Teachers’ experiences of teaching Accounting in the context of curriculum changes in South Africa

Abstract

Accounting as a subject is plagued by persistent changes because of shifts in the discipline originating from the developments in the profession. This study focuses on teachers’ experiences of teaching Accounting as a subject during the time of curriculum change. It adopts an interpretive qualitative case study design to get a thorough understanding of Accounting teachers’ experiences. Data were obtained through reflective journals and semistructured interviews from five purposively selected Accounting teachers. The results of the findings indicated that Accounting teachers often struggle to teach new content as learners lacked adequate background knowledge needed to learn Accounting in succeeding grades. The unique language of the subject, shortage of textbooks and insufficient assessment activities in the textbooks constrained the teaching of Accounting. In addition, school management and Accounting specialists were found wanting in terms of the support offered to teachers as well as and providing regular advisory services to them because of insufficient knowledge of the subject and inadequate supervision skills. The study recommended that heads of departments should be fully trained on curriculum changes in their subjects to be able to provide guidance and supervise teachers under their leadership. On-going support should be provided by the subject advisors in schools to assist teachers with challenging topics and teaching strategies.