It’s Not My Job to Teach Them How to Write: Accounting Academics and Their Students’ Writing Development

Abstract

Increasing numbers of second-language (L2) students are enrolling in intensive Master of Professional Accounting (MPA) programmes offered by universities all around the world. MPA graduates require strong English writing skills but developing these can be challenging. This research project addressed the problem of writing development from a methodological point of view. Problem-based methodology (PBM) was used to investigate the opportunity to learn to write (OTLTW) that MPA academics provide to L2 students. The research involved three phases. Firstly, an analysis of institutional and programme documentation from all eight New Zealand universities examined the importance placed on students’ writing skills. This study was followed by a series of in-depth critical dialogue interviews to investigate the OTLTW practice of 14 MPA academics. MPA students from a large New Zealand university were invited to complete two questionnaires and engage in critical dialogue to examine their perceptions of the ways the OTLTW is provided. The second phase of the research involved an intervention with four academics to check the accuracy of the Phase 1 findings, reveal further insights into the problem of practice and recommend improvements for OTLTW teaching practice. The final phase of the research investigated the impact of the intervention through a focus group. Findings indicated that strong communication skills are seen as essential graduate attributes by universities and their MPA programmes. MPA academics typically require students to submit a lengthy assignment in which the quality of the writing is graded but often do not provide useful feedback on this writing. The academics who participated in the intervention proved willing to make innovative changes to their teaching practice that may lead to greater improvements in L2 students’ writing. The success of the intervention shows that a collaborative, whole-programme approach that involves double-loop learning can effectively change academics’ OTLTW practice. Such an approach could yield positive changes to academics’ practice in many other areas of higher education.