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THE
INFLUENCE OF PEER GROUP ON THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF SECONDARY SCHOOL
STUDENTS
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background
of the Study
Educational
activities are geared towards ensuring that students achieve mastery of
educational objectives. In school , the extent to which these objectives have
been achieved, is determined by their level of peer pressure, time management
as students’ success are reflected in their academic performance. Peers play a
large role in the social and emotional development of adolescents Allen (2005).
Their influence begins at an early age and increases through the teenage years,
it is natural, healthy and important for adolescent to have and rely on friends
as they grow and mature. A peer could be any one you look up to in behaviour or
someone who you would think is equal to your age or ability (Hardcastle, 2002).
On the other hand, the term “pressure” implies the process that influence
people to do something that they might not otherwise choose to do.
According to
Hartney, (2011) peer pressure refers to the influences that peers can have on
each other. Peer pressure is emotional or mental forces from people belonging
to the same social group (such as age, grade or status) to act or behave in a
manner similar to themselves (Weinfied 2010).
Jones,
(2010) defined peer pressure as the ability of people from the same social rank
or age to influence another of same age, bracket peer pressure is usually
associated with teens although its influence is not confined to teenagers
alone.
1
2
Mature
adults, teens, young adults and children can be seen doing things in order to
be accepted by their peers. Peer pressure is commonly associated with episodes
of adolescent risk taking (such as delinquency, drug abuse, sexual behaviours),
because these behaviour commonly occur in the company of peers. It can also
have positive effects when youth are pressured by the peer toward positive
behaviour. Such as volunteering for charity or excelling in academics (Kellie,
2013).
However,
peers can also have a negative influence. They can encourage each other to skip
classes, steal, cheat, use of drugs or alcohol, or become involve in other
risky behaviours. Majority of adolescents with substance abuse problems began
using drug or alcohol as a result of peer pressure. Negative peer pressure may
influence in various ways like joining group who drink alcohol, smoke cigarette
and Indian hemp among others. It may also lead to the decision to have a boy
friend/girl friend, Peer pressure indulges youth into loitering about in the
streets, watching films and attending parties during school hours, taping as
alternative to stealing which may eventually graduate into armed robbery.
(Arief, 2011),
Peer
pressure may be present in the workplace, at school or within the society, it
can affect people of all ages. It may affect people in different ways but here,
the focus is on peer pressure as it influences academic performance of
in-school adolescents. Peer pressure may have a positive influence and help to
3
challenge or
motivate one to do best. Peer pressure may also result in one doing thing that
may not fit with ones sense of what is right or wrong. In other words, when
peer pressure makes one do things that people frown at, it is a negative peer
pressure. Operationally peer pressure is a force exert by people that is
influenced by ideas, values and behaviour either positively or negatively and
always associated with adolescents. Study shown that many popular students who
do not manage their time well make lower grades than less socially accepted
adolescent (Hartney, 1990). This is possibly due to the fact that popular
students may spend more time worrying about their social life rather than
studying.
Time
management has to do with planning and scheduling activities, organizing tasks
in a prioritized order and allocating time to the tasks according to their
order of importance and helping one achieve desired objectives (Achunine,
1995). Time management is the ability to manage and control time. (Lakein,
2003). The use of planners, calendars and the like are effective tools in
managing time. Time management is the art of arranging organizing, scheduling
and budgeting one’s time for the purpose of generating more effective work and
productivity. (Lakein, 2003). Time management is important for everyone, while
time management books and seminars often focus on business leaders and
corporations, time management is also crucial for students, teachers,
professionals and home makers. Time management is mostly about self-management.
One may be right to
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say that
time management is the ability of an individual or group of individuals to make
proper use of their time in order to achieve set goals.
Time
management is explained as behaviour that is believed to aid production and
alleviate stress, productivity (Misra, 2000). Implementing time management
strategies helps to organize aspects of one’s life, therefore allowing one’s
time to complete all the tasks necessary to reduce one stress level. In
completing the task on schedule, a student will also enhance his academic
performance. It can be deduced from Misra (2000) view, that an in-school
adolescent who spends his time on irrelevant things instead of concentrating on
studies may end up having poor academic performance. The issue of students
loitering about, holding parties at the expense of their studies tends to
suggests that students in Abia State do not manage their time well. Hence,
academic performance might be affected.
Operationally
the researcher defines time management as the art of setting a goal and
following it sequentially in order to achieve the target. Hillary Retting has
identified over-giving of attention to family, friends, and work, volunteerism
or activism, as prime obstacles to managing ones time. This author therefore
recommends solutions to management of time to include being aware of one’s
motives for instance in striving, to be a “hero” or self-sacrificing “saint,”
and
5
avoiding
procrastination, setting his motives and working hard to wards achieving the motive
enhance academic performance.
Academic
performance refers to how well a student is accomplishing his or her tasks and
studies (Scortt’s, 2012). Grades are certainly the most well-known indicator of
academic performance. Grades are the student’s “score” for their classes and
overall tenure. Grades are most often a tallying or average of assignment and
test scores and may often be affected by factors such as attendance an
instructor opinion of the student as well. Grading systems vary greatly by
county and school; common scales include a percentage form 1-100, lettering
systems from A-F, and grade point averages (GPA) from 0-4.0 or above.
According to
Ward, Stocker and Murray-Ward (2006) academic performance refers to the outcome
of education; the extent to which the student, teacher or institution have
achieved their educational goals. Academic performance is the ability to study
and remember facts and being able to communicate one’s knowledge verbally or
written on paper (Answers, 2010). In the context of this study, academic
achievement refers to the extent to which students have achieve mastery of the
objectives of the subjects they are exposed to in school. According to (Aremu
and Sokan 2003) academic achievement has been observed in school subjects
especially mathematic and English language among secondary school students.
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The trend of
poor achievement of secondary school students has also been confirmed by the
West African Examination Council (WAEC). The WAEC result analysis for the years
2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 revealed the following statistics of the
performance of Nigerian student in secondary schools in public examination. The
percentages of students who passed during the years were report to be 22, 54,
13.76, 22.54, 24.94, and 25.99 percent respectively. That is, on the average,
less than a quarter (21.94 percent) of the students that sat for the May/June
West African Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations obtained credits
in five subjects including English and mathematics during the five years (WAEC,
2007-2011).
According to
the West African Examination Council Zonal Co-ordinator, revealed the
statistics of the 