The Impact of Peer Group on Secondary School Students’ Academic Performance

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Educational activities are designed to help pupils master educational objectives. At school, the amount to which these aims are met is decided by their level of peer pressure and time management, as pupils’ academic achievement reflects their success. Peers have a significant impact on teenagers’ social and emotional development (Allen 2005). Their effect begins at a young age and grows throughout the adolescent years; it is natural, healthy, and necessary for adolescents to have and rely on friends as they mature and grow. A peer can be somebody you look up to in terms of behavior or someone you believe is on a par with your age or abilities (Hardcastle, 2002). On the other side, the phrase “pressure” refers to the process through which individuals are persuaded to do something they may not have chosen otherwise.

Peer pressure, according to Hartney (2011), refers to the impact that peers can have on one another. Peer pressure refers to emotional or mental pressures exerted by members of the same social group (by age, grade, or rank) to act or behave similarly to themselves (Weinfied 2010).

Jones (2010) defined peer pressure as “the capacity of persons of the same social rank or age to exert influence over another person of the same age.” Although peer pressure is frequently associated with teenagers, its impact is not limited to them.

Adults, adolescents, young adults, and youngsters have all been seen engaging in behaviors in attempt to get acceptance from their peers. Peer pressure is frequently related with teenage risk taking behaviors (such as delinquency, drug misuse, and sexual behavior), as these behaviors frequently occur in the presence of peers. It can also have beneficial benefits when peers urge adolescents to engage in positive behavior. As an example, volunteering for a charitable cause or academic excellence (Kellie, 2013).

Peers, on the other hand, can have a detrimental effect. They can coerce one another into skipping courses, stealing, cheating, abusing drugs or alcohol, or engaging in other harmful behaviors. The majority of teenagers who develop substance misuse issues do so as a consequence of peer pressure. Negative peer pressure can manifest itself in a variety of ways, including joining groups that use alcohol, smoke cigarettes, or use Indian hemp. Additionally, it may influence the decision to have a boy/girl buddy. Peer pressure encourages youngsters to linger in the streets, watch films, and attend parties during school hours, tape-recording as an alternative to stealing, which may progress to armed theft (Kellie, 2013).

Peer pressure can occur at work, school, or in society, and it can influence people of all ages. It may have a variety of effects on individuals, but the focus here is on peer pressure and its effect on the academic performance of in-school teenagers. Peer pressure may be beneficial in that it can serve as a motivator or a challenge to perform one’s best. Peer pressure may also lead to behavior that contradicts one’s sense of what is good or wrong. In other words, when peer pressure compels someone to do something that others disapprove upon, this is considered negative peer pressure. Peer pressure is a force exerted by individuals and is always connected with teenagers. It is impacted by beliefs, values, and behavior. Numerous studies have demonstrated that popular pupils who are unable to manage their time effectively get poorer marks than less socially acceptable adolescents (Hartney, 1990). This might be because popular students spend more time thinking about their social lives than they do studying.

Academic performance refers to a student’s ability to complete assigned assignments and studies (Scortt’s, 2012). Grades are unquestionably the most widely used metric of academic accomplishment. Grades are a student’s “score” for each class and for their whole term. Grades are frequently calculated as the sum or average of assignment and test results and are frequently influenced by factors like as attendance and the instructor’s assessment of the student. Grading systems vary significantly by county and school; popular scales include percentages ranging from 1 to 100, lettering systems ranging from A to F, and grade point averages (GPA) ranging from 0 to 4.0.

According to Ward, Stocker, and Murray-Ward (2006), academic performance refers to the consequence of education; the degree to which a student, teacher, or institution achieves its educational objectives. Academic performance is defined as the capacity to learn and recall facts, as well as the ability to transmit one’s knowledge vocally or in writing (Answers, 2010). Academic accomplishment is used in this study to refer to the extent to which pupils have mastered the goals of the disciplines they are exposed to in school. Academic success in school subjects, particularly mathematics and English language, has been found among secondary school pupils (Aremu and Sokan 2003).

 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Numerous studies have been undertaken outside of Nigeria on the school culture, peer influence, and academic achievement of students. Furthermore, the majority of the few studies available in Nigeria on peer influence, and its anticipated effect on students’ academic achievement were theoretical studies with subjective results based on the researchers’ own assessments. It is noted that prior study did not dedicate enough attention to the subject at hand (Lang, 2014). As a result, this study will bridge the divide by undertaking an empirical investigation into the relationship between peer influence, and students’ academic achievement.

