657 students from 2,609 schools and 15 countries. A progressive inclusion of the variance distribution in different Bernoulli logistic regression models was carried out. RESULTS: The analyses showed the presence of differential item functioning in 32% of the science items. CONCLUSIONS: The main source of differential item functioning was related to the human development level of the participating countries.

Homework and Academic Achievement in Latin America: A Multilevel Approach.

The relationship between homework and academic results has been widely researched. Most of that research has used English-speaking, European or Asian samples, and to date there have been no detailed studies into that relationship in Latin America and the Caribbean. The aim of this study is to examine the effect of quantitative homework characteristics on achievement in science. The sample comprised 61,938 students at 2,955 schools in the 15 Latin American countries (plus the Mexican state of New Leon) which participated in the Third Regional Comparative and Explanatory Study (TERCE), carried out by the Latin American Laboratory for Educational Quality (LLECE) in 2013. The mean age was 12.42 years old (±0.94). Within each country, three hierarchical-linear models were applied at two levels: student and school. The individual level considered time spent doing homework and the school level considered the amount and frequency of homework assignment. In addition, ten control variables were included in order to control the net effect of the characteristics of the homework on the result. The results confirmed that homework is widely assigned in the Latin American region. At the individual level, time spent on homework had little effect on academic performance, while in the quantitative homework characteristics it was the frequency of homework assignment which demonstrated a clearer effect rather than the amount of homework assigned.

Toxoplasma gondii in Captive Wild Felids of Mexico: Its Frequency and Capability to Eliminate Oocysts.

There is little information about Toxoplasma gondii in wild felids, even when these species have been associated with cases of toxoplasmosis in humans. In this study, samples of serum and whole blood were collected from 42 felids from 10 different species, in 4 Mexican zoos. Stool samples from 36 animals were also collected, corresponding to 82% of the felids included in the study. Stool samples were used for the search of oocysts by light field microscopy and PCR. Serum samples were analyzed by indirect immunoglobulin G (IgG) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT). DNA samples were purified from whole blood and stool for the amplification of a fragment of the SAG1 gene of T. gondii by a nested PCR (nPCR). The seroprevalence of IgG anti-T. gondii-specific antibodies by means of the ELISA was 100% (42/42) and 52.4% (22/42) by IFAT. The titers obtained varied from 1:80 to 1:2560. DNA of T. gondii was detected in 9.5% (4/42) of the blood samples by using nPCR. No oocysts were observed in the stool samples analyzed by light field microscopy. However, the DNA of the parasite was identified in 14.3% (5/35) of the stool samples evaluated. These results indicate a high prevalence of T. gondii in the studied populations of wild felids in captivity, with evidence of parasitemia and elimination of few oocysts even in adult hosts.

Evaluation of antimicrobial activity of kefir drink against escherichia coli, salmonella typhimurium and shigella flexneri / Evaluación de la actividad antimicrobiana de la bebida de kéfir contra escherichia coli, salmonella typhimurium y shigella flexneri

Objetivo: Evaluar la actividad antimicrobiana de la bebida de Kéfir contra Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium y Shigella flexneri. Método: El kéfir utilizado en la investigación fue adquirido en Toluca, Estado de México. Se realizó una reactivación del kéfir con leche pasteurizada y se analizaron 3 carbohidratos (miel, azúcar y piloncillo) en diferentes concentraciones y tiempos, 80, 100, 120% y 24, 48 y 72 horas respectivamente. Los microorganismos cultivables aislados se caracterizaron por técnicas fenotípicas, bioquímicas y de espectroscopia de masas. El pH inicial y final se determinaron durante el tiempo de estudio. La actividad antimicrobiana se realizó extrayendo los metabolitos presentes en el fermento con el método de Kirby-Bauer, además se evaluó el fermento directo, para determinar si hubo inhibición con las cepas de Escherichia coli ATCC 11229, Salmonella typhimurium ATCC 14028 y Shigella flexneri ATCC 12022. Resultados: Se observó que en los tres carbohidratos utilizados a una concentración de 120% y en un tiempo de 72 h, fue donde se obtuvo un pH menor (3,51 a 3,64) comparado con su concentración inicial (6,50 a 6,64). A partir de los metabolitos extraídos en los diferentes fermentos, no se obtuvo halo de inhibición con las cepas analizadas. Sin embargo, al usar fermentos directos, se observó que en los carbohidratos utilizados (azúcar, miel, piloncillo) existía la presencia de un halo de inhibición o el crecimiento de colonias distintas de las evaluadas. Los microorganismos cultivables aislados fueron: Pichia kudriavzevii (levadura); Enterococcus sp (coco grampositivo) y Lactobacillus sp (bacilo grampositivo). Conclusiones: Los fermentos de kéfir hechos con diferentes carbohidratos, llegaron a presentar un grado de inhibición solo como un consorcio contra microorganismos Gram-negativos analizados.Palabras Clave: Kéfir; fermentación microbiota; infección; actividad antimicrobiana.(AU)

