A Comparative Review of the Need for Accounting Education Change in Selected Countries

This chapter reviews the need for accounting education change in selected countries to determine whether commonalities exist. Beginning with the need for accounting education change in the United States and the promotion and acknowledgment of the Accounting Education Change Commission (AECC) initiatives in that country, the chapter proceeds to examine the accounting education reforms in three selected English-speaking countries with developed accounting systems. I find that in these selected countries, the emphasis, like the United States, was also on the nurturing of generic skills as opposed to acquiring just technical knowledge. These countries were leaning toward implementation of changes based on the philosophy of the AECC initiatives, although some were initiated prior to the formation of AECC. Hence, for any accounting education change in developing countries, these initiatives are highly recommended as a basis for accounting curriculum development and pedagogical considerations.