Accounting researcher wins AFAANZ grant

A School of Accounting and Finance postgraduate and her mentors have been awarded a 2011-2012 Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand Research Fund grant.

Dr Maria Prokofieva, Professor Beverley Jackling and Dr Riccardo Natoli have received a $6000 grant under the AFAANZ scheme. The grant will help Dr Prokofieva, an emerging researcher, develop her academic profile through cooperative work with Professor Jackling and Dr Natoli, established researchers in their field.

Dr Prokofieva said she was thrilled to receive the grant and looked forward to working with her two mentor researchers on a one-year project.

"Beverley and Riccardo are very good researchers, I have worked with them on another project, and that was very useful and instructive," Dr Prokofieva said.

"I hope that I can learn more on how to do qualitative research as well as how to manage grant projects in general."

The three researchers will investigate the impact of negative experiences on accounting students who withdraw from study.

"Our study will analyse telephone survey data of 200 undergraduate accounting students who withdrew from their studies in 2011. We will look at reasons for departing, with particular reference to demographic factors and pathways into higher education," Dr Prokofieva said.

"The research outcomes from this study will identify activities that ‘attach’ students to the university community and help to align tertiary courses with student expectations."

Dr Prokofieva completed her doctorate in 2004 and has four years' industry experience. Her research interests include accounting education, use of IT in education, and business information systems.