User-Oriented IFRS Education in Introductory Accounting at U.S. Academic Institutions: Current Status and Influencing Factors

Abstract

ABSTRACT We document the current state of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) education in introductory accounting courses, and model the decision by introductory accounting educators to integrate IFRS into their courses. Using a survey of educators conducted during Fall 2009, we find that although a majority of respondents believe IFRS material is important for non-accounting business majors, 56 percent spent less than 30 minutes per term covering IFRS. Our results suggest that educators are more likely to extensively cover IFRS topics when they perceive U.S. GAAP/IFRS convergence to be more certain and when they have colleagues engaged in teaching IFRS, and less likely when they assess IFRS teaching materials to be inadequate. Overall, we provide evidence regarding the role of business schools' curricula in educating future investors on the basics of IFRS. This is of interest to the SEC in evaluating whether to mandate IFRS for U.S. issuers, as well as the faculty members, departments, or programs looking to better understand the conditions that facilitate user-oriented IFRS coverage in the classroom.