Emergency Online Accounting Education in a Resource-Constrained South African University: Pedagogical Disruptions, Emotional Costs, and Equity Implications during Covid-19

Abstract

The Covid‑19 pandemic forced higher education institutions to adopt emergency remote teaching, exposing deep pedagogical, emotional, and equity challenges, particularly in resource‑constrained contexts. This study aimed to examine how emergency online teaching shaped undergraduate accounting education at a historically disadvantaged South African university. A qualitative research design was employed, involving focus group interviews with 12 undergraduate accounting students and semi‑structured interviews with six accounting lecturers, and data were analysed thematically using an inductive approach. The findings reveal uneven preparedness between lecturers and students, significant pedagogical disruption, heightened emotional and psychological stress, reliance on informal mentoring practices, and pronounced equity constraints linked to connectivity, learning spaces, and energy instability. Although adaptive strategies and peer‑support networks mitigated some disruptions, they remained uneven and insufficient. The study recommends the development of context‑responsive technology‑enabled learning models that integrate low‑bandwidth pedagogies, structured mentoring systems, flexible assessment practices, and sustained socio‑emotional support to promote equitable and resilient accounting education during and beyond crisis conditions.