Accounting students’ perceptions of effective faculty attributes

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mishari M. Alfraih ◽  
Faisal S. Alanezi

Purpose This study aims to explore the attributes of an effective accounting faculty from the student perspective. It also examines similarities and differences in the perceived importance of these attributes between bachelor’s and associate’s accounting degree students in two public higher education institutions in Kuwait, namely, Kuwait University (KU) and the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET). Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire was developed to identify ideal accounting faculty attributes. It was administered to a sample of accounting students at the two institutions in the 2014-2015 academic year. Descriptive statistics were collected and independent samples t-tests were run. Findings The most highly ranked attributes related to instructor characteristics and class delivery. Significant differences were found between KU and PAAET students in the perceived importance of attributes. KU students ranked class preparation and delivery attributes significantly higher than PAAET students. In contrast, PAAET students ranked attributes related to instructor characteristics and evaluation methods significantly higher than KU students. Practical implications These findings provide an insight into the attributes of an effective accounting faculty from the students’ perspective. A direct implication is that accounting faculty can incorporate the most important attributes into their course design and delivery. This may improve teaching effectiveness and ultimately student learning. Originality/value This research is timely because the College of Business Studies at PAAET has applied for accreditation with the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs. As teaching effectiveness is a major consideration in the process, these findings may help it to enhance its performance and improve the chances of its accreditation application being successful. The study bridges a gap in the literature on teaching effectiveness because there appears very little, if any, research into the attributes of effective accounting teaching.

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Raphael Junger da Silva ◽  
Roberto Tommasetti ◽  
Monica Zaidan Gomes ◽  
Marcelo Alvaro da Silva Macedo

PurposeResearch question is about the perception of stricto sensu undergraduate and graduate accounting students, from the Metropolitan Region of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) of the accountants' responsibilities and competencies required to them in assisting IT/IS strategy definition and implementation.Design/methodology/approachThis is a descriptive research, using a qualitative paper-and-pencil approach. Designed based on United Nations Accounting Model Curriculum, a questionnaire was self-applied to 361 accounting students of eight higher education institutions (HEIs) in Rio de Janeiro, whose responses are quantitatively analysed.FindingsAccounting students strongly agree on the need to acquire strategic skills that enable them to assist organizations in IT/IS issues but are quite divided about the related accountants' responsibilities, underestimating their future role in this respect.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough quantitatively adequate, the sample is non-probabilistic and, thus, results cannot be generalized. The authors expect that this paper can encourage HEIs to engage the path of multidisciplinary education and rethink their silo-based pedagogical models which have to prepare students for their forthcoming professional challenges, by introducing interdisciplinary courses, soft skills disciplines and work-integrated learning activities.Practical implicationsFindings can be useful for teachers and coordinators of the IT/IS area in accounting courses, stimulating brainstorming on the accountant's role in assisting organizations in IT/IS strategies and practices implementation. The study has relevant implications for educators through the identification and analysis of difficulties faced by students.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the research base of accountants' strategic role since the responsibility awareness identified gap can be elaborated for stimulating the discussion about the centrality of the accountant in IT processes within organizations.


2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 217-233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ron Baker ◽  
Sara Wick

Purpose This study aims to measure the response of undergraduate accounting students to a stand-alone course in accounting theory and research. The aim of the study was to gauge students’ perceptions of the usefulness of this course and to determine if exposure to this material would increase student interest in accounting research and in pursuing a career in academia. Design/methodology/approach Three cohorts of students enrolled in the course completed an in-class survey. The study was conducted from 2015 to 2017. Findings The results of the survey show that student interest in accounting research and theory increased substantially as a result of the course. Students felt that learning about accounting research and the theories used in accounting research enhanced their overall understanding of accounting and would be useful to them as accounting practitioners. This study also reports that students interested in pursuing a PhD and/or an academic career also increased. Research limitations/implications Data were only collected at a single university and represent student perceptions only. Practical implications The results of this study and the description of the course design will inform academics seeking to answer the American Accounting Association Pathways Commission’s call to integrate accounting research and education. This study also suggests a pathway towards addressing the chronic academic accounting faculty shortage. Finally, the results will be of interest to those designing undergraduate accounting curriculum. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature on the “teaching-research nexus” in accounting by providing evidence, from the perspective of undergraduate accounting students, of the usefulness of integrating research into undergraduate accounting education. While many accounting researchers view accounting research and teaching accounting as separate activities, the response from students suggests that there is value in fostering a more complementary relationship between these two activities.


