A Perspective View of Experimental Learning Theory (ELT) as a tool for Skills Development in Auditing Firms in Lagos State

The study was a conscious attempt at establishing a relationship between the adoption of modes under the
experimental learning theory (ELT) by auditing firms, and skills development of trainees and management staff
of such firms. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data collected. A purposive sample
of 20 auditing firms with business life tenures of (i) 1 ≥ 5 years, (ii) 6 ≥ 10 years, ≥ 15 years and 16 ≥ 20 years
was chosen to ensure a spread of tenure. The findings of the result showed that a positive correlation of 0.813
among research skills, planning skills, corporate relation skills with respect to degree of experience acquired
through the learning process. Similarly, correlation of 0.979 established a relationship between experience on
one hand, and report writing skills and interactions with accounting software, on the other hand. However, a
negative correlation between calculation of accounting ratios and working with people pointed to the
importance of independent intellectual exercise in certain aspects of the learning process. In another dimension,
the working experience of the audit firms revealed that firms with years of experience below 10 years placed
more emphasis on concrete experience and reflective observations while the older ones concentrate on abstract
conceptualization and active experimentation