An Investigation of Students’ Study Habits and Teaching Methods toward the Acquisition and Development of Accounting Skills

Abstract

Employers in fields such as accounting have expressed concerns that graduates are inadequately prepared for the workforce, lack general job readiness, and lack the skills needed to succeed in an accounting career. There is also a mismatch between what employers expect and what graduates can demonstrate. (Heriel, 2023) The purpose of this study was to investigate how student study habits and teaching methods affect the acquisition and development of these essential accounting skills. A sample of 350 third-year accounting students was randomly selected from three higher learning institutions in the Mbeya Region. Using a descriptive cross-sectional research design, structured questionnaires were administered to collect student data, which were then analyzed using SPSS version 25. The study revealed no statistically significant differences in perceptions of teaching methods among male and female accounting students. Furthermore, the results revealed that students generally possess weak, unstructured, and shallow study habits. However, the teaching methods they experienced align closely with standard, skill-developing approaches frequently cited in specialized literature, including discussions, teamwork, demonstrations, and problem-based learning.