STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVING STUDENTS PERFORMANCE IN FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING IN NCE BUSINESS EDUCATION PROGRAMMES IN COLLEGES OF EDUCATION IN SOUTH -EAST NIGERIA

A cursory look at the results of N.C.E Business Education students in Business Education courses in Nigeria over the years indicates that their performance in financial accounting courses in poor when compared with the students performance in other business courses. This study was therefore undertaken to determine the strategies to be adopted to improve students performance in financial accounting in N.C.E Business Education programmes in colleges of education in South East Nigeria. The study adopted survey research design. It answered two research questions. The population comprised all the 76 lecturers in Business Education programmes of the colleges of education in South East Nigeria. Since the population is small, the entire population was used for the study. A 28 item four (4) point scale questionnaire was the major instrument used for data collection. Mean score was used for data analysis. The findings of the study revealed among others that non-possession of accounting as one of the prerequisite entry subjects, non-ownership of accounting textbooks and poor quality entrants militate against students performance in financial accounting while making pass in accounts in senior school certificate examination a perequisite for admission, retraining of accounting lecturers, prompt marking of assignments/exercises, writing or recommending textbooks having graded exercises or short exercises among others are strategies for improving students performance in financial accounting in colleges of education. Based on the findings, it was recommended among others that graded financial accounting textbooks should be written or recommended and that a pass in Accounts in S.S.C.E. should be a compulsory requirement for admission into N.C.E. business education programme.