Objective: Evaluate the antimicrobial activity of the Kefir drink against Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium and Shigella flexneri. Method: The Kefir used in the investigation was acquired in Toluca, State of Mexico. We performed a reactivation of Kefir with pasteurized milk and analyzed 3 carbohydrates (honey, sugar and piloncillo) at different concentrations and times, 80, 100, 120% and 24, 48 and 72 hours respectively. Isolated cultivable microorganisms were characterized by phenotypic, biochemical and mass spectroscopy techniques. The initial and final pH were determined during the study time. The antimicrobial activity was carried out by extracting the metabolites present in the ferment with the Kirby-Bauer method, in addition the direct ferment was evaluated, to determine if there was inhibition with the Escherichia coli (ATCC 11229) strains, Salmonella typhimurium (ATCC 14028) and Shigella flexneri (ATCC 12022). Results: It was observed that in the three carbohydrates used at a concentration of 120% and at a time of 72 h, a lower pH was obtained (3.51 to 3.64) compared to their initial concentration (6.50 to 6.64). From the metabolites extracted in the different ferments, no inhibition halo was obtained with the strains analyzed. However, when using direct ferments, it was observed that in the carbohydrates used (sugar, honey, piloncillo) there was the presence of an inhibiting halo or the growth of colonies other than those evaluated. The isolated cultivable microorganisms were: Pichia kudriavzevii (yeast); Enterococcus sp (gram-positive coconut) and Lactobacillus sp (gram-positive bacillus). Conclusions : Kefir ferments made with different carbohydrates, came to present a degree of inhibition only as a consortium against Gram-negative microorganisms analyzed.(AU)

Screening of Argentinian plants for pesticide activity.

Aerial parts of 27 plant species native to Argentina were tested in anti-insect, germination inhibition and bactericide bio-assays. In antifeedant assays on Epilachna paenulata larvae, 11 species showed strong feeding deterrent effects (higher than 90% at 200 microg/cm(2)). Twelve plants strongly inhibited the germination of Avena sativa seeds, but only six inhibited Raphanus sativum germination at 10 mg/ml. Four plants showed complete growth inhibition of Escherichia coli at a concentration of 2 mg/ml.

Students' Achievement and Homework Assignment Strategies.

The optimum time students should spend on homework has been widely researched although the results are far from unanimous. The main objective of this research is to analyze how homework assignment strategies in schools affect students' academic performance and the differences in students' time spent on homework. Participants were a representative sample of Spanish adolescents (N = 26,543) with a mean age of 14.4 (±0.75), 49.7% girls. A test battery was used to measure academic performance in four subjects: Spanish, Mathematics, Science, and Citizenship. A questionnaire allowed the measurement of the indicators used for the description of homework and control variables. Two three-level hierarchical-linear models (student, school, autonomous community) were produced for each subject being evaluated. The relationship between academic results and homework time is negative at the individual level but positive at school level. An increase in the amount of homework a school assigns is associated with an increase in the differences in student time spent on homework. An optimum amount of homework is proposed which schools should assign to maximize gains in achievement for students overall.

El uso de las nuevas tecnologías en las evaluaciones educativas: la lectura en un mundo digital / The use of new technologies in educational assessments: reading in a digital world

Ser un lector competente en un mundo digital requiere una base sólida de Lectura, pero también la capacidad para pensar críticamente; una tarea pendiente para muchos estudiantes españoles. Las pruebas adaptativas informatizadas y los datos de proceso (información sobre las acciones que realizan los estudiantes al responder a la prueba) son especialmente importantes cuando se evalúan competencias como la Lectura. El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar cómo el uso de la tecnología está cambiando el concepto de Lectura y las formas para evaluarlo. Esto tiene implicaciones tanto para el alumnado español como para cualquier profesional encargado de interpretar y diseñar evaluaciones educativas. El investigador debe asegurar que el uso de los datos y la tecnología sea el adecuado para los objetivos de la evaluación y sirva de forma fiable, válida y justa a las personas involucradas, pero también del usuario saber cuándo, cómo y para qué utilizar los datos.(AU)

Being a proficient reader in a digital world requires a strong reading foundation, but also the ability to think critically, which is a challenge for many students in Spain. Computerized adaptive tests and process data (information about students’ actions when responding to the test) are especially important when assessing skills such as reading. This work aims to analyze how the use of technology is changing the concept of reading and the ways to evaluate it. This has implications for Spanish students and any professional in charge of interpreting and designing educational evaluations. The researcher must ensure that the use of data and technology is adequate for the objectives of the evaluation and that it works in a reliable, valid, and fair way for the people involved, but also the user must know when, how, and for what purposes to use the data.(AU)

Academic Resilience in Mathematics and Science: Europe TIMSS-2019 Data / Resiliencia Académica en Matemáticas y Ciencias: Datos de Europa TIMSS-2019

Background: Academically resilient students are those who exhibit highperformance starting from a disadvantaged socioeconomic situation. Thisstudy aims to identify the personal, school, and national factors that areassociated with that resilience in the European Union (EU). Method:The sample comprised 96556 fourth grade students from 21 EU countriesparticipating in TIMSS-2019. Two three-level logistic regression modelswere specified for the overall sample. Results: The EU has an average of25.67% resilient students in mathematics and 24.16% in science. Studentconfidence and having done prior linguistic tasks at school were thevariables with the most predictive power after accounting for gender andstudents’ immigrant background. The European countries analyzed largelycompensated for the doubly-disadvantaged situation of immigrant students.Those countries with higher proportions of low-performing students hadfewer resilient students. Conclusions: The educational policies in the EUmember states are able to largely compensate for unfavorable startingpositions; fundamentally, policies of a social nature such as support forimmigrant students, families, or schools.

