Pre-service Accounting education teachers’ experiences of active learning through group work at a university in South Africa
Abstract
This article explores pre-service teachers’ experiences of active learning through group work in Accounting Education. The study employed a qualitative case study. Data were obtained through semi-structured individual and focus group interviews from forty purposively selected pre-service Accounting teachers. Reflective journals were used to supplement the interviews. Thematic data analysis was used to analyse pre-service teachers’ experiences. What emerged from the findings is that participants acknowledged the role of group work in assisting their learning by creating a supportive social environment that allows opportunities for active learning. The majority of the pre-service teachers, including those who are usually shy and less assertive, were inspired to express themselves in a more relaxed manner without being ridiculed. Engagement in small group work led to positive interdependence and interaction while developing interpersonal and social skills. Diversity in members created spaces for students to create diverse analytical approaches to resolving Accounting problems.
References
Afacan, Y. 2016. “Exploring the effectiveness of blended learning in interior design education.” Innovations in Education and Teaching International 53(5): 508‒518.
Ayeni, A. J. 2011. “Teachers’ Professional Development and Quality Assurance in Nigerian Secondary Schools.” World Journal of Education 1(1): 143‒149.
Baloche, L. and M. B. Brody. 2017. “Cooperative learning: Exploring challenges, crafting innovations.” Journal of Education for Teaching 43(3): 274‒283.
Blessinger, P. 2017. “Reaching hard to reach students through student learning communities.” The Journal of Educational Innovation, Partnership and Change 3(1): 259‒261
Cohen, L., L. Manion, and K. Morrison. 2018. Research methods in Education. 7th Edition. New York: Routledge.
Crawford, R. and L. E. Jenkins. 2018. “Making pedagogy tangible: Developing skills and knowledge using a team teaching and blended learning approach.” Australian Journal of Teacher Education 43(1): 126‒147.
Creswell, J. W. 2014. Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. 4th Edition. London, England: Sage.
Davidson, N. and C. H. Major. 2014. “Boundary crossing: Cooperative learning, collaborative learning, and problem-based learning.” Journal on Excellence in College Teaching 25(3and4): 7‒55.
Edwards, S. and J. Nuttall. 2016. “Contemporary pre-service and in-service teacher education: New learning and new demands.” Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education 44(3): 205‒207.
Erasmus, L. J. and H. Fourie. 2018. “Inclusive accountancy programmes in South African higher education: A revised teaching approach.” Accounting Education 27(5): 495‒512.
Frick, H., J. Birt, and J. Waters. 2020. “Enhancing student engagement in large management accounting lectures.” Accounting and Finance 60(1): 271‒298.
Frykedal, K. F. and E. H. Chiriac. 2018. “Student Collaboration in Group Work: Inclusion as Participation.” International Journal of Disability, Development and Education 65(2): 183‒198.
Gillies, R. M. 2016. “Cooperative learning: Review of research and practice.” Australian Journal of Teacher Education 41(3): 39‒54.
Johnson, D. W. and R. T. Johnson. 2002. “Learning together and alone: Overview and meta-analysis.” Asia Pacific Journal of Education 22: 995‒1005.
Johnson, D. W. and R. T. Johnson. 2017. “The use of cooperative procedures in teacher education and professional development.” Journal of Education for Teaching 43(3): 284‒295.
Johnson, D. W., R. T. Johnson, and K. A. Smith. 2014. “Cooperative learning: Improving university instruction by basing practice on validated theory.” Journal on Excellence in University Teaching 25(4): 85‒118.
Jolliffe, W. and J. Snaith. 2017. “Developing cooperative learning in initial teacher education: Indicators for implementation.” Journal of Education for Teaching 43(3): 307‒315
Kong, S. 2014. “Developing in information literacy and critical thinking skills through domain knowledge learning in digital classrooms: An experience of practicing flipped classroom strategy.” Computers and Education 78: 160‒173.
Kwarteng, J. T. 2014. “Use of instructional resources in Senior High School accounting lessons: The tale of teachers and learners.” International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications 4(10): 1‒6.
Little, C. 2015. “The flipped classroom in further education: Literature review and case study.” Research in Post Compulsory Education 20(3): 265‒279.
Mathias, A. 2014. “Active learning in the science classroom.” Honors Projects, 113. Bowling Green State University, Ohio.
McMillan, J. H. and S. Schumacher. 2014. “Research in Education: Evidence-Based Inquiry.” My Education Lab Series. Pearson.
Myers, L. P. 2016. “Knowledge structures and their relevance for teaching and learning in introductory Financial Accounting.” South African Journal of Accounting Research 30(1): 79‒95.
Ngwenya, J. C. 2016. “Rural as potential, not pathology: A case of rural Accounting teachers’ practices in South Africa.” Journal of Human Ecology 53(1): 39‒48.
Nouri, J. 2016. “The flipped classroom: For active, effective and increased learning – especially for low achievers”. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education 13(1): 1‒10.
Okoro, J. 2015. “Strategies for enhancing quality assurance in business teacher education programme in Nigerian universities”. Journal of Education and Practice 6(12): 202‒208.
Pereira, L. and B. M. Sithole. 2020. “Learner-Centred Pedagogy in Accounting: Understanding Its Meaning from a Bernsteinian Perspective.” African Educational Research Journal 8(1): 20‒30.
Phan, L. T. 2018. “An Evaluation of using Group Work to improve Speaking Fluency for First Year Non-Majored English Students at Dong Nai Technology University.” International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research 17(12): 78‒98.
Schul, J. E. 2011. “Revisiting an old friend: The practice and promise of cooperative learning for the twenty-first century.” The Social Studies 102(2): 88‒93.
Sharan, Y. 2010. “Cooperative Learning for Academic and Social Gains: Valued pedagogy, problematic practice.” European Journal of Education 45(2): 300‒313.
Shimazoe, J. and H. Aldrich. 2010. “Group work can be gratifying: Understanding and overcoming resistance to cooperative learning.” College Teaching 58(2): 52‒57.
Thomson, F. and H. L. “Washington. 2015. Critical thinking skills and teaching accounting: A comparative study.” Journal of Finance and Accounting 19: 1‒18.
Yin, R. K. 2018. Case Study Research Design and Methods. 6th Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publishing.
Copyright (c) 2021 Jabulisile Chamane Ngwenya
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
This journal is an open access journal, and the authors and journal should be properly acknowledged, when works are cited.
Authors, copyright holders, may use the publishers version for teaching purposes, in books, theses, dissertations, conferences and conference papers.
A copy of the authors' publishers version may also be hosted on the following websites:
- Non-commercial personal homepage or blog.
- Institutional webpage.
- Authors Institutional Repository.
The following notice should accompany such a posting on the website: This is an electronic version of an article published in SAJHE, Volume XXX, number XXX, pages XXX “XXX", DOI. Authors should also supply a hyperlink to the original paper or indicate where the original paper (http://www.journals.ac.za/index.php/SAJHE) may be found.
Authors publishers version, affiliated with the Stellenbosch University will be automatically deposited in the University Institutional Repository SUNScholar.
Articles as a whole, may not be re-published with another journal.
The following license applies:
Attribution CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
