Strategies used by Accounting teachers to teach Accounting concepts in Grade 10: a case study of Accounting teachers in Pinetown District.

Abstract

This study explored strategies used to teach Accounting concepts in Grade 10 in Pinetown district. The study was driven by two research questions: • What teaching strategies do Accounting teachers use to teach Accounting concepts in Grade 10 in Pinetown Education District? and • How do Accounting teachers use these strategies to teach Accounting concepts in Grade 10 in Pinetown District? A qualitative approach was employed along with the interpretivist paradigm to underpin the study. As a result, two instruments of data collection, focus group and semi-structured individual interviews, were used to explore the views of the five participants who were conveniently and purposively sampled. Participants for the study included five Grade 10 Accounting teachers from five schools. The study was framed using Shulman (1986)’s theory on teacher knowledge. Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) is one of the components of teacher knowledge. The teacher needs to have knowledge of the content as well as of the learners being taught. Consequently, teacher knowledge emphasises enabling teachers to fulfill their primary role of teaching subject matter using suitable pedagogical ideologies and skills. The study focuses on the strategies teachers use to teach Accounting concepts in Grade 10. Data generated was analyzed thematically. The findings of the study revealed strategies teachers use to teach Accounting: the use of a conceptual approach as a point of departure in teaching Accounting; the use of explanation and ICT to introduce new concepts; the use of a relational approach in teaching accounting, and the use of written work to consolidate learning of new knowledge and learner involvement as a teaching approach.