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Effect of Peer-to-Peer Accounting Mentorship on Academic Achievement among Accounting Education Students in Nigeria

Abstract

The increasing need for collaborative and student-centred approaches to learning has encouraged the use of peer-to-peer mentorship as a strategy for improving students' academic experiences and learning outcomes. Peer-to-peer accounting mentorship involves structured academic support in which more experienced or academically proficient accounting education students provide guidance, explanations, study support, problem-solving assistance, and feedback to their peers. Such mentorship may create opportunities for students to discuss difficult accounting concepts, practise accounting procedures, clarify misconceptions, share learning strategies, and develop confidence in approaching accounting tasks. In Nigerian universities, where large class sizes, limited lecturer-student interaction, and differences in students' academic preparedness may create challenges for effective individualized learning support, peer mentorship may provide an accessible complementary learning approach. Against this background, this study investigates the effect of peer-to-peer accounting mentorship on academic achievement among accounting education students in Nigeria. The study will be anchored on Social Learning Theory, Constructivist Learning Theory, and Vygotsky's Social Development Theory. Social Learning Theory emphasizes learning through observation, interaction, modelling, and feedback, providing a suitable framework for examining how students may learn accounting concepts through peer interaction. Constructivist Learning Theory emphasizes active participation, collaboration, prior knowledge, and the construction of understanding through meaningful learning experiences. Vygotsky's Social Development Theory emphasizes the importance of social interaction and guided learning within the zone of proximal development, suggesting that knowledgeable peers can support learners in performing tasks that they may initially find difficult to complete independently. Collectively, these theoretical perspectives provide a suitable framework for explaining how peer-to-peer accounting mentorship may influence students' academic achievement. The study will adopt a quantitative quasi-experimental or analytical cross-sectional research design. The study population will comprise undergraduate accounting education students enrolled in selected public and private universities across Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique will be used to select geopolitical zones, states, universities, faculties or departments, levels of study, and eligible accounting education students. Peer-to-peer accounting mentorship will be assessed using indicators such as frequency of peer mentoring sessions, duration of mentorship, mentor availability, mentor academic competence, relevance of mentoring activities, one-to-one support, small-group mentoring, peer explanations, accounting problem-solving sessions, study groups, peer feedback, collaborative revision, examination preparation, assistance with difficult accounting topics, practical accounting exercises, communication between mentors and mentees, mentoring materials, supervision by lecturers, and monitoring of mentorship activities. Students' academic achievement will be assessed using indicators such as scores in financial accounting, management accounting, cost accounting, auditing, taxation, public sector accounting, accounting information systems, cumulative academic performance, continuous assessment results, examination scores, accounting problem-solving performance, and achievement test scores. Data will be collected using structured questionnaires, standardized accounting achievement tests, academic records where available, peer-mentorship participation records, accounting problem-solving exercises, and pre-test and post-test assessments where a quasi-experimental design is adopted. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize students' demographic and academic characteristics, mentorship experiences, participation patterns, and levels of academic achievement. Inferential statistical techniques, including chi-square tests, paired and independent t-tests, correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis where appropriate, will be used to determine the effect of peer-to-peer accounting mentorship on students' academic achievement. Where a quasi-experimental design is adopted, students' achievement scores before and after participation in peer mentorship may be compared with those of a comparison group to determine changes associated with the intervention. Diagnostic tests will also be conducted to assess the reliability, validity, and robustness of the findings. The study is expected to find that peer-to-peer accounting mentorship has a significant positive effect on academic achievement among accounting education students in Nigeria. Students who participate regularly in structured peer mentoring programmes are expected to demonstrate higher levels of academic achievement than students without comparable mentorship exposure. Peer mentors may provide explanations using accessible language, demonstrate accounting procedures, clarify difficult concepts, support repeated practice, and help mentees identify and correct errors. Regular interaction may also increase students' engagement, confidence, motivation, study habits, and willingness to seek academic assistance. Collaborative problem-solving may further enable students to understand complex accounting calculations and apply accounting principles more effectively. However, differences in mentor competence, irregular participation, poor coordination, inadequate supervision, peer misconceptions, limited commitment, and insufficient mentoring resources may reduce the effectiveness of peer-to-peer accounting mentorship. The study therefore expects structured, supervised, academically relevant, and sustained peer-to-peer accounting mentorship to contribute significantly to improved academic achievement among accounting education students in Nigeria. The study is expected to contribute to the literature on peer-to-peer mentorship, accounting education, academic achievement, peer-assisted learning, collaborative learning, social learning, student-centred instruction, accounting pedagogy, and higher education in Nigeria. The findings will provide useful information to the National Universities Commission, universities, faculties of education and management sciences, accounting education departments, accounting educators, student support units, curriculum developers, and policymakers regarding strategies for strengthening collaborative learning in accounting education. The study will also provide evidence-based recommendations for establishing structured peer accounting mentorship programmes, training and selecting academically competent peer mentors, providing mentoring guidelines and learning materials, strengthening lecturer supervision of peer mentorship activities, monitoring mentoring outcomes, integrating peer support into accounting courses, and creating supportive learning communities that improve academic achievement among accounting education students in Nigerian universities.

Keywords: Peer-to-peer accounting mentorship, academic achievement, accounting education students, peer-assisted learning, collaborative learning, social learning, student-centred learning, accounting pedagogy, academic performance, Nigerian universities, Nigeria.