An Exploration of Learning Styles and Approaches for the Academic Success of First-year Accounting Students – A Case Study of a Rural University of Technology in South Africa

An Exploration of Learning Styles and Approaches for the Academic Success of First-year Accounting Students – A Case Study of a Rural University of Technology in South Africa

Matsolo Mokhampanyane

Issue: Vol.6 No.9 Article 17 pp.1990 – 2002
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20256917 | Published online 28th August, 2025
© 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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ABSTRACT

This empirical study explored the challenges related to learning styles and teaching approaches that influence the academic success of first-year accounting students. The major challenge first-year accounting students face is that their learning styles do not resonate well with their lecturers’ teaching styles, leading to poor academic performance during assessments. The study was based was the Lev Vygotsky’s theory of Social Constructivism. This qualitative study adopted an interpretive paradigm, with the participation of five first-year accounting students. Interviews were used to collect data from the research participants, and a thematic approach was employed to analyse the collected data. The participants responded to the research question – What challenges hinder learning styles and approaches to teaching first-year accounting students, and how can these challenges be mitigated? The study found that, despite lecturers’ teaching efforts to accommodate students’ learning styles, overcrowded classes hinder the resonance of these learning styles and teaching approaches as efforts that could improve the academic performance of first-year Accounting students. In light of these findings, the study recommends that lecturers consider collaborative discussions as best practice in teaching first-year accounting students. The study recommends various teaching methods, such as interpersonal and interactive learning, to accommodate the diverse learning styles of the students. The study champions innovative teaching approaches that improve engagement and motivation, achieve quality education, and nurture an informed and skilled generation capable of contributing to a sustainable future, improving educational outcomes and fostering a positive learning environment.

Keywords: Accounting, Learning Styles, Teaching Approaches, Student Teachers, First Year, Social Constructivism.

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ABOUT AUTHOR(S)

Prof. Matsolo Mokhampanyane is an Accounting Education Associate Professor in the Faculty of Humanities within the Department of Language and Social Science Education at Central University of Technology, Free State, South Africa. Her research focused more on Accounting content Knowledge, Pedagogical content knowledge, Transformative pedagogy, and Action research.

TO CITE ARTICLE

Mokhampanyane, Matsolo. “An Exploration of Learning Styles and Approaches for the Academic Success of First-year Accounting Students – A Case Study of a Rural University of Technology in South Africa,” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 6, no. 9 (2025): 1990 – 2002, https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20256917.