Overcoming Knowledge Retention Issues From the First Principles Course 

Abstract: This study reports the results of a strategy to improve retention of a specific concept from the first Principles of Accounting course. Following research on the effect of retention from the first course to performance in the second course, we explore the effects of a targeted experimental intervention on performance. In prior published research, we found a student’s inability to demonstrate understanding of key concepts from the financial accounting course are significantly related to important learning objectives in the second course. Here we report how students predicted to choose incorrect answers performed after the targeted experimental intervention.

Key words: knowledge retention, accounting, principles course, predicting knowledge deficits

JEL codes: M, C