Antecedentes: el alumnado académicamente resilientees aquel que obtiene un alto rendimiento partiendo de una situaciónsocioeconómica desaventajada. Esta investigación pretende identificarlos factores personales, escolares y nacionales que están asociados a laresiliencia académica en la Unión Europea (UE). Método: la muestra fuede 96.556 estudiantes de 4º grado de 21 países de la UE participantes enTIMSS-2019. Para el conjunto de la muestra se ajustaron dos modelos deregresión logística multinivel de tres niveles. Resultados:la UE tiene unpromedio de 25,67% de alumnado resiliente en matemáticas y 24,16% enciencias. La confianza de los estudiantes y haber realizado tareas lingüísticasprevias a la escuela son las variables con mayor poder predictivo después detener en cuenta el género y los antecedentes inmigrantes de los estudiantes.Los países europeos analizados compensan en buena medida la situacióndoblemente desaventajada del alumnado inmigrante. Aquellos países queposeen un mayor porcentaje de alumnado con bajo rendimiento tienenmenos estudiantes resilientes. Conclusiones: las políticas educativas delos estados miembros de la UE son capaces de compensar en gran medidalas situaciones desfavorecidas de partida. Fundamentalmente aquellas decarácter social como el apoyo al alumnado inmigrante, a la familia o lasinstituciones educativas.

Parental involvement and academic performance: Less control and more communication.

BACKGROUND: Parental involvement in the educational process is desirable, although more involvement does not guarantee better results. The aim of this research is to explore the relationship between styles of parental involvement at home and academic performance. METHOD: A random sample of 26,543 Spanish students was used, with a mean age of 14.4 (SD = 0.75). Two thirds (66.2%) attended a publicly funded school; 49.7% were girls; 87.8% had Spanish nationality; and 73.5% were in the school year corresponding to their age. Different three-level hierarchical-linear models were fitted: student, school, and region (autonomous community). RESULTS: Students whose parents exhibited a more distal or indirect profile of family involvement tended to demonstrate better results than those from homes with a more controlling style. Parental involvement styles have an effect on achievement at an individual and school level, even after accounting for the effect of context or background variables. CONCLUSIONS: Given the importance of parental involvement in academic performance, schools should consider it in their family information and training policies. Schools which have more communicative family profiles tend to demonstrate lower levels of intra-school differences in students’ academic performance.

Should we Help our Children with Homework? A Meta-Analysis Using PISA Data / ¿Debemos Ayudar a Nuestros Hijos con los Deberes? un Meta-Análisis con Datos PISA

Background: The role of homework in students’ academic performance is a widely debated topic about which there is no definitive answer. The objective of this study was to analyse the importance of parental help with homework in academic achievement, testing its cultural invariance (by country), academic invariance (by subject), and the stability of its effects over time. Method: A meta-analysis was performed using the results of PISA evaluations from 2009, 2012, 2015, and 2018 from countries which applied the family PISA questionnaire. We analysed 180 effects and confirmed the fit of the model and the heterogeneity of the effects, performing an analysis of moderators and multimodal inference. Results: Students who had more help with homework had lower academic achievement, with an overall effect (d) = 0.23, 95% CI [0.21, 0.25]. The effects were greater in Europe than in Asia. We did not find differences by subject type, and the results were stable over time. Conclusions: Family help with homework does not ensure students’ academic success, and it is more important how that help is given than how much. This conclusion is valid for different types of subjects and is stable over time, with some variation between cultures.

Antecedentes: el papel de los deberes escolares en el rendimiento académico es un tema ampliamente debatido, no existiendo una respuesta definitiva. El presente trabajo analiza el efecto de la ayuda parental con los deberes sobre los resultados educativos, comprobando la invarianza cultural (por países) y académica (por asignaturas), así como la estabilidad temporal de los efectos. Método: se realizó un meta-análisis con los resultados PISA de los años 2009, 2012, 2015 y 2018, incluyendo los países que aplicaron el cuestionario PISA para las familias. Se analizaron 180 efectos, comprobando el ajuste del modelo y la heterogeneidad de los efectos, y realizando análisis de moderadores y análisis de inferencia con modelos múltiples. Resultados: los estudiantes que reciben más ayuda con los deberes obtienen resultados más bajos: d = 0.23, IC 95% [0.21, 0.25]. Los efectos son mayores en Europa que en Asia. No se encontraron diferencias en función de la asignatura, y los resultados son estables a lo largo del tiempo. Conclusiones: la ayuda familiar con los deberes no garantiza el éxito académico, siendo más importante cómo se hace que el cuánto. Esta conclusión es válida en todas las asignaturas y se muestra estable en el tiempo, observándose variaciones interculturales.