research

“Can I use what I learnt at work?” Accounting education-practice gap

Abstract

Approaching graduation, the first question for every student is “Will I be able to find a job?” If they find a job, the next question will properly be “Can I perform well at work” This research investigated whether students can use what they have learned when they start work, whether there is a gap, and what gap exists between accounting education and the requirements of practice. This study aims to identify the gap of expectation, skill obtained and skills required between student and practitioners’ point of view. This will provide information to students on what areas should they be paying attention to during study, and inform educators on where gaps exist, and brief employers on areas a graduate of accounting education may lack, so focused training can be provided. A questionnaire was designed using free survey tool Qualtrics. Questions were adapted from four different sources. The survey was sent to a Wintec CBITE accounting tutor. With their consent and permission, the survey link was posted onto a Moodle page to share with Wintec CBITE students. The researcher then collected data though Qualtrics. Analysis was done though Excel. A table was created for each question. Some answers were modified to match the literature’s format of presenting their result to show a fairer and equal comparison. The researcher received a total of 26 responses.,20 of which were from accounting major students. However, only 15 out of the 20 had completed the whole questionnaire. Comparison of the results gained from this study contrast with the literature. Conclusions and recommendations are still to be made

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