REASONABLENESS AUDIT EXPECTATION GAP AND THE ROLE OF AUDIT EDUCATION

Abstract

The audit expectations gap (AEG) is perceived to have a negative impact on the auditing profession. This study aims to evaluate the effect of training in universities on AEG regarding the auditing responsibilities of auditors. The research strategy is based on a quantitative approach, and data was collected in 2022 from 336 students studying at three universities in Ho Chi Minh City. SPSS 29 software is used to test the scale's reliability and the average difference between student groups using the Independent Sample T-Test. Research results indicate that university training programs contribute to narrowing AEG for 2/9 audit responsibilities among the nine audit responsibilities, and training content contributes to narrowing 1/9 audit responsibilities. Another surprising finding is that most students majoring in accounting and auditing and students taking courses related to this subject have higher expectations than the other group. This implies that previous views determining that AEG exists due to unreasonable public expectations are not convincing. AEG exists because the auditing profession is slow to change and adapt to social change.