2006 Influences On Undergraduate Students' Intentions To Become Qualified Accountants Evidence From Australia

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Influences on Undergraduate Students'

Intentions to become Qualified
Accountants: Evidence from Australia
a b
Beverley Jackling & Claude Calero
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Deakin University, Australia
b
Government of Victoria, Australia
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To cite this article: Beverley Jackling & Claude Calero (2006): Influences on Undergraduate
Students' Intentions to become Qualified Accountants: Evidence from Australia, Accounting
Education: An International Journal, 15:4, 419-438
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Accounting Education: an international journal
Vol. 15, No. 4, 419 438, December 2006
Influences on Undergraduate Students

Intentions to become Qualified
Accountants: Evidence from Australia
BEVERLEY JACKLING & CLAUDE CALERO

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Deakin University, Australia, Government of Victoria, Australia
ABSTRACT In this study, first year commerce students in Australia were surveyed about their
perceptions of their accounting studies and their perceptions of the attributes required of
professional accountants. The paper specifically addresses the factors important in determining
whether first year students intend to become accountants. The study uses a logistic regression
model incorporating demographic and academic factors, as well as students perceptions of
the work of accountants, to predict intention to become an accountant. The results show that the
perception of importance of generic skills, intrinsic interest in the discipline area, and course
satisfaction were significant in determining intention to pursue a career as an accountant. As
many students formed their judgments about the work of accountants from their accounting
studies, the findings have implications for accounting educators in terms of the enthusiasm and
motivation required in teaching accounting, as well as curriculum development that reflects the
skill set required for an increasingly sophisticated business environment.
KEY WORDS : Perceptions of accounting, gender, intrinsic and extrinsic interest, course satisfaction
Introduction
In Australia, as in other parts of the western world, there has been a dramatic increase in
the number of students undertaking undergraduate business degrees particularly during the
1990s. Prior studies in Australia (e.g. Worthington and Higgs, 2003, p. 262) have shown
that there has been a 49.6% increase from 1990 to 1999 in the study of business majors and
degrees. Evidence suggests, however, that although the number of students studying
business degrees in Australia is increasing, the proportion choosing accounting as a
major study is declining (Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs, 2000).
The decline in accounting enrolments has been accompanied by a shortage of
university-trained professional accountants, which in Australia has rivaled the trade
skills crisis (Birrell et al., 2005). Birrell et al. (2005) claim that in Australia between
1996 and 2003, the growth rate requirement for professional employment outstripped
growth in domestic undergraduate university places. Although there has been an overall
growth in university places in Australia, the increase has been largely attributed to
Correspondence Address: Beverley Jackling, School of Accounting, Economics & Finance, Deakin University,
221 Buewood Highway, Burwood, Victoria 3125, Australia. Email: beverley.jackling@deakin.edu.au
0963-9284 Print=1468-4489 Online=06=04041920 # 2006 Taylor & Francis