2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Towers-Clark

Purpose – This paper aims to explore and investigate student perceptions as to what generic skills they considered were important for accountants and to what extent these skills were developed by their programme of study. Design/methodology/approach – Data gathered from 357 UK undergraduate accounting degree graduates were used to develop insights into perceived relevance of current skills development and provided a basis for developments of the programme to better meet student skills development in preparation for them being accountants. Findings – Areas determined as requiring further development within the programme to better meet perceived required skills of accountants are those of team working, oral communication, interpersonal and career planning and interviewing skills. Research limitations/implications – Conclusions drawn are only from a student perspective and do not reflect wider stakeholder perspective. Practical implications – This study sought to understand what skills students perceive could benefit from development within the programme. Social implications – The motivation for this study was to respond to criticism that students on graduation were not achieving desired level of skills that would be important to their chosen field. Originality/value – Further skills including leadership, entrepreneurship and conflict management were skills perceived by students as important for their current employment.


2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 325-344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ron Baker ◽  
Sara Wick

Purpose This paper aims to describe an effort to integrate accounting research and theory into an undergraduate accounting education program through the development and delivery of a fourth-year course. Informing ideas for the course design and content are discussed, and feedback from the students and instructor is provided. Design/methodology/approach This paper takes the form of a commentary and offers the authors’ opinion based on the experience of designing and teaching the course. An in-class survey was conducted in three separate offerings of the course. Findings Student response to the course and material was more positive than anticipated, indicating that undergraduate accounting students are receptive to learning about research and theory, even when it is not required for entrance into a professional certification program. Also, many students often went above and beyond the course requirements in the work they submitted. This indicates that there is an appetite for engaging with material that presents accounting as a social phenomenon rather than solely as a technical activity. Research limitations/implications While the data were collected over multiple years, the survey was conducted at a single university. These findings have implications for the design of undergraduate accounting education programs and, potentially, for addressing the gap between accounting research and practice. Originality/value This review contributes to the discourse on integrating research into undergraduate accounting education as recommended by the AAA Pathways Commission. It describes one method of doing so and identifies the literature that informed the approach taken. This paper also contributes to the accounting education literature by providing evidence of student reaction to a course that uses research and theory as a subject matter rather than a pedagogical tool. This evidence may also inform the teaching –research nexus discourse.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 30
Author(s):  
Sadik AlBassam ◽  
Abdulah AlAwadi ◽  
Wael Alrashed

Kuwait University is the only state university with accounting education that has commenced in 1966. So far, accounting education is offered by the College of Business Administration – CBA- as a full degree of 4 years span, in addition to some other private universities that started recently. CBA periodically reviews the accounting program particularly after earning AACSB accreditation in the late 90’s, which has pressed for more academic excellence. CBA has introduced an exit exam process in 2009 since inception. Results revealed some areas of concern such as the shallow technical background of graduates, ill-use of advanced accounting systems and software, and inadequate research ability. One would add to these, student's tendency toward the classical type of learning or “spoon feeding”, which questions their ability in the judgmental type of cases as well as their self-expression.The purpose of this research is to explore factors associated with accounting student’s competencies at Kuwait University and subsequently to suggest remedy policies. A survey has been conducted through out the period from April 2018 till August 2018 exploring factors affecting accounting student’s competency. Multiple factors that influence student's competencies were entrenched within a statistical model which later resulted in comparable results. Moreover, stepwise multiple regression analysis was used to analyse the relationships between students' competency and the independent variables. Results expose that students lean heavily on in- class materials and do less reading in advance. Also, learning techniques used and practices by students are well classical as it depends primarily on lecturer delivering the materials. Finally, this study provides evidence that GPA earned by accounting students at CBA is the most important variable associated with their overall performance upon graduation. Other variables such as MGPA, external assistance (EA), in-class assignments (ICA), students' personal and technical abilities (PFT), and other financial and social factors (FT) have lesser degree of significance on their performance.


2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 662-672
Author(s):  
Khalid A. Alanzi

Purpose This study aims to compare the academic performance of female accounting students with their male counterparts and to assess the impact and association between gender and the academic performance of accounting students graduating from the College of Business Studies (CBS) in Kuwait. Design/methodology/approach The sample consisted of 141 accounting students, who graduated during 2015 from CBS. Independent samples test, correlation and linear least squares regression analyses tested the hypotheses. Findings The results indicate that there was a statistically significant association between gender and accounting students’ performance, which explained the superiority of the performance of the female students’ group over the performance of the male students’ group and explained the significant impact of gender on accounting students’ performance, with and without controls for other factors. Practical implications The findings have practical implications for how the administration of CBS and similar educational institutions should take action. The findings suggest that the administration of CBS should adopt policies that impose and encourage the acceptance of more female accounting students, as they perform well in accounting and their academic performance is better than their male counterparts. Originality/value The study makes significant contributions to the existing knowledge in the area of students’ performance by empirically supporting the theoretical expectation of the impact of gender on accounting students’ performance. It provides a foundation for future comparative studies, potentially leading to the harmonization of international accounting education. It also addresses some of the shortfalls in the existing regional accounting education literature resulting from the scarcity of prior studies, where little has been published.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Zainal

