Journal of Accounting Edaw~/on, MoL8, pp. 63-75, 1990 0748-5751/90 $3.00 + .00
Printed in the USA. All rights rese~ed. Colrynght © 1990 Pergmnon Press pie
A TAXONOMY OF CONTENT AND CITATIONS IN THE
JOURNAL OF ACCOUNTING EDUCATION (1983-1989)
Mark W. Lehman
MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY
Donna L. Street
JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY
Abstract. This studyreports the results of a citation and content analysisof the 187 main section
articles and teaching notes which appearedin the first six volumesof the Journal of Accounting
Education (JAEd). The study identifies the most commonresource citations and classifies the
articles and notesby subjecttopic and research methodology. The study shows that JAEd authors
have researched a broad spectrum of topics using a variety of research methodologies.
Suggestionsfor improving the scopeand breadthof accountingeducationresearchare proposed.
Accounting historians will likely describe the 1980s as a decade of turmoil
and unprecedented change within the accounting profession. Among the many
significant events of the decade, the profession: (a) adopted new professional
standards in response to recommendations of the Anderson Committee; (b)
incorporated the microcomputer into virtually every aspect of professional ser-
vices; (c) issued the "expectation gap" auditing standards in response to Cohen
and Treadway Commissions' recommendations; (d) issued 68 statements of
financial accounting standards and numerous exposure drafts, including those
addressing the controversial areas of deferred income taxes, foreign currency
translation, pension plans, current value accounting, and post-retirement bene-
fits; and (e) merged the "Big Eight" into the "Big Six."
To fulfill its mission to prepare the next generation of accounting profession-
als, accounting education must respond to these and other changes in the
accounting profession. Never before have accounting educators had such a
challenge. It is not surprising then that accounting education research came to
the forefront during the 1980s, as demonstrated by three significant events: (a)
The Journal of Accounting Education (JAEd), a refereed journal founded by the
School of Accounting at James Madison University, issued its first bi-annual
journal in 1983; (b) accounting education articles previously limited to the
"Educational Research" section of The Accounting Review were expanded to
annual issues of Issues in Accounting Education (Issues) in 1983-84 and bian-
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