Transferable skills enhancement through small group work: an analysis of the perceptions of accounting undergraduate students’ in Irish Institutes of Technology to the development of transferable skills

Abstract

Traditionally undergraduate accounting degree programmes focused on technical excellence in accounting skills. However professional accountancy bodies and employers increasingly expect graduates to possess a combination of technical skills and ‘softer’ transferable skills such as interpersonal skills, teamwork skills, and communication skills. One pedagogical technique recommended in the literature for enhancing transferable skills is small group work. This dissertation focuses on students’ perceptions of the transferable skills most important for career success and explores the similarities and differences between students’ attitudes and employer expectations. In addition, the effectiveness of small group work for developing transferable skills is examined. This dissertation met the research objectives through a review of relevant literature and the implementation of empirical research. The latter was achieved through a survey approach where questionnaires were administered to final year undergraduate accounting students in five Irish Institutes of Technology. The research produced a number of key findings: students were unaware of the importance of transferable skills until the latter stages of their degree; students’ considered oral communication the most important transferable skill for career progression, followed by presentation, written communication, and teamwork skills; student and employer views were found to be largely convergent; and in terms of transferable skills development, students considered small group work an effective pedagogy for eliciting all 18 transferable skills covered in this study. Statistical tests indicate no difference in attitudes towards the development of transferable skills based on exposure to small group work, although the study did reveal that male students perceived leadership skills to be more developed than female students. The main conclusions drawn from this study are that Institutes of Technology should develop awareness campaigns and provide guidance to students on transferable skills development. Furthermore, academics should consider a balanced approach to assessment that enables all students to develop all transferable skills