Motives, Expectations and Preparedness of Accounting Students while Going for Higher Education - Research Proposal Example

RESEARCH PROPOSAL TEMPLATE Proposed What are the motives, expectations and preparedness of accounting while going for higher education 2. Background or Rationale of the Project Education is the basic need for the young ones to learn about the society and the civilization. It is considered a fundamental human right, as has been set forth as an important element in the United Nation's Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Human Rights Covenants, which have force of international laws. Therefore, respective governments have always tried to implement policies which help in making their people informed citizens. But at the same time, professional education helps in training people for practical and training work so that they can independently live their life and thus help their governments. Civic engagement happens to be a prime factor for smooth functioning of any government. The MacFarlane Report (1992), described the nature of learning in higher education as depending on the ability to transform the knowledge presented - the ability to relate the knowledge to what is already known, to make personal sense of it, and so be able to use it in novel contexts. This study is therefore an effort to find out what are the key motives for students for taking 'accounting as a subject for higher studies. An effort would also be made to find out how the students prepare themselves for successful completion of the course in order to meet their expectations. 3. Preliminary Review of the Literature Today we are in an era dominated by the technological advancements in almost all areas of our life. Accounting is one such field which has evolved over the years in line with the changes taking place around us. Accounting as such is used for maintaining the account of quantitative information about the transactions involving finances and resources. In other words it is the process of identifying, measuring, handling and communicating the financial information about different economic entities for being used by the concerned parties. How this information is used by the company and the persons handling the information helps in classifying it in managerial and financial accounting. Byrne and Flood (2005) in their study on similar lines found out that 'majority of the students enter higher education with laudable motives, feeling well prepared and reasonably confident about their success, but a number the students enrol themselves into such courses even with worries of low expectations. Today education can be imparted from anywhere to any part of the world, thanks to the advancements in Information Technology. The process can be simultaneous as well as at the user's convenience, depending upon the urgency and requirements. Therefore, besides the traditional campus based education, now we can also make use of e-campuses. This helps in going for higher education even after the individual starts working in the industry. In such cases the motive will surely be an expectation of reaching to the higher echelons in the hierarchy. Deci et al. (1991) came out with the suggestion that the 'extrinsic motivation' for undertaking a decision can be divided into three discrete, externally-stimulated regulatory processes, namely identified, interjected, and external regulation. Some of the earlier studies clearly identify that financial rewards, job availability, job security, opportunities for promotion and flexible career options are some of the motives which drive students towards pursuing higher studies in accounts and finances. When technology comes out with newer versions of the facts and figures at regular intervals, the students too are required to have updated information about the evolving truth and the process that has brought about the changes. For example, the process of accounting has undergone a major change with the use of computers and IT. In fact such changes also find a reflection in the way accounts books are maintained. New accounting standards like International Financial Reporting Standards or IFRS make good use of the latest advancements. With many countries adopting these standards by replacing the existing GAAP, accounting students find it a necessity to go for higher degrees in accounting. This can be termed as another motive for students to go for higher learning. A number of studies have been undertaken in the past to analyse how the students prepared themselves for higher learning and to what extent they were able to fulfil those expectations. For example, Lowe and Cook (2003) tried to elicit the expectations of pre-enrolment first year students and subsequently compared these expectations with their first two months at the university. This study finds out that in case of wider gap in expectations and achievements, the higher learning fails to have desired impact on the student. The study further suggests that the institute offering the higher learning must therefore provide adequate academic, attitudinal and social preparation for the students to cope up with the pulls and pressures. Most of these studies have preferred survey and questionnaire method over other methods of data collection. Preparing a questionnaire according to the course, content, region, educational standard helps on localising the questionnaire and thus gaining more relevant information from the students. Literature review, with the help of existing studies, in turn helps in setting a respectable benchmark. 4. Research Questions and Objectives The main intention of the study is to develop a better understanding of the concepts of higher learning in general and what are the key motives and expectations for undertaking degrees in accounts and finances in particular. During the study some institutes will be identified to administer the questionnaire and collect the data for further analysis. The research questions for the study are; 1. What are the latest trends in the field of accounting 2. What are the avenues available to the students for learning about the latest developments 3. Why the student/s opt for a particular course and institute to carry out the studies 4. How the students prepare themselves for such courses 5. How the institutes try to ascertain the needs of the industry and students and subsequently integrate them into the courses in order to make the course contemporary The study is being undertaken with the following key objectives. 1 To establish a well analysed relationship between academic study and practical learning 2. To find out how the institutes have integrated latest accounting standards into their curriculum. 3. To find out the available job opportunities for the students coming out of the institutes. 