Accounting and Academic literacies: The educational dilemma

Presenter

Abstract

For many students, English is not their first language. The ability to read and write in English is the key to their success at University. Further to this, for a student to be successful in accounting, knowledge of mathematics is required. A large number of Unisa students are from rural areas in South Africa. Due to the fact that properly qualified mathematics teachers are not always available, students in accounting might experience a challenge to understand basic accounting principles. The rural students do not have access to all the support that is available to students from urban areas.

The educational dilemma is that for many accounting students, it can be seen that they have to overcome both a language and numeracy barrier. It is therefore essential that student support does not only include support for the academic syllabus but also for language and basic numeracy. This presentation aims to provide a brief overview of innovative ideas on how to address the educational dilemma that accounting students are experiencing.

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