DOI: 10.1080=09639280601011115
420 B. Jackling & C. Calero
the growth in the number of full fee-paying overseas places. These additional places have
not translated in the main to a growth in the number of university-trained professionals,
including accountants, to meet the demands of the recent boom in economic conditions.
Similarly in the USA, Albrecht and Sacks (2000) critical report indicated that accounting
majors have fallen dramatically, while in the UK a survey also indicated that the numbers
studying accounting at university have fallen (Accountancy, 2001).
A number of reasons have been given for the shortage of professional accountants
linked to the decline in the proportion of domestic students in Australia undertaking
accounting degrees. For instance, the increased popularity of competing business study
programs has been associated with the decline in the number of students completing
accounting qualifications (Worthington and Higgs, 2001). Several issues have been
linked with the choice of an accounting major, and more specifically choice of accounting
as a career path, including negative perceptions of the professional attributes required of
accountants. Negative views of the profession have also been linked with the view that
accounting requires good number skills (Mladenovic, 2000; Parker, 2001). Educational
experiences, including prior studies in accounting together with course experiences and
personal characteristics, such as gender (Nelson and Vendrzyk, 1996; Byrne and Willis,
2005) and socio-economic status (Pearson and Dellman-Jenkins, 1997) have been
identified with choice of major and career direction. Prior studies in accounting have
also addressed students personality and perceptions of the profession (Saemann and
Crooker, 1999; Jackling, 2002; Marriott and Marriott, 2003), together with financial and
job opportunities (Cebula and Lopes, 1982; Ahmed et al., 1997; Maudlin et al., 2000).
Prior studies, however, have not addressed the possible importance of the changing role
of accountants, in particular, the diminished role of compliance work and the subsequent
growth in the field of business advisory services. Future accountants will need to take on
the role of what Howieson (2003) terms knowledge workers, where important com-
ponents of an accountants skill set will be skills in analysis, innovative problem
solving, communications and client relations.
One objective of this study is to examine the likelihood of students choice of accounting
as a career path in the Australian context, taking into account a range of factors addressed in
prior literature mainly from studies conducted in the USA and the UK. Additionally, given
the changing work environment for accountants, the study aims to examine the likely impact
on career intentions of students perceptions of the importance of a range of generic skills.
The paper examines the following determinants of students intention to qualify as an
accountant: (i) background characteristics including gender, and prior studies of accounting;
(ii) students intrinsic and extrinsic interests in accounting; and (iii) perceptions of the
attributes required of an accountant.
The findings from this study therefore are expected to contribute to the existing
research in this field in two important ways. First, the study uses a logistic regression
model to estimate the extent to which identified variables influence first year students
intentions to pursue a career in accounting. Included in the variables are perceptions of
the importance of a number of generic skills, thus the study provides accounting educators
with insights into students awareness of these important skills linked with their intentions
to undertake a career in accounting. A second contribution of this paper is that the evi-
dence is based on data collected from a large sample of first year students in five Australian
universities. The results therefore are anticipated to provide a base for further comparison
with experiences from other countries. This broadly based Australian study of students
perceptions will inform accounting educators and regulatory authorities of the importance
of various influences on career intentions in accounting, given the existing shortage of
accounting graduates.
Influences on Undergraduates Intentions to Become Qualified Accountants 421
The remainder of the paper is organized as follows: the first section addresses the prior
research on the factors associated with students intentions to pursue careers in accounting.
The second section explains the research method adopted, the data collection methods and
analysis techniques employed in the study. The third section discusses the results of the
analysis used in predicting students intention to become accountants. The paper con-
cludes with recommendations for future research and possible directions for educators
and professional bodies in attracting students to the accounting profession.
Literature Review
A number of prior studies have examined various aspects of students decisions to
undertake accounting majors and, more specifically, pursue careers in accounting (for
example, Graves et al., 1992; Geiger and Ogilby, 2000; Marriott and Marriott, 2003).
In examining the influences on choice of accounting as a career direction, this paper
firstly examines the literature on students background characteristics, followed by an
examination of the impact of perceptions about the work of accountants.
Students Characteristics
Students enter business degree courses from a diverse range of socio-economic
backgrounds, varying educational backgrounds and life experiences that have the potential
to impact on their perceptions of the profession and, consequently, their choice of account-
ing as a career. Additionally, the membership of the profession over the past decades to
some extent has reflected the changes in society, particularly as they relate to females
engagement with the workforce.
Gender
Accounting as a profession was traditionally viewed as a male-dominated profession, with
very few females qualifying for entry to professional bodies. Prior research, however, by
Nelson and Vendrzyk (1996) in the USA found that females have shown more favorable
attitudes towards accounting than male students have. Byrne and Willis (2005) in Ireland
also found that female secondary school students viewed accounting as more definite,
precise and compliance-driven than males. The proportion of females represented in
accounting courses has increased substantially over recent decades. For example,
Worthington and Higgs, (2001, p. 193) report that in 1989 38.4% of all accounting
enrolments at Australian universities were female. This had increased to 52.5% in
1999an absolute increase of 14.1% and a relative increase of 34.1% during the 10
year period. Therefore, given that in recent times there has been approximately equal
gender representation in accounting undergraduate courses, it would be anticipated that,
if females perceptions of accounting were similar to males, there would be no significant
difference in their intentions to pursue a career as professional accountants.
Socio-economic Status
Inequalities in access to higher education have been acknowledged in recent studies,
particularly the under-representation of persons from socio-economically disadvantaged
backgrounds (McMillan and Western, 2000). In terms of socio-economic status, prior
research has suggested that parental educational background influences students selection
of major study (Pearson and Dellman-Jenkins, 1997; Dandy and Nettelbeck, 2002).
However, the most significant influence on choice of major appears to be parental

encouragement and various family structure variables such as working status of mother
and residential status of father (Pearson and Dellman-Jenkins, 1997). In an Australian
context, Long et al. (1999) developed a model of influences on educational aspiration,
demonstrating that family and personal characteristics (including parental education and
occupation) interacted with post-school expectations. Thus, the influence of others on
aspirations to pursue a career in accounting specifically warrants further investigation.
More specifically, in early studies of choice of accounting, Silverstone and Williams
(1979) found that female chartered accountants in England and Wales considered parental
influence as a factor in their career choice.
Attitudes towards the Study of Accounting and the Accounting Profession

Students attitudes toward the accounting profession are, in part, influenced by their
perceptions that Marriott and Marriott (2003) term, pre-entry attitudes or expectation
based on societal stereotyping, childhood experiences and the imagery portrayed by the
profession and their experiences when studying accounting at university. This section
of the literature review examines prior work on the impact of negative perceptions of
the profession, the influence of prior studies on perceptions, as well as students
perceptions of the importance of generic skills in accounting.
Perceptions of the work of accountants have evolved from various stereotypes of
accountants and their work. Typically accountants have been referred to as number
crunchers given that book-keeping and auditing work has emphasized or been associated
with an emphasis upon numerical accuracy, routine recording and calculation methods,
together with attention to detail (Parker, 2000). This image has persisted over time and
it has been reinforced by the media and, in particular, television and the cinema, which
have been means of powerful reinforcement of the occupation image. For example, the
film industry has portrayed accountants as financial experts who are inept, dysfunctional
misfits, with antisocial tendencies and a dowdy nerdishness (Beard, 1994; Bougen, 1994;
Smith and Briggs, 1999; Parker, 2001).
The broadening of the professional accountants scope into areas of financial planning,
assurance services and management services, has meant that those intending to pursue an
accounting career need to have a much broader perspective on the work of the accountant
other than that of a person involved in repetitive, routine tasks. The extent to which there is
a (mis)match between students perceptions and intentions to pursue accounting is an
important aspect in understanding whether the right students are choosing to study
accounting. In addition, an examination of students perceptions of the profession
assists in ensuring that expectations of the work tasks typical of accountants are
understood by students aspiring to become accountants.
Influence on PerceptionsStudying Accounting

