Levels of Comparison in Educational Studies: Different Insights from Different Literatures and the Value of Multilevel Analyses

Abstract

Research in the field of comparative education has traditionally focused on studies across world regions and countries. In this article, Mark Bray and R. Murray Thomas argue that this approach often yields incomplete and unbalanced perspectives on educational studies because it fails to consider salient differences among states, districts, schools, classrooms, and individuals. The authors illustrate the need for a broader conceptualization of comparative education and propose multilevel analysis as a more comprehensive model of research that can integrate insights gleaned from single-level approaches.