NEEDS ASSESSMENT OF TEACHING METHODS USED FOR IMPLEMENTING ACCOUNTING EDUCATION CURRICULUM IN FEDERAL COLLEGES OF EDUCATION IN SOUTH-SOUTH NIGERIA

The study is a needs assessment of teaching methods used for implementing accounting education curriculum in federal colleges of education in South-South Nigeria. One research question guided the study and one null hypothesis was tested at a 0.05 level of significance. The study adopted a sequential explanatory mixed methods research design. The entire population of 216 (68 accounting educators and 148 final-year accounting education students) was studied without sampling. A five-point rating scale questionnaire which was validated by experts and a semi-structured interview schedule was used for data collection. The questionnaire has a reliability coefficient value of 0.91 using the internal consistency method with Cronbach alpha. Mean, standard deviation, and t-tests were used to analyze quantitative data while thematic analysis was used for qualitative data. The study revealed that graduating accounting education students in federal technical and conventional colleges of education in South-South Nigeria agreed that different teaching methods were occasionally used for implementing the accounting education curriculum. No gap exists between graduating students in federal technical and conventional colleges of education on the teaching methods frequently used by accounting educators for implementing the curriculum but the hypothesis revealed that a gap exists but is not significant. Furthermore, teacher-led instruction was the theme identified. The study concluded that graduating students' exposure to excessive traditional-based instructional delivery will not only affect their acquisition of critical thinking and creativity skills but may also affect their employability profile and productivity in the labor market. It was recommended among others that the National Commission for Colleges of Education should partner with the management of federal colleges of education in South-South Nigeria to organize capacity-building programs for accounting educators on varieties of instructional methodologies that can be used for greater instructional outcomes. This will go a long way in ensuring that accounting education graduates can demonstrate mastery of accounting concepts and acquire accounting skills for effective performance in the workplace.