Prior studies suggest that the accounting curriculum has influenced students perceptions
of the work of accountants. For example, Inman et al. (1989) summarized many students
views of accounting courses as consisting of mass production and rote-memorization.
Similarly, Zeff (1989) found that students viewed accounting as a rule-based type of edu-
cational experience characterized by courses consisting of collections of rules to be mem-
orized. Not only have students traditionally viewed the content of accounting courses
negatively, more recently, Jackling (2002) found that greater than 50% of first year stu-
dents studying a core unit of accounting in Australia had negative perceptions of the
accounting profession. Generally, students indicated that the main source of their percep-
tion of the profession was formulated from their studies of first year accounting at univer-
sity. In contrast, students who have studied secondary school accounting tend to form
more positive judgments about the work of an accountant (Felton et al., 1994; Byrne
and Willis, 2005). Typically students at university level undertaking business degrees
and having studied secondary school accounting, not only have a more positive perception
of the profession, they also have a greater interest in pursuing a career in accounting
(Felton et al., 1994; Jackling, 2001).
Technical and Generic Skills

Undergraduate accounting programs are typically structured to develop a range of
accounting-specific skills and generic skills. Many researchers have found, while technical
accounting skills provide the foundation for an accounting career, generic skills promote
career success (Mathews et al., 1990; Birkett, 1993; Agyemang and Unerman, 1998;
Henderson, 2001).
Employers have supported the move away from procedural approaches to teaching
accounting and are no longer prepared to accept graduates able to demonstrate technical
competency solely. Accounting graduates need to be able to demonstrate an ability to
present their views in writing, as well as an ability to present and explain their views in
a convincing verbal presentation. Additionally, people skills that relate to an ability to
work effectively as a group member, and team participation skills are sought by employ-
ers. These generic skills also extend to creative thinking skills in terms of problem-solving
abilities, as well as an ability to engage in critical thinking.
The broadening of the skill base in university teaching programs has been proposed as a
means of providing more competent practitioners with flexible and problem-solving skills
adaptable to a constantly changing work environment. The question arises, however, as to
whether or not these changes are taking place to a sufficient degree to change students
awareness that accounting requires a range of generic and technical skills. Therefore, it
is important for the future of the profession to determine whether students with an
appreciation of the broader range of skills required of accountants are likely to pursue a
career in accounting. Prior studies have shown that significant difficulties have arisen
when there is a discrepancy between early employment experiences and expectations of
a career in accounting, known as Occupational Reality Shock (ORS) (Dean et al.,
1988). The level of ORS has also been linked to the entry -level qualification of employees
commencing employment in accounting firms (Wilson et al., 1997).
Factors Influencing Career DecisionIntrinsic and Extrinsic Interest

The present study draws on the earlier work of Paolillo and Estes (1982), Felton et al.
(1994) and Ahmed et al. (1997). These studies have examined a range of factors that influ-
ence career choice in accounting including extrinsic rewards (such as financial and job
market considerations), peer and parental influence, perceived benefits and costs required
in acquiring the qualification. In terms of extrinsic influences on the choice of accounting
as a career, previous studies have found financial remuneration, perception of job avail-
ability, job security and opportunities for advancement, to be important factors in
career choice decisions (Paolillo and Estes, 1982; Shivaswamy and Hanks, 1985;
Gul et al., 1989; Felton et al., 1994; Ahmed et al., 1997).
Prior research has revealed mixed results in terms of the importance which accounting
students place on intrinsic factors. Paolillo and Estes (1982), Haswell and Holmes (1988),
and Ahmed et al. (1997) found that accounting students attach lower importance to intrin-
sic factors such as satisfaction derived from a job, the opportunity to be creative, together
with the intellectual challenge in career decisions. In contrast, Linden (1987) Adams et al.
(1994) and Felton et al. (1994) demonstrate that intrinsic factors are very important in
career decisions made by accounting students. In particular, Linden (1987) found that
intrinsic interest in terms of the need to obtain an interesting job was an important motiva-
ting factor in the choice of accounting as a career. This finding was further supported by
the results of Adams et al. (1994) where a major influence on undergraduates selection of
an accounting major was genuine interest in the field (p. 52).
Intrinsic interest has also been shown to be an important aspect in the quality of student
learning. For instance, various studies have highlighted the connection between level of
interest and deep approaches to learning (Fransson, 1977; Entwistle and Ramsden, 1983;
Nolen, 1988; Schiefele, 1992). The early work of Fransson (1977), in particular, showed
that the adoption of a deep approach to learning evolved when interest and perceived rele-
vance served to increase intrinsic motivation. Similarly, Entwistle and Ramsden (1983)
found that a students interest in the subject matter of the task was a crucial component
of a deep approach to learning. Their research indicated that students who had a high
level of interest in a subject area tended to use superior learning strategies. This meant
that students with high intrinsic interests were able to recognize and solve problems at a
more complex level and overall developed a longer-lasting knowledge of a subject.
Given the perceived relationships between intrinsic interest and deep approaches to learning,
it would appear that there would likely be longer-term benefits for the accounting profession
if students with an intrinsic interest pursued a career in accounting. The research suggests
that these students engage with the content in such a way that it is reflected in the develop-
ment of sophisticated levels of understanding of accounting concepts.
Prior studies have also linked intrinsic interest to school subject choice (Ainley et al.,
1990) and tertiary education choices (Elsworth et al., 1986; Kidd, 1991; Kidd and
Naylor, 1991). The results of these studies suggest that interest explains significant
variance in subject choice, independent of the confounding effect of other background
variables such as gender and socio-economic status.
Role of the Professional Bodies

Acknowledging the existence of the negative perceptions that have persisted over time,
professional accounting bodies in Australia have been active in trying to project a more
favorable image of the role of accountants through their marketing campaigns. These pro-
motional campaigns have sought to project a problem-solving, youthful and vital image of
accounting and accountants in an endeavor to dispel negative perceptions of the profession
and, more particularly, the work of accountants. The extent to which these marketing
efforts by professional bodies influence students decisions to pursue careers in accounting
has not been examined extensively in the literature.
This study investigates the various influences on undergraduate students intentions to
pursue accounting as a career choice, taking into account the issues addressed in prior
literature as outlined above.
Research Method
Data Collection
The first course in accounting at undergraduate level has been considered to have an
important role in shaping students perceptions of the profession and the aptitudes and
skills needed for successful careers in accounting (Accounting Education Change

