The Impact Of The Principles Of Accounting Experience On Student Preparation For Intermediate Accounting

Abstract

Both students and instructors alike will generally agree that intermediate accounting courses are among the most difficult and demanding in an accounting or finance curriculum, and perhaps even on the college campus. Intermediate accounting contains subject matter which requires a higher level of thinking and a greater ability to process prior knowledge than do most other courses the student has been exposed to. Intermediate accounting is also very important for accounting majors as it serves as the basis for much of their future accounting coursework. Obviously, it is of paramount importance that students enter Intermediate Accounting I properly prepared for the course. This research examines the preparation level of Intermediate I students. In particular, this study investigates whether three specific factors relating to the principles of accounting course affect a student’s preparation for intermediate accounting. The three factors are: the grade earned in the principles of accounting course, the type of school where the principles of accounting course was taken, and the amount of time that elapsed between the principles course and the intermediate course. This research differs from prior research in this area in that prior research focused on factors affecting performance in intermediate and the current research focus is on preparation for the course. Results of this research include the finding that preparation for intermediate accounting is associated with both the grade earned in principles and the amount of time that elapses between principles and intermediate. While no association is found between the type of school where principles is taken and the level of preparation for intermediate, the results indicate that students who take principles of accounting at a 2-year school are more likely to delay taking intermediate accounting. It appears that students who take principles of accounting at a 2-year school may be less prepared for intermediate, not because of the2-year school per se, but rather because of the associated delay in taking intermediate accounting. These results should be of interest to advisors of future accounting and finance majors, instructors teaching intermediate accounting as well as to individual students planning the timing of their coursework.