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Impact of Accounting Competency-Based Assessment on Students’ Professional Skill Development in Nigerian Universities

Abstract

The changing requirements of the accounting profession have increased the need for accounting graduates who possess demonstrable professional skills in addition to theoretical knowledge. Traditional assessment practices may focus heavily on students' ability to recall accounting concepts and reproduce procedures during examinations, with limited emphasis on their ability to demonstrate practical competencies required in professional environments. Accounting competency-based assessment provides an alternative approach by evaluating students' ability to apply accounting knowledge, perform practical tasks, solve accounting problems, use professional technologies, communicate financial information, and demonstrate appropriate professional behaviours. In Nigerian universities, the adoption of competency-based assessment may help align accounting education with workplace expectations and strengthen students' preparation for professional accounting practice. Against this background, this study investigates the impact of accounting competency-based assessment on students' professional skill development in Nigerian universities. The study will be anchored on Competency-Based Education Theory, Experiential Learning Theory, and Bloom's Revised Taxonomy. Competency-Based Education Theory emphasizes the demonstration and assessment of clearly defined knowledge, skills, and professional competencies rather than reliance solely on time-based or examination-oriented learning. Experiential Learning Theory emphasizes learning through concrete experience, reflection, conceptualization, and active application, providing a suitable framework for practical competency assessment. Bloom's Revised Taxonomy emphasizes progression from remembering and understanding to applying, analysing, evaluating, and creating, thereby supporting assessment approaches that measure higher-order accounting and professional skills. Collectively, these theoretical perspectives provide a suitable framework for explaining how accounting competency-based assessment may influence students' professional skill development. 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. Accounting competency-based assessment will be assessed using indicators such as practical accounting tasks, competency-based examinations, case studies, simulations, project assessments, performance demonstrations, accounting software tasks, financial statement preparation, auditing exercises, taxation tasks, budgeting activities, financial analysis, internal control evaluation, problem-solving tasks, professional communication, ethical decision-making, workplace scenarios, assessment rubrics, performance criteria, continuous feedback, self-assessment, peer assessment, practical demonstrations, repeated assessment opportunities, and alignment between assessment tasks and professional accounting competencies. Students' professional skill development will be assessed using indicators such as financial reporting skills, bookkeeping competence, auditing skills, taxation competence, financial analysis, accounting information systems competence, digital accounting skills, data analysis, problem-solving, critical thinking, professional judgement, communication, teamwork, ethical decision-making, attention to detail, adaptability, decision-making, and ability to apply accounting knowledge to realistic professional situations. Data will be collected using structured questionnaires, competency-based assessment instruments, practical accounting tasks, standardized professional skills tests, assessment rubrics, project reports, simulation exercises, observation checklists, 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, assessment experiences, competency development, and levels of professional skills. 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 impact of accounting competency-based assessment on students' professional skill development. Where a quasi-experimental design is adopted, professional skill scores before and after exposure to competency-based assessment 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 accounting competency-based assessment has a significant positive impact on students' professional skill development in Nigerian universities. Students exposed to assessment methods that require them to demonstrate practical accounting competencies are expected to develop stronger professional skills than students assessed primarily through conventional written examinations. Practical performance tasks, case studies, simulations, projects, and workplace scenarios may enable students to apply accounting knowledge, analyse financial information, solve unfamiliar problems, communicate professional conclusions, and demonstrate ethical and technological competencies. Continuous feedback and clearly defined assessment criteria may also help students identify weaknesses, monitor their progress, and improve specific professional competencies. Competency-based assessment may further encourage lecturers to align classroom activities with the skills students are expected to demonstrate in professional environments. However, large class sizes, inadequate assessment resources, limited access to accounting technologies, insufficient lecturer training, time constraints, inconsistent assessment standards, and difficulties in developing reliable competency-based assessment instruments may reduce its effectiveness. The study therefore expects well-designed, practical, transparent, and professionally aligned competency-based assessment to contribute significantly to improved professional skill development among accounting education students in Nigerian universities. The study is expected to contribute to the literature on competency-based assessment, professional skill development, accounting education, competency-based education, practical accounting assessment, experiential learning, professional competence, assessment innovation, accounting pedagogy, and higher education in Nigeria. The findings will provide useful information to the National Universities Commission, universities, accounting education departments, accounting educators, professional accounting bodies, accounting firms, employers, curriculum developers, and policymakers regarding strategies for strengthening accounting assessment practices. The study will also provide evidence-based recommendations for integrating competency-based assessment into accounting education programmes, developing standardized accounting competency frameworks and assessment rubrics, increasing the use of practical tasks and simulations, incorporating digital accounting technologies into assessment, strengthening lecturers' capacity to design and evaluate competency-based assessments, providing regular feedback to students, involving industry professionals in competency development, and aligning university assessment practices with the professional skills required in Nigeria's evolving accounting profession.

Keywords: Accounting competency-based assessment, professional skill development, accounting education students, competency-based education, practical accounting assessment, professional competence, experiential learning, accounting pedagogy, Nigerian universities, Nigeria.