Commission, 1992). The importance of the first course relates to its ability to offer both
useful accounting information that can lead to better decision-making for all undergradu-
ates, as well as attracting individuals to undertake accounting majors. In this study, data
were collected from students studying accounting as a compulsory unit in first year com-
merce/business studies degree courses in Australian universities. These students were
expected to enter the workforce in 2004/05 based on the completion of three-year
degree programs offered at the participating universities.
In collecting data from students studying the first unit of accounting, it was intended that
a range of institutions be incorporated in the study from various states within Australia to
enable a wide range of responses. Five universities with large campuses in four capital
cities of Australia were invited to participate in the study. The sample consisted of a
mixture of established universities and new universities resulting from mergers of
Colleges of Advanced Education with more recently formed universities in the early
1990s. The five universities were considered relatively representative of the range of
universities in Australia offering business degrees with accounting majors leading to mem-
bership of leading professional accounting bodies. Table 1 provides details of the number
of students surveyed from each participating university.
The Questionnaire
The questionnaire used in this study replicated several aspects of survey instruments
used by North American researchers, Paolillo and Estes (1982), Adams et al. (1994)
and Felton et al. (1994) addressing factors that influence selection of accounting as a
major in undergraduate degrees and interest in accounting as a career choice. Further
questions incorporated in the questionnaire were derived, in the main, from the literature
on generic skill requirements for professional accountants. Respondents were asked to
indicate how strongly they agreed with statements that accounting required a high
degree of honesty; people skills; creativity; and verbal and written communication
skills. One question asked students about their perceptions of the need for good number
skills in accounting, given the stereotypical image of accountants as bean counters.
As there is a number of potential forces that influence perceptions of the work of
accountants, respondents were also asked to indicate how important prior studies of
accounting at secondary school, university level studies of accounting, advice from
career counselors and media images were on their perception of the work of accountants.
The possible impact of promotion by professional accounting bodies on career direction
was also investigated.
Table 1. Sources of datanumber of students surveyed from participating Australian

Universities
University Frequency Per cent

Adelaide University 222 12.4
Deakin University 508 28.5
Queensland University of Technology (QUT) 317 17.8
Sydney University 410 23.0
Victoria University (VU) 325 18.3
Total 1782 100.0
The questionnaire was administered at the five universities between weeks 10 and 12 of
the first unit of accounting. The collection of data at this stage in the semester enabled stu-
dents to form some judgment about accounting as a possible major and career choice, but
without the influence of academic performance in the first unit of accounting studies. The
questionnaire was administered in lectures by one of the researchers at the commencement
of the lecture. Anecdotal evidence from the academic staff members at each institution
indicated that between 60 and 70% of students enrolled in the unit at the time completed
the questionnaire. There was, however, the potential for response bias as no attempt was
made to capture responses of students not attending the lecture. The self-report question-
naire was anonymous and asked students about their background, intentions to pursue a
career in accounting, perceptions of the work of accountants as well as their degree of
satisfaction with their accounting studies to date.
Model Development
Logistic regression was used to determine which responses were important in determining
whether first year students intended to become accountants at the conclusion of their under-
graduate studies. Logistic regression modelling allows one to predict a discrete outcome (in
this instance intention to pursue a career in accounting) from a set of independent variables
including continuous variables, discrete variables, dichotomous variables or a mix of the
above. The use of the binomial logistic regression also enabled the estimation of the indivi-
dual effects of each of the variables, while minimizing the possible confounding effects of
the other variables in the model.
Given that the study is focused on students who intended to become accountants, the
data analysis involved the creation of the dependent binary variable intention to
become an accountant where 1 represented intention and 0 represented no intention
to pursue a career in accounting. The variable was determined from the 5-point Likert
scale responses intention to pursue a career as an accountant, where the two response
levels (4, interested and 5, very interested) were recoded as 1 (intention to become an
accountant). The responses at levels 1, 2 and 3 were categorized as not interested in
becoming an accountant and recoded to 0 (no intention to become an accountant).
This form of data reduction which categorizes responses at level 3 (neither interested
nor disinterested) as not intending to pursue an accounting career is considered to
provide a conservative estimation of intention. Further investigation of the data showed
that the exclusion of level 3 responses from the analysis had a negligible effect on the
results. Table 2 shows that 546 (31.5%) of respondents intended to become professional
accountants, based on the creation of the variable intention to become an accountant.
Items in three questions in the questionnaire (relating to influence of various factors in
forming perceptions about the work of accountants and factors influencing the decision to
become accountants) were found to be highly correlated. For this reason, principal
Table 2. Intention to become a professional accountant
Response Frequency Per cent Valid per cent Cumulative per cent
No 1190 66.7 68.5 68.5
Yes 546 30.6 31.5 100.0
Total 1736 97.3 100.0
component analysis was used to reduce these variables to four composite factors or
componentsgeneric skills, accounting studies, promotion, and career prospects.
Appendix 1 provides details of the factor analysis with principal component extraction.
The variables used in the final explanatory model were those showing statistical
significance (at a level of 0.05) in the preliminary univariate analysis of each variable.
These included composite variables: generic skills and accounting studies, together
with individual variables: enjoyment of topics in the area, course satisfaction, requires
creativity and numerical skills. However, some variables that were not significant in the
preliminary analysis were also included in the model (for instance, the composite variables
promotion and career prospects together with individual variables gender and potential
to earn a high salary), as prior literature indicates that they may be important in determining
choice of accounting as a career.
Results
Descriptive Statistics
Of the 1782 students surveyed from the five universities, more than 90% were enrolled
full-time. Fifty-four percent of the sample was female and 46% male. Additionally, less
than 10 per cent of the sample comprised international students. The small proportion
of international students is indicative of the first unit enrolments in accounting at the
time of the survey, as international students generally obtain credit for the first unit of
accounting, thus commencing their studies at the second year level in accounting.
Overall, the students from each of the five universities were relatively uniform in back-
ground characteristics. However, the number of students who had completed secondary
school accounting varied among the institutions from 14% at Sydney University to 50%
at Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Of the total number of students surveyed,
668 (37.5%) had completed secondary school accounting. In Victoria, South Australia and
Queensland, a secondary school course is offered in accounting, which explains the differ-
ence in proportion of students with this background compared with Sydney University.
Regression Results
Table 3 shows the final model, and regression results: the logistic regression coefficient,
Wald test, degrees of freedom, level of significance, and odds ratio for the variables in
the equation (Exp(b)) and the percentage probability (P). The value under Exp(b) is the
predicted change in odds for a unit increase in one independent variable, holding other
variables constant. The percentage probability (P) expresses the odds in terms of
probabilities.
The model chi-square statistic was highly significant (x2 530.743, df 23, P ,0)
indicating that the model performs well. The Hosmer and Lemeshow Model Fit test is con-
sidered a very useful test for assessing model goodness of fit (Hosmer and Lemeshow,
2000), and supports the view that the model fits the data adequately (P 0.926). The
pseudo R square value (Negelkerke R2 is 0.399) indicates that the model explains approxi-
mately 40% of the variance in the dependent variable. The overall percentage prediction
accuracy of the model is 78%.
Using a 0.5% criterion of statistical significance, the composite variables generic skills
and accounting studies, together with the individual variables course satisfaction, and
requires creativity, had significant effects at all levels of response, while the variable
Table 3. Logistic regression predicting decision to become an accountant
Variables in the equation B S.E. Wald df Sig. Exp (B) P