When it comes to economics students’ academic success, people are frequently too quick to point the finger at parents and students. However, the fundamental issues confronting education in Nigeria since independence are largely the result of school environmental factors, which range from insufficient school structures, poorly equipped classrooms, a high rate of school enrollment, insufficient instructional materials, and high drop-out rates to insufficient facilities; all of which contribute to widespread failure on public economics examinations. These issues led to the invention of the renowned 6-3-3-4 technique. The issue of economics students performing badly academically, on the other hand, persists (Adamu, 2014).

Peer pressure dynamics are another key element determining students’ academic progress in economics at the secondary school level. According to studies, peer pressure has superseded parental influence as the dominant source of values and behavioral influence in teenagers during the last 50 years (Oni, 2010). Along with this new trend has come an extraordinary rise in antisocial conduct, as students are more deceived and influenced directly or indirectly by the group of friends they maintain regardless of their academic genius. In this vein, Abd-Elhamid et al. (2014) cautioned that friendships influence both harmful and beneficial behaviors and that peer pressure predisposes adolescents to engage in a variety of deviant behaviors, including alcoholism, gangsterism, robbery, and violent secret cult activities, even to the detriment of their academic dreams and eventual outcomes. Given the above, it is plausible to conclude that some of the social vices and low academic achievement witnessed annually in Nigerian senior secondary schools in subjects such as economics are the consequence of a hostile school atmosphere and peer group influence on teens.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The broad objective of this study is to examine the impact of peer group on secondary school students’ academic performance. Other objectives of this study are to:

i.          Determine the extent peer pressure affects secondary school students.

ii.        Determine the extent peer group influence impacts on students’ academic performance.

iii.      Examine the impacts of peer group influence on secondary school students in Nigeria.

iv.      Examine ways peer group influence can be curbed in secondary schools.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following research questions which are in line with the objectives of this study will be answered in this study:

i.          To what extent does peer pressure affect secondary school students?

ii.        To what extent does peer group influence impacts on students’ academic performance?

iii.      What are the impacts of peer group influence on secondary school students in Nigeria?

iv.      What ways can peer group influence be curbed in secondary schools?

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

On a practical level, the outcomes of this study will assist counselors, teachers, the community, the school, and researchers enormously.

To the counselor, it will aid in the development of discipline in teenagers’ lives. When this is accomplished, sanity, peace, and order will reign, enhancing the school’s and society’s moral tone. Additionally, it will assist the counselor in determining the appropriate method to use when changing negative peer pressure. To the instructor-the teacher will gain equally from the study’s findings since they will assist them understand what is expected of them as a role model.

To the school—the study’s findings will immediately result in an increase in our educational standards, since experience has demonstrated that disciplined children learn faster and do better academically than undisciplined pupils. As a result, the outcomes of this study will assist the school in producing students capable of meaningfully contributing to the nation’s growth in the future. The study’s findings will be disseminated to the public through the organization of conferences, seminars, and efficient use of time. This will assist in sensitizing in-school adolescents by educating them about the benefits of effective peer pressure and time management. Finally, the findings of this study will be extremely beneficial to future researchers. This will serve as a repository for research materials or empirical data for their lectures on the good and negative effects of peer pressure.

 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This study focuses on the impact of peer group on secondary school students’ academic performance. Specifically, the study focuses on determining the extent peer pressure affects secondary school students, determining the extent peer group influence impacts on students’ academic performance, examining the impacts of peer group influence on secondary school students in Nigeria and examining ways peer group influence can be curbed in secondary schools.

Teachers and students of selected secondary schools in Owerri, Imo State will be the respondents for this study.

LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

This study is limited to the impact of peer group on secondary school students’ academic performance. Specifically, the study is limited to determining the extent peer pressure affects secondary school students, determining the extent peer group influence impacts on students’ academic performance, examining the impacts of peer group influence on secondary school students in Nigeria and examining ways peer group influence can be curbed in secondary schools.

Teachers and students of selected secondary schools in Owerri, Imo State will be the respondents for this study, thus the sample size was limited because only a few respondents were chosen to answer the research instrument, therefore the results cannot be generalized to other secondary schools outside the state.

DEFINITION OF TERMS

Impact: A marked effect or influence

Peer group: A peer group is both a social group and a primary group of people who have similar interests, age, background, or social status. The members of this group are likely to influence the person’s beliefs and behaviour. During adolescence, peer groups tend to face dramatic changes.

Academic performance: Academic achievement or academic performance is the extent to which a student, teacher or institution has attained their short or long-term educational goals. Completion of educational benchmarks such as secondary school diplomas and bachelor’s degrees represent academic achievement.