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A literature review was undertaken to compile all data on peer tutoring in secondary education (7th to 12th grade) mathematics from existing articles. Data from 42 independent studies were included in this research. All data regarding participants' roles (fixed vs. reciprocal), participants' ages (same-age vs. cross-age), the methodological approach taken (quantitative or qualitative), the type of design for those studies that involved a quantitative approach, the variables analyzed, and the organizational matters (number of participants, duration of the program, sessions per week, and duration of the sessions) are included in the article. The effect sizes of the 42 studies were calculated and examined. The main goal of the study was to determine those variables that were moderators of effect size, that is, the variables that significantly influenced students' academic achievement outcomes. Inferential statistical analyses (Student's t-test and ANOVAs) were carried out for the variables. Of the 42 studies examined, 88% showed positive effect sizes with the means being close to medium (Cohen's d = 0.38). Conclusions suggest the implementation of same-age over cross-age tutoring, during programs of fewer than 8 weeks, in sessions of less than 30 minutes is optimal for improving students' academic outcomes. Inclusion of control groups in similar future studies is recommended so effect sizes are not overestimated.

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Peer tutoring in Mathematics has reported academic benefits across many educational levels, from Preschool to Higher Education. However, recent literature reviews and meta-analysis state that students experience higher gains in Primary or Elementary Education (ages 7–12 years) than in secondary education or middle school and high school (ages 13–18 years). This study examined the effects of peer tutoring on students’ mathematics achievement in primary and secondary education under similar settings. 89 students from first, fourth, seventh, and ninth grades participated in the study. The design of this research was quasi-experimental with pretest–posttest without control group. The statistical analysis reported significant improvements for both, Primary and Secondary Education. The comparison between these educational levels showed that there were no significant differences in the increments of the students’ marks. The global effect size reported for the experience was Cohen’s d = 0.78. The main conclusion is that Peer Tutoring in Mathematics reports similar academic benefits for both, Primary and Secondary Education. Future research must be conducted as the superiority of Peer Tutoring in Primary over Secondary Education has yet to be proved in the Mathematics subject.

We consider the problem of detecting features of general shape in spatial point processes in the presence of substantial clutter. Our goal is to remove clutter from images where one or several features are present and have to be detected. We use a method based on local indicators of spatial association (LISA) functions, particularly on the development of a local version of the product density which is a second-order characteristic of spatial point processes. The classification method is built upon a stochastic version of the EM algorithm (SEM). This method can be applied without user input about the number or shapes of the regions. Our proposal, compared with the kth nearest-neighbor technique, is tested through simulated examples yielding high detection and low false-positive rates. Two real case studies of connective loose tissues in human organs and earthquakes are also presented.

This study reports the academic benefits of peer tutoring in algebra for middle school students. A total of 380 students enrolled in grades 7 th and 8 th participated in the study. Two peer tutoring sessions took place during each week (10 weeks). Interactions between peers lasted 20 to 25 minutes for each session. The typology of tutoring was fixed and same-age. A pretest posttest with control group design was used. Statistical significant improvements were reported in the academic achievement variable after the implementation of the peer tutoring program for 7 th and 8 th grade courses separately and altogether. Over 87% of the students in the experimental group improved their marks. The overall effect size for the experience was reported to be medium (Hedge's g = 0.48). The main conclusion of this study is that fixed and same-age peer tutoring in algebra may be very beneficial for middle school students.

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The covid-19 pandemic has significantly altered the organization and scheduling of high schools in Spain. Due to pandemic restrictions, most students from grades 9 to 11 come to class only on alternate days. In this situation, e-learning and distance learning have gained prominence as necessary methods of instruction. In this study 68 students from grades 9 and 10, attending on alternate days, participated in an online teaching experience for the first time in their lives. This took place during the first trimester of the 2020-2021 academic school year. On days when they did not attend class in person, students were expected to watch the mathematics classes which were broadcasted live via YouTube. Students could either watch the classes live and ask the teacher questions via an online chat, or alternatively, they could watch the pre-recorded classes at a later time. The two options were analyzed using quantitative and qualitative methods. Results showed a continuous decrease in the number of students who preferred the first option, switching progressively from online live classes to pre-recorded classes as the weeks passed. The qualitative results explained this progressive decrease as students preferred to watch the teacher's explanations several times. Although e-learning is absolutely necessary in the 21st century, and especially during the current pandemic, controlling students' level of application to distance work and online learning is still a challenge.