Composite variables
Generic skills 0.272 0.073 13.740 1 0 1.312 56.8
Promotion 0.046 0.070 0.432 1 0.511 1.047 51.1
Accounting studies 0.222 0.069 10.269 1 0.001 1.248 55.5
Career prospects 0.036 0.064 0.321 1 0.571 1.037 50.9
Individual Variables
Potential to earn high salary 2.253 4 0.689
Potential to earn high salary (1)a 0.015 0.175 0.007 1 0.934 1.015 50.4
Potential to earn high salary (2) 0.074 0.174 0.179 1 0.672 1.077 51.8
Enjoyment of topics in area 71.712 4 0
Enjoyment of topics in area (1) 20.179 0.239 0.566 1 0.452 0.836 45.5
Enjoyment of topics in area (2) 0.302 0.202 2.238 1 0.135 1.352 57.5
Enjoyment of topics in area (3) 0.950 0.216 19.383 1 0 2.585 72.1
Enjoyment of topics in area (4) 1.518 0.235 41.762 1 0 4.562 82.0
Course satisfaction 147.849 4 0
Course satisfaction (1) 1.092 0.452 5.841 1 0.016 2.980 74.9
Course satisfaction (2) 1.823 0.426 18.310 1 0 6.193 86.1
Requires creativity 26.377 3 0

Requires creativity (1) 0.986 0.231 18.130 1 0 2.680 72.8
Requires good number skills 22.905 19.439 3 0 0.055 5.2
Requires good number skills (1) 2.508 0.631 15.794 1 0 12.275 92.5
Requires good number skills (2) 0.061 0.362 0.028 1 0.867 1.062 51.5
Requires good number skills (3) 0.337 0.145 5.376 1 0.020 1.400 58.3
Gender 20.032 0.135 0.055 1 0.814 0.969 49.2
Constant 24.306 0.493 76.274 1 0 0.013 1.330
a
The indicator numbers for the variables represent the response number in the regression only, with the reference category omitted from the table. For example,
number (1) in the table represents response 2 (disagree) for this variable with response 1 (strongly disagree) being the reference category, not shown in the table.
enjoyment of topics in the area and numerical skills had partial effects (that is, not all
levels of response were statistically significant).
The following part of this section of the paper outlines the findings for the variables in
the model, commencing with a discussion of the results for composite variables, followed
by a discussion of the importance of the individual variables in determining a students
intention of becoming an accountant.
Composite Variables
Two of the four composite variables (generic skills and accounting studies) were
significant in predicting students intentions to become accountants. Table 3 shows that
the higher the level of agreement by a student that generic skills are required by accoun-
tants, the greater the likelihood of this student intending to become an accountant. In fact,
for every unit increase in the value of this variable, the likelihood increases by 57% (value
for P, Table 3). In other words, the more students recognize that generic skills are impor-
tant in the work of an accountant the more they identify with the possibility of becoming
an accountant. Similarly, the model indicates that for every unit increase in accounting
studies the probability of a student becoming an accountant increases by 56% (value
for P, Table 3). The greater the importance attributed to accounting studies in forming stu-
dents opinions of the work of accountants, the more likely the student is of intending to
become an accountant. Nevertheless, these two variables (generic skills and accounting
studies) had relatively low influences in predicting probabilities of intention to become an
accountant compared with the other variables in the model.
The composite variables promotion and career prospects were not statistically
significant in the model. This finding suggests that images portrayed of the profession
in the media, together with promotion by professional bodies, are not significant in influ-
encing students career intentions. Similarly, the findings show that the prospect of good
job opportunities and the possible high status of jobs are not (at this stage at least) affecting
students intended career directions.
Individual Variables
The regression results shown in Table 3 indicate that the highest predictor of intention to
become an accountant was the variable course satisfaction, suggesting that the higher the
level of satisfaction of the student, the greater the likelihood of intention to become an
accountant. This likelihood increases dramatically the higher the level of satisfaction
with the course, with a student who is highly satisfied with the course being nearly 38
times more likely to intend becoming an accountant than those who were very dissatisfied.
A highly satisfied student is almost certain to intend becoming an accountant (value for P
Table 3 of 97.4%) compared with someone who is highly dissatisfied.
Another significant variable was enjoyment of topics in the area. The regression
results indicated that the probability of a student intending to become an accountant
increased the higher the rating the student gave to this variable. For instance, at response
5 (very important) students were 4.5 times more likely to intend becoming accountants
than at level 1 (not at all important), the reference category for the analysis. In other
words, the greater the level of enjoyment in studying topics in this area, the more likely
a student intends to become an accountant.
The variable requires creativity predicts that, as a students level of response
increases, the odds of the student intending to become an accountant increase. That is,
compared with a student who strongly disagrees (response 1) the likelihood of a
student intending to become an accountant is 2.68 times greater at response 2 (disagree),

