Engaging First-year Accounting Pre-service Teachers in Learning through Social Media Groups

This article sought to explore the experiences of Accounting Education pre-service teachers’ learning through social media groups. The study adopted a qualitative case study of twenty first-year pre-service Accounting teachers who were selected purposively. Data was generated using semi-structured individual telephonic and WhatsApp-based focus group interviews. The study employed thematic data analysis to analyse pre-service teachers’ learning expriences. What emerged from the findings is that WhatsApp groups allowed communal construction and sharing of knowledge and skills. Meeting in small WhatsApp groups nurtured a continuous supportive environment that provided a variety of perspectives and solutions. The study revealed that constraints due to the nature of financial problems and scenarios placed restrictions on the quality of interaction and the type of learning that took place through WhatsApp groups. The findings of the study have shown that Moodle as a learning site is not proficient in offering pre-service teachers all Accounting teaching and learning materials; there is, therefore, a need to supplement it with social media platforms, since students are acquainted with them. It is envisaged that this paper will make timeous theoretical contributions to the scholarship of teaching and learning to enhance the integration of social media in teaching and learning. Keywords: Accounting, pre-service teachers, social media, student teachers, WhatsApp groups.