The audit expectations gap and the role of audit education: The case of an emerging economy

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of audit education in reducing the audit expectations gap (AEG) in an emerging economy, namely Bangladesh. Design/methodology/approach: Mann-Whitney test results of questionnaire survey responses indicate the presence of a significant AEG between auditors, bankers, and students, especially in the area of audit responsibility. Findings: The paper finds evidence that audit education significantly reduces the AEG, especially in the area of audit reliability. However, results also indicate that although the introduction of accounting scandal cases in the auditing curricula creates interest amongst the students, it also creates some unreasonable expectation regarding audit responsibility. Originality/value: The paper contributes to the existing literature by presenting evidence of the effects of both traditional and case-based auditing education on reducing the AEG in an emerging economy context. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.