and by response 3 (strongly agrees) the likelihood is 3.475 times greater or a 77.7%
probability (see Table 3 columns Exp(b) and P respectively).
The variable numerical skills was regressed with reference to the highest response.
The model predicts that, compared with a student at response 5 (that strongly agrees
that good numerical skills are required in accounting), a student at response 1 (highly dis-
agrees that numerical skills are important) is 12 times more likely to intend becoming an
accountant. The odds fall considerably at response 4 (agrees): at this level, a student is
only 1.4 times more likely to intend becoming an accountant than someone who strongly
agrees or an almost even chance, 58.3% (see columns Exp(b) and P in Table 3).
The variable gender was not statistically significant in the model. Further analysis
including cross tabulations of the variable gender by intention to become an accountant
showed that the odds of a female student intending to become an accountant compared
with a male student were slightly less than even odds (49%). However, chi-square tests
indicated that there was no significant relationship between these two variables
(gender and intention to become an accountant) (P 0.176), as confirmed by the
model.
Discussion of Results
The results of the logistic regression illustrate that there are various statistically significant
predictors of students intentions to pursue careers in accounting. In particular, the study
shows that positive attitudes towards studies in accounting and to some extent perceptions
of the skills and attributes required in the accounting profession were predictors of
intentions.
Students Background Characteristics

The results of this study indicated that gender of the student did not affect intention to
become an accountant. This is in contrast to similar studies (e.g. Nelson and Vendrzyk,
1996; Marriott and Marriott, 2003) where it has been found that females exhibit more
favorable attitudes towards accounting than do male students. In Marriott and Marriotts
study, there was evidence to suggest that female accounting students were more inclined to
view accounting positively as they progressed through their undergraduate accounting
studies, in a social context, viewing accountants as people-focused (Marriott and Marriott,
2003, p. 125). In the present study the findings show that females were not significantly
different from males in their interest in becoming accountants. However, students were
only tested at first year level, unlike the longitudinal study of Marriot and Marriott
(2003). This may in part explain the difference in findings. The present study did
examine the possible the interaction between gender and other variables. However, the
results indicated that there were no significant differences in intention to become an
accountant.
In terms of the characteristics that students bring to the study of accounting at university
level, there is some evidence from prior studies indicating that positive relationships exist
between choosing a career in accounting and taking accounting at secondary school level
(Felton et al., 1994; Byrne and Willis, 2005). The results of the present study show that
students who have studied accounting at secondary school were 1.2 times more likely
to choose accounting as a career than those who had not studied accounting at secondary
school level. Although consistent with the prior work of Felton et al. (1994), this result
contrasts with the findings of Ahmed et al. (1997) whose survey of third year students
in New Zealand showed that a background in secondary school accounting had no

significant impact on the decision to select a career in chartered accountancy. The differ-
ence in findings in this instance may be partly attributed to different institutional settings in
Australia and New Zealand, together with differences associated with the year level of
students surveyed.
Influence of University Studies on Intention to become an Accountant

Prior studies suggest that perceptions of the attributes required in accounting are formed
from the classroom experiences of introductory accounting (Arthur Andersen et al., 1989;
Albrecht and Sack, 2000). The findings from this study largely support those of Albrecht
and Sack (2000), as enjoyment of the topics in the area of accounting and course satisfac-
tion were important predictors of intention to undertake careers in accounting. Satisfaction
with studies in accounting was the most significant predictor of intention to become an
accountant. In the present study, first year students who were very satisfied with their
studies were 38 times more likely to be interested in accounting as a career (or almost
certain to intend becoming an accountant compared with someone very dissatisfied with
their accounting studies). This finding suggests that where students have positive experi-
ences in their studies of accounting there is the potential for them to engage with the
subject to such an extent that they intend to pursue a career in accounting. Further inves-
tigation of the basis for satisfaction with studies, (for example, teaching quality, subject
content, assessment or extrinsic and intrinsic motivational factors influencing satisfaction)
would provide further insights to this finding.
Attitudes towards the Accounting Profession