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to measure the impact of entrepreneurial profile dimensions on the career development of the youth community in Kuwait. Further, this study aims to measure the moderating effect of entrepreneurial education on entrepreneurial profile dimensions and entrepreneurial career development (ECD) relationship. Design/methodology/approach The study will use a quantitative research methodology. This study is focussed on measuring the impact of these eight entrepreneurial profiles, namely, self-efficacity; opportunity detector abilities; creativity; persistence; risk-taking propensity; sociability; planning abilities and leadership skills as independent variables on the ECD as a dependent variable. Entrepreneurship education is considered as moderating variable. A structured questionnaire is distributed to 200 students who study at the College of Business Administration, Kuwait University (KU), where 170 students responded positively and the response rate was 85%. The evaluation of the proposed model was done through structural equation modelling analysis. Findings The results will show how these dimensions impact the decision on the ECD. Research limitations/implications This research is conducted only in one college of KU and the findings cannot be used to generalise the impact of these dimensions on the career development of all young people of Kuwait. Originality/value There are very few studies about entrepreneurship in general in Kuwait and this research will be an additional value and contribution in this field for a particular context. It is the first effort to measure the impact of entrepreneurial profile dimensions on career development in Kuwait, and this research will be a good base for similar studies in other Gulf Cooperation Council Countries and beyond.


2014 ◽  
Vol 56 (5) ◽  
pp. 430-446 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris S. Hodkinson ◽  
Arthur E. Poropat

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide for Western educators of international Chinese and Confucian Heritage Culture (CHC) students the first integrated review of kiasu, the “fear of missing out”, and its consequences for learning, teaching, and future research. Design/methodology/approach – A review of the economic importance of international Chinese students is provided, followed by consideration of the pedagogical consequences of restricted participation in educational activities by the so-called “silent Chinese student”. Examination of research on international Chinese students and their source cultures established significant gaps and misunderstandings in the generally accepted understandings of CHCs, especially with respect to the actual practices used in Western and Chinese teaching. More importantly, the participation-related implications of kiasu within the context of broader cultural characteristics are described and implications drawn for teaching practices and research. Findings – While many Western university teachers are aware of the “silent Chinese student” phenomenon, few understand its underlying reasons, especially the kiasu mindset and its relationship to other cultural elements. Kiasu actively impedes the interaction of international Chinese students with their teachers and restricts collaboration with peers, thereby limiting educational achievement. Specific tactics for amelioration are reviewed and recommendations are provided, while an agenda for future research is outlined. Practical implications – Western teachers need to normalise and encourage Chinese student participation in class activities using tactics that have been demonstrated to improve outcomes for Chinese students, but that also assist students generally. These include both within-class and electronic interaction tools. Social implications – More culturally sensitive understanding of the impact of cultural differences on teaching effectiveness. While some effective responses to these already exist, further research is needed to expand the skill-set of Western teachers who work with international Chinese students. Originality/value – This paper provides the first systematic integration of the kiasu phenomenon with educational practice and research.


2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wan Noor Hazlina Wan Jusoh ◽  
Suraya Ahmad

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore the use of iMindMap software as an interactive tool in the teaching and learning method and also to be able to consider iMindMap as an alternative instrument in achieving the ultimate learning outcome. Design/methodology/approach Out of 268 students of the management accounting at the University of Technology MARA (Terengganu), 97 students have participated in this survey to evaluate the effectiveness of iMindMap in teaching and learning. Findings Results indicate that the majority of the students acknowledged that iMindMap is more attractive than conventional teaching methods and found that iMindMap shows clearly how the points are all associated and linked together. Students could find that learning is an exciting experience and were able to visualize the whole course content remarkably via iMindMap. Originality/value This study presents an alternative instrument, which is innovative and interactive in teaching and learning, especially for accounting students where the students’ technology acceptance could also be viewed.


2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 9-12
Author(s):  
Emily McGinn ◽  
Meagan Duever

Purpose This paper aims to detail the use of ESRs ArcMap in the undergraduate history classroom, as an example of pedagogical inquiry and as a method for integrating digital humanities (DH) tools and methods directly into humanities research and pedagogy. Design/methodology/approach This class is an example of pedagogical inquiry and a method for integrating DH tools and methods directly into humanities research and pedagogy. Findings With this approach, students see the immediate application of DH to traditional humanities objects of study and aid these in the pursuit of innovative research questions and methods. Originality/value The use of DH in traditional humanities classrooms as a central concept with experts from the libraries integrated into course design and project planning is unique and is a model that could be implemented at other institutions.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document