The influence of industry guest lectures on auditing students' participation and perceptions of employability skills

Abstract: This study examined the undergraduate auditing students’ experience and perception gained from attending guest lecturers and the influence on skills required in a workplace. A mixed-methods approach has been applied in the study to address the research objectives. A survey was completed, and the quantitative findings were analysed using SPSS, which allowed students to compare mean values between questions and identify any statistical differences. A theme method was also employed when anlysing the qualitative replies to open-ended questions. The study found that guest lectures positively influence students’ participation in the auditing module. The study also found that students considered themselves employable in the future. The findings from this study will be helpful to academics in higher education institutions to improve their teaching pedagogies for improved student engagement in the modules taught. The study recommends that guest lectures be considered part of the teaching methods and practices used to improve students’ participation and engagement