Extrinsic and intrinsic rewards. Some prior studies have suggested that good salary and
promotion opportunities contribute to pursuit of accounting as a major field of study
leading to professional qualification (Paolillo and Estes, 1982; Haswell and Holmes,
1988; Gul, et al., 1989; Felton et al., 1994). The findings of the present study do not
support the view that students are mainly interested in studying accounting because of
the extrinsic rewards, such as good salary and promotional opportunities. The composite
variable career prospects (which consisted of the variables related to perceptions of good
job opportunities and the status of jobs in related fields), was not significant in the
regression model. Additionally, the variable potential to earn a high salary did not
prove to be a significant influence on intention to become an accountant. However, it
must be kept in mind that these are the perceptions of first year students contemplating
career direction and that, as they near the completion of their course, extrinsic rewards
may be viewed as more important aspects in career selection (Marriott and Marriott,
2003).
The findings from this study support the earlier work of Adams et al. (1994) which
found that students were particularly influenced to become accountants by genuine interest
in the field and less influenced by monetary and/or job availability factors. In terms of the
attitudes toward the study of accounting, there is evidence from this study that intrinsic
rewards, such as enjoyment of the study of the topics studied in accounting, was a predic-
tor of intention to undertake a career in accounting. Students who were very interested in
the topics studied in accounting were 4.5 times more likely to be interested in becoming an
accountant than those who were not interested in the topics. These findings support prior
evidence of the link between interests and university education choices (for example,
Elsworth et al., 1986; Kidd, 1991; Kidd and Naylor, 1991).
Of particular importance to the present study is the evidence from prior studies
(Fransson, 1977; Entwistle and Ramsden, 1983; Nolen, 1988; Schiefele, 1992) which
suggests that interest-oriented learning results in deep learning. Although no attempt
was made in this study to measure learning approaches, the findings provide support for
further investigation of the relationship between interests and learning approaches. Such
research would possibly demonstrate the potential for university accounting courses to
produce high quality graduates for the profession if students with intrinsic interest in
the discipline are encouraged to pursue accounting.
Perceptions of the work of accountantsgeneric and number skills. This study

investigated the attributes that students perceived to be important for accounting careers.
There was strong support for generic skills as important attributes linked to an accounting
career. Students who perceived that generic skills (such as working with people, verbal
and written communication skills) were important skills required of accountants were 1.3
times more likely to intend to pursue an accounting career than students who did not
view these skills as being important (being the reference category in Table 3). Similarly, stu-
dents who strongly agreed that creativity was an important attribute of accountants were 3.4
times more likely to intend to work in accounting than those students who did not perceive
that accounting required creativity. This finding is in contrast with some previous studies
suggesting that accounting is not aligned with students having creative personalities
(Saemann and Crooker, 1999).
In terms of perceptions of the importance of number skills and intention to pursue an
accounting career, there was evidence to suggest that perceptions of the importance of
numerical skills had a negative effect on intentions to become an accountant. Table 3
showed that students who agreed that number skills were not important attributes of
accountants were 12 times more likely to pursue an accounting career than those who
strongly agreed. The greater the perception that accounting required good number
skills the less likely students were to be interested in a career in this field. This result
suggests that the adverse image of the profession perpetuated by the media and movies,
related to the number cruncher image of accountants, is not shared by those intending
to pursue an accounting career.
Overall, the results on attributes of accountants suggest that students intending to
qualify as accountants have a more realistic vision of the attributes required for the pos-
ition than those not intending to become accountants. For instance, there was clearly
awareness that accounting required more than good number skills by those intending to
pursue accounting as a career. Positive perceptions of generic skills including verbal
and written communication skills were associated with students intending to undertake
accounting as a career. These perceptions of the work of accountants may also serve to
overcome the effect of Occupational Reality Shock that has been described as having a
significant negative impact on work-related attitudes of newly employed accounting
graduates (Nelson and Vendrysk, 1996). Graduates who have realistic perceptions of
the attributes required of accountants are more likely to have expectations aligned
with the organization if they appreciate the range of generic skills required in the job
and acknowledge that technical accounting skills require more than number skills
(Dean et al., 1988).
Promotion of the accountants image. The professional accounting bodies in Australia

