Q: What is the difference between significance and implications of a study about higher education sustainability
Due to the number of challenges being faced by universities, it is my view that if their leadership and operations do not include the whole of institution approach to sustainability, their survival would be at risk. I would therefore like to conduct research on institutional sustainability in higher education, but I am unable to tie down the significance of the study for the research proposal.
Let's see if this answers your question. In brief, while the significance and implications of a study are related concepts, they do have some differences. The significance of a study is why it is relevant to your field and the researchers within it. When you describe your significance, you should introduce the current gaps in our knowledge, and explain why the research itself is necessary or worthwhile. Meanwhile, the implications concern the potential outcomes or applications of the study, such as how the findings can guide policy or influence future research. Therefore, when we talk about implications in a proposal, we can only talk about them in terms of expected results. For this reason, it is best to focus on significance and tie that in with some expected outcomes.
Let’s look at your research topic and how its significance and implications can be introduced in a proposal step-by-step.
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Provide background: First, “set the stage.” Mention the sustainability-related challenges that universities face and how they can affect the survival of these institutions.
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Introduce the research concept: As you mention a whole-institutional approach, you can explain what that entails and how failing to embrace the approach can have negative consequences.
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Explain the gap: Let the reader know what hasn’t been addressed in previous research. You mention the leadership and operations, so perhaps you can look at improving accountability and openness in leadership with the whole of the institution.
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Give your roadmap: Explain briefly how the research will address the aforementioned gap, including the methods and samples that you plan to investigate.
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Include deliverables: Briefly explain what the research should reveal.
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Summarize the potential implications: How would the findings be used to guide future research and policy?
Putting these together, here is a skeleton version of a paragraph to explain significance and implications:
“Universities face sustainability challenges, including [issues]. A whole-institutional approach includes [concepts; e.g., integrating sustainability principles into daily operations and strategic planning]. However, existing research often overlooks [gap]. This study uses [methods] to explore [information relating to the gap]. The findings are expected to provide [information] to enable [favorable outcome, e.g., improved leadership accountability, greater sustainability etc.]. These insights can guide future research and sustainability policy efforts in higher education, ultimately contributing to their long-term resilience in response to global challenges.”
I hope my ideas have been helpful. Check out some more of our resources on research proposals!
