178
In conclusion, there is still not enough critical mass (Jones 2012 , p. 711) in
higher education research in Korea. Having critical mass is important for moving
the field forward as it requires a larger number of core members working on research
and a greater investment in research infrastructure. There also needs to be more
integration and collaboration between academics from diverse disciplines, and more
attention needs to be paid to graduate education to train higher education experts.
The results also suggest that higher education researchers in Korea need to be more
engaged in the international academic community, applying their research to inter-
national discourses. Having diverse perspectives and various actors in research
design and the interpretation of findings is important for higher education research
(Teichler 1996 ).
There is no doubt that higher education research has become important both
globally and nationally. Higher education research is expected to have a substantive
academic growth, and it is also important to have roots in the research imperative
and the dynamics of disciplines (Clark 1996 ). It is also important to realize “what
really matters is whether a piece of research is based on sound methods, has
something interesting or useful to say and has been properly peer reviewed before
publication” (Macfarlane 2011 , p. 127).
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