have actively promoted the profession to studentsparticularly those at first year
university level, as it is often at this level that students are making choices about major
fields of study leading to careers in accounting. The findings from the present study
suggest that images portrayed in the media and advertising by the professional accounting
bodies were not significant influences on intention to pursue accounting. Although many
studies have highlighted aspects of the negative perceptions of the profession over time
(Smith and Briggs, 1999; Parker, 2000), the findings from this study suggest that the
profile of accountants portrayed negatively in films and television is not an important influ-
ence on career decisions of first year university students. Although many students studying
first year accounting have negative perceptions of the profession (Mladenovic, 2000; Jack-
ling, 2002), it would appear that these views are less likely to be held by those who intend
to undertake an accounting career.
Conclusions
Overall, the findings of this study suggest that accounting educators at the first year level
have an important role to play in determining students intention to pursue accounting
careers, given that satisfaction with accounting studies was the most significant predictor
of intention to become an accountant. This finding also supports conclusions drawn in
earlier studies that have argued that the experiences of the first course in accounting
affect students perceptions of accounting (AECC, 1992; Mladenovic, 2000; Byrne and
Willis, 2005). Furthermore, although the image of the accountant as having a number
cruncher/scorekeeper role may still exist among first year university accounting students
(Jackling, 2002), those with a more extensive exposure to accounting having studied
secondary school accounting, and those intending to pursue an accounting career,
appear to have a more broadly-based view of the attributes required of accountants.
The findings of positive relationships between accounting studies and career intentions
suggests that there are opportunities for both tertiary institutions and professional bodies to
establish closer links with secondary school educators to encourage suitably-interested
students to study accounting at tertiary level. This study has also highlighted the need
for professional accounting bodies to promote the profession to students in such a way
that it is represented as a career choice of challenging opportunities, with a technical
emphasis on decision-making roles, analysis and problem-solving, in addition to well-
developed generic skills. In this way, the professional bodies may be able to make a posi-
tive contribution to increasing the number of students undertaking accounting as a career
choice, and therefore contribute to reducing the shortage of accounting graduates.
One limitation of the findings in this study, however, is that it indicates students
intentions midway through their first year of university studies of accounting. The longi-
tudinal work of Marriott and Marriott (2003) indicates that, although students had a
reasonably positive attitude towards accounting as a profession at the commencement
of their course, perceptions had become significantly less positive at the end of their
course. Further investigation of a sample of students proceeding with, and completing,
an accounting major would be a worthwhile extension of the present study. Additionally,
further investigation of the factors contributing to student levels of course satisfaction with
their accounting studies at the first year level is warranted and it would provide useful
feedback for accounting educators. Based on the findings of the present study a more
detailed assessment of the importance of intrinsic interest in career choice would be
worthwhile in assisting to identify those most suited to a career in accounting.
A further limitation of this study is that it only addresses the perceptions of undergraduate
university students. It is acknowledged, however, that university study is not the only
pathway into the profession. In some instances, professional qualifications are acquired
without first obtaining an undergraduate degree. Therefore, the findings of this study may
not be readily transferable to all entry pathways into the profession, particularly where
students have more diverse backgrounds, which include work experience in the field prior to
the commencement of studies.
Despite these limitations, the findings of this study pose important challenges for the
accounting profession in endeavoring to attract business students into the profession.
Accounting educators in particular have the challenge of ensuring that students embarking
on accounting as a major are maintained in accounting courses and suitably prepared for
the world of work. The impetus to attract and retain the best students well suited to
accounting has important economic implications, given the significant shortages of
professional accountants in Australia and other parts of the world.
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Appendix 1
Factor Analysis
Factor analysis with principal components extraction was used to reduce the number of
correlated predictor variables to a set of independent factors. The varimax rotation
method was used in the principal component analysis because this ensures the factors
are orthogonal to each other making them suitable for use in the logistic regression.
Four factors with eigenvalues greater than unity were extracted from items in three ques-
tions in the questionnaire. The suitability of the data for factor analysis was assessed by
examining the correlation matrix, which revealed the presence of many coefficients of
0.3 and above. The Kayser Meyer Oklin value for each of the three questions was
0.67, 0.62, 0.50, all but one are above the recommended 0.6 (Kaiser, 1970, 1974), and
the Bartletts test of Sphericity (Barlett, 1954) reached statistical significance in all
three questions, meaning that the correlation matrices of these questions are factorable.
The three questions related to factors important in a students choice of area of
specialization (major), perceptions of attributes required by accountants, and the impor-
tance of factors in forming a students opinion of the work of accountants. Table A1
shows the four components extracted from these questions and the variable loadings.
Two components were extracted from the question Factors important in forming a
students opinion of the work of accountants (a five-point Likert scale). The first com-
ponent appears to measure students opinions of the work of accountants provided by
the media, career advisors and advertising by professional accounting bodies, thus, was
named promotion. The second component appears to measure the influence of accoun-
ting studies at secondary and/or tertiary level on perceptions, thus was named accounting
studies. Both these components explained 38.6 and 29.0%, respectively of the common
variance shared by the items from the question Factors important in forming an
opinion of the work of accountants.
Factor analysis was used in determining the component generic skills and was
extracted from the question regarding the perceived attributes required by accountants
(a four-point Likert scale), and explained 62.5% of the common variance shared by the
items from this question. Finally, the component career prospects, was extracted from
variables measuring the importance of factors influencing students career choice. This
component explained 74.2% of the common variance shared by the items in this question.
Table A1. Extracted factors and their component variables
Factor Factor Factor

analysis 1 analysis 2 analysis 3
Promotion Accounting studies Generic skills Career prospects

Requires working 0.75
with people
Requires good verbal 0.86
communication skills
Requires good written skills 0.76
Information provided by 0.69
career advisor/s
Images portrayed 0.85
in the media
Advertising by accounting 0.84
bodies
Study of accounting at 0.82
secondary school
Study of accounting at 0.80
tertiary level
Good job opportunities in 0.85
the area
The high status of 0.85
related jobs
Eigenvalue 1.93 1.45 1.88 1.48
% of variance 38.56 29.01 62.52 74.21
Cumulative variance 38.56 67.57 62.52 74.21
Extraction method: principal component analysis.

a
The cut-off point for the inclusion of items in each factor was 0.6.

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Accounting Education: An International

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Influences on Undergraduate Students

BEVERLEY JACKLING & CLAUDE CALERO

0963-9284 Print=1468-4489 Online=06=04041920 # 2006 Taylor & Francis

However, the most significant influence on choice of major appears to be parental

Attitudes towards the Study of Accounting and the Accounting Profession

Influence on PerceptionsStudying Accounting

Technical and Generic Skills

Factors Influencing Career DecisionIntrinsic and Extrinsic Interest

Role of the Professional Bodies

skills needed for successful careers in accounting (Accounting Education Change

Table 1. Sources of datanumber of students surveyed from participating Australian

University Frequency Per cent

Table 2. Intention to become a professional accountant

Table 3. Logistic regression predicting decision to become an accountant

Variables in the equation B S.E. Wald df Sig. Exp (B) P

Requires creativity 26.377 3 0

student intending to become an accountant is 2.68 times greater at response 2 (disagree),

Students Background Characteristics

in New Zealand showed that a background in secondary school accounting had no

Influence of University Studies on Intention to become an Accountant

Attitudes towards the Accounting Profession

Perceptions of the work of accountantsgeneric and number skills. This study

Promotion of the accountants image. The professional accounting bodies in Australia

case of science, Australian Journal of Education, 35(3), pp. 261272.

Table A1. Extracted factors and their component variables

Factor Factor Factor

Promotion Accounting studies Generic skills Career prospects

Extraction method: principal component analysis.

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