Abstract:

Guided against the backcloth of enforced online learning imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the purpose of this study was to research the lived experiences of pre-service accounting teachers during COVID-19 era in institutions of higher learning. To maintain the legitimacy of the teaching, learning, and assessment practices in the face of the intolerable circumstances, these teachers had to overcome many obstacles in order to share their knowledge. This study used Critical Accounting Theory, as the principal lens to provide an outlook around the lived experience of pre-service teachers. I employed qualitative research method as the main research method in couching the study. In order to gain rich data, a purposively selected sample of five accounting pre-service teachers was interviewed, to understand what these teachers went through throughout the COVID-19 era. The study came to the following conclusions: In the new educational environment of the COVID-19 pandemic era, online platforms used for teaching and learning caused in pre-service teachers to encounter a myriad of setbacks, such as issues relating to data, network connectivity and availability of gadgets. As a result, this has implications for curriculum reformists.

Keywords:

Lived experiences, accounting, pre-service teachers, COVID-19, institutions of higher learning.