A multi-method perspective on developing professional accounting graduates in a social constructivist learning context through self-authorship and career self-management

Jo-Anne Kestel

Accounting education is expected to provide learning experiences that meet the requirements of employers and prepare graduates for their career, despite the rapidly changing nature of work. Accounting education favours a dual qualification system where a university degree is followed by practical experience post-graduation. This approach has been criticised for separating learning from practice and for failing to afford learning experiences that develop the knowledge, skills and understanding graduates need to be work ready for employment within the accounting profession. Drawing on critical realism and social constructivism, this thesis proposes that extant accounting education focused on content delivery, needs to afford learning experiences that emphasise professional socialisation, identity development and industry understanding to better support graduate work readiness. The outcomes of a multi-method study with employers (n=21) and students (n=221) using structural equation modelling revealed that there are a range of skills – soft, enterprise, initial professional and practical professional, which impact students’ perceptions of work readiness. The interaction and intersection of these skills and how they influence self-efficacy, understanding and identity is complex and not uniform. Specifically, the study showed that anticipatory socialisation activities, self-authorship and career-self management empower graduates to feel work ready and develops professional identity which connects students to their future career and to themselves. These relationships were influenced by industry understanding and relevant work experiences. A range of unique variables were identified and measured, including perceived work readiness, industry understanding and anticipatory socialisation. Empirical support was found for the influence of anticipatory socialisation on students’ employability skills which has hitherto been missing from accounting graduate employability research. Two separate research streams were amalgamated in this research which culminated in an integrated framework for developing work ready accounting graduates The important role that industry understanding plays in moderating students’ perceived work readiness was also identified.

A multi-method perspective on developing professional accounting graduates in a social constructivist learning context through self-authorship and career self-management

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