Learning in Eclectic Formative Assessment Strategies: Experiences of Accounting Pre-service Teachers in one Higher Education Institution

One of the goals of Accounting education is to develop graduates capable of equipping learners with ana­lytical skills pertinent to analysing and understanding finan­cial information required for making economic decisions. Gaining and developing the knowledge and skills necessary for learning Accounting demands full engagement from both students and teachers throughout the learning pro­cess. This is primarily achieved through the application of wide-ranging formative assessment strategies that allow students to actively engage in learning while being chal­lenged to think critically. This paper, therefore, aims to un­derstand how the eclectic assessment practices of academ­ics in a School of Education in South Africa contributed to preparing pre-service teachers for teaching. It explores the learning experiences of fourth-year Accounting students through eclectic formative assessment strategies. A qualita­tive case study approach within an interpretive paradigm was employed to explore the experiences of thirty purpos­ively selected Accounting pre-service teachers. Framed by principled eclecticism, a thematic analysis of transcripts generated from semi-structured individual telephonic inter­views with thirty students and WhatsApp-based focused group interviews was conducted to elicit students' views on their eclectic formative assessment practices. Insights from this study will be helpful to academics who aim to produce future teach­ers with the requisite skills to train the future workforce of any country. Teacher education institutions and other higher education institutions would also stand to benefit from the out­comes, which have the potential to guide policy directions to enhance the quality of undergrad­uate education, which is their key mandate.