Investigating the Perceptions of Learners on the Effectiveness of Group Learning Versus Teacher-Centered Approach in Accounting – A Case Study of a Selected High School, Amathole East District

This study investigates the learner’s perceptions of the effectiveness of group learning versus the teacher-centred approach in accounting teaching and learning in two selected High schools within the Amathole East District, South Africa. The primary purpose was to assess what other teaching strategies are used by the teachers, especially collaborative learning, team building, or group learning in the classrooms. A qualitative research method was used in this study, involving interviews conducted across two (2) schools in the district. The Interviews consisted of participants including three educators and five learners, who made a sample size of eight participants from the two selected high schools in the Eastern Cape Province at Amatole East District. Findings exposed mixed opinions regarding the use of group learning and teacher-centred learning. Other learners prefer to be taught by teachers, while other learners insist that they must be taught using both a lecture method and a group learning method so that the learners will be able to share knowledge and meet a common goal, which is to pass and move to the next class. The teachers expressed that the Department of Basic Education should provide tutors and do career exhibitions to make education more interesting and that the level of dropouts at schools would decrease. The study contributes to existing scholarship by marking multiple dynamics of group learning versus teacher-centred learning in the classroom during the lesson. These findings can inform future educational methods and strategies to be used when teaching learners. Keywords: Accounting classroom, Group Learning, Teacher centered approach, Teaching and Learning, Department of Basic Education (DBE).