4. Prerequisite for being successful in the industry is to be armed with updated information on the subject. The industry in turn is on the lookout for candidates who are better equipped to perform the job. This increases the level of competition. An effort would be made to analyse the levels of competition as well. 5. Research Plan Research Design: Research approaches and methods radically influence research content and, consequently, the policies designed in response to that content. Research philosophy is a belief about the way in which data about a phenomenon should be gathered, analyzed and used. This thesis is mainly a qualitative case study focusing on an analysis of the higher education scenario in accounting in particular. Therefore the process of research would involve main stages like literature review, questionnaire design, sample size formation, administering the questionnaire, soliciting responses, analysing the responses and arriving at the conclusion. Data Collection: To collect data during such a study in general, we resort to two main approaches; (i). Deductive Reasoning, which works from the more general to the more specific subjects. Sometimes this is informally called a "top-down" approach. In such approach we take up the 'theory' and then try to apply it to the hypotheses that we intend to test. Gradually we narrow down to the testing of data and observations for their applicability to the theory/ theories to arrive at a confirmation of its applicability or not. (ii). The Inductive approach on the other hand begins with collecting data, specific observations, which then lead to broader generalization and theories. Such an approach in called as "bottom up" approach. The patterns thus detected are formulated into tentative hypotheses and we can therefore arrive at some general conclusion about our subject. This study will try to take an approach having a balanced mix of these two approaches. Carrying out a literature review can be done by sifting through a number of books and research journals on the subject. The contemporary research journals also carry articles and research papers from renowned scholars and other research students. News reports in newspapers and current affairs magazines prove to be another source of data for the study. Since the subject is an emerging field in terms of business propositions and economics, therefore a lot of developmental news items are available in the public domain. In addition to finding data from secondary sources, a brief questionnaire would also be prepared to assess the expectations and satisfaction level of students as far as a higher degree in accounting is concerned. The sample size could be of about 100 students from two to three different colleges. In addition views of colleges and industry will also be taken on the subject. The questionnaire itself can be in three parts; Part A will contain the demographic characteristics of the respondents and this will serve as the profile of the respondents. This will include their gender, age, employment, and affiliations profile. Part B will determine the behaviour and attitudes of the respondents as to how they perceive the importance of higher education in accounting and how they are preparing themselves for that. Part C will assess and identify the possible implications of some of the decisions taken by the industry on the course content and design at the institutions of higher learning. Data Analysis: Simple frequency tables will be used to help in drawing out and sorting the information gathered from the returned questionnaires. An effort would also be made to indicate the number of responses reflecting each possible answer and the number of unique responses, on the accompanying tables. These findings will subsequently be pulled together into a report format with preliminary notes and comments used to explain the presented information in detail. The data will subsequently be put together in the shape of pie-chart or bar-charts in order to do the comparison and arrive at the outcome. Limitations: Considering the nature of the subject of the study, more time and resources would be involved especially in determining the sample size and data collection. At times the sample respondents might not be willing to come out with their responses. In the course of the collection of the data required by this study, the time constraints might make it difficult to follow through other possible investigations which may lead to a more in depth analysis. Much time will be spent in devising the questionnaires and agreeing with the concerned groups or individuals for administering the questionnaire. 6. Ethical Considerations Whilst this study required participation of human subjects, consent and confidentiality will be a significant issue. This study would communicate its aim and purpose to the participants through the covering letter accompanying the questionnaires. The covering letter will also list the contact information of the researchers and other details. By providing this relevant information, the research participants will be made aware about the study prior to completing or sharing any information. Acquiring informed consent is vital to a researcher. Such a consent document serves as protection both for participants and for the researchers involved. The BES Ethics Guidelines would certainly serve a useful purpose in undertaking the study in an unbiased and truthful manner. 7. Timetable and any special resources required Timeline for the project: Submission of Proposal: October 10, 2009 Interaction with the Tutor: November 11, 2009 Inclusion of suggestions by the tutor: November 15, 2009 Preparation of questionnaire: December 10, 2009 Data gathering, Lit Review etc December 12, 2009 Compiling the Modules January 7, 2010 Review of all details and requirements January 22, 2010 Submission of the Project February 2, 2010 8. References 1. Byrne, M. and Flood, B. (2005). A study of accounting students' motives, expectations and preparedness for higher education. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 29(2). 2. Deci, E.L., Vallerand, R.J., Pelletier, L.G. & Ryan, R.M. (1991). 'Motivation and education: the self-determination perspective'. Cited in Della M. A. Fazey & John A. Fazey (2001). 'The Potential for Autonomy in Learning: perceptions of competence, motivation and locus of control in first-year undergraduate students'. Studies in Higher Education. Volume 26, No. 3. 3. Lowe, Houston and Cook, Anthony (2003). Mind the Gap: Are the Students prepared for Higher Education Journal of Further and Higher Education. Vol. 27, number-1. 4. MacFarlane Report (1992), Teaching and Learning in an Expanding Higher Education System (Committee of Scottish University Principals, Report of a Working Party). As referred in Landen, Mary (1997). 'The role of technology in education and training'. Industrial and Commercial Training Volume 29, Number 7, 1997, pp. 230-235. Excluded from the word count Read More