Abstract:

Substandard Academic performance of first year Accounting students is a challenge experienced in many institutions of higher learning worldwide. Literature has shown that institutions have put in place interventions to mediate the underperformance and failure rate in order to improve academic performance. Supplemental instruction (SI) programmes were initiated in order to minimise the deteriorating academic performance. However, challenges still persist in implementing supplemental instructional intervention effectively. Therefore, this paper explored the strategies for effective SI to enhance academic performance of first year accounting students. The qualitative research method was also undertaken using an interpretivist approach. The participants for this study consisted of one supplemental instruction coordinator, two SI student leaders, two Accounting lecturers and two first year Accounting students. All participants were purposively sampled from the faculty of Management Sciences at a selected university for the study. Data collection by means of an interview was employed. A thematic analysis was assumed to sort, interpret and analyse the collected data as it includes the replication of categorised objectives. The findings of the study revealed that challenges hindering effective implementation of supplemental instruction on academic performance includes, inadequate content knowledge of Si leaders, timetable clashes, lack of timely feedback and an incompetency to lead others. These are the major challenges while on the other hand possible strategies to the problem were a retraining of SI student leaders and planning of their sessions and the time table.

Keywords:

Institution of higher learning, implementation, supplemental Instruction, academic performance, first year Accounting students.