Still awaiting orders: reflections on the cultural influence when educating in albania

Abstract

The paper reflects on the authors' experience of exporting accounting education to Albania. The programmes delivered in Albania were, in general, very successful. They were, however, less successful in one respect. In a way that the authors have not experienced anywhere else, the participants on the programmes showed a reluctance to take responsibility for their own learning. The paper examines the difficulties that emanated from seeking to foster a spirit of independent learning. The difficulties encountered are illustrated and analysed using the accounting education literature. The conclusion is that cultural factors were responsible for the unwillingness of the participants to take responsibility for their own learning. It is argued that neither the accounting literature nor the accounting education literature is helpful in explaining these cultural factors. It is posited that the writings of Williams (1963; 1965; 1973) better explain the difficulties encountered, particularly in the context of Albania's history.Albania, domination, waiting for orders, independent learning, culture,

Knowledge and Skills Development of Accounting Graduates: The Perceptions of Graduates and Employers in Ghana

“…The study also adds to the limited body of evidence on accounting education in developing countries (Ahmad and Gao, 2004;Bennett et al, 2004;Devlin and Godfrey, 2004;Dixon, 2004). A significant number of graduates from Ghana and other developing countries go on to study postgraduate and/professional accounting programs in institutions in the Western world (mainly the UK, USA, Canada, and Australia).…”

“…While the majority of published studies on accounting education have come from the developed world, the issue is now attracting interest from researchers in the developing world (Ahmad and Gao, 2004;Bennett et al, 2004;Devlin and Godfrey, 2004;Dixon, 2004). Lovell and Dixon (2004), for example, argued that research on specific developing countries is necessary since context is important when putting together accounting education programs.…”

Elementary Teacher’s Perceptions of Education Reforms in Albania

“…However, there is little published scientific research on the topic, and much of the literature on the broader subject, such as Birzea, 1994Birzea, , 2012Radó, 2001;West, 2013 have tended to ignore the reforms. This latter point has been picked up by certain authors, such as Devlin and Godfrey (2004). What are these reforms and what are their aims?…”

Accounting education literature review (2003–2005)

“…Brown (2003b) explained an exercise that would make students briefly discuss their thoughts on pairs of words associated with learning (e.g., learn/study), which would open the students to different methods of learning. Devlin and Godfrey (2004) addressed the cultural differences with their Albanian students (e.g., the unwillingness of students to accept responsibility for their own learning) that led to their ineffectiveness to teach all the areas of accounting abroad. Duff (2004a) described and categorized different cognitive learning style models and suggested how accounting educators can use this information in the classroom to help students learn to learn.…”