The article briefly describes multilevel models and presents their simplest applications. After the methodological and statistical need for this procedure is explained, real data are used to demonstrate how a hierarchical linear model is constructed. The article presents models with a random intercept, models with random slopes, and models with explanatory variables measured at higher levels. In the conclusion, other possible applications of multilevel analysis are discussed, and the basic readings on multilevel analysis are presented.
In the last ten years, the Czech Republic participated in numerous international comparative studies measuring knowledge and skills of school children in various subject areas. The studies have brought a lot of notable information on gender differences in student outcomes. Unfortunately, these findings met very limited attention of the Czech society and educational policymakers. The aim of this article is to summarize key findings about gender differences in the areas of reading, mathematics and science and to show the relationships between student results and their educational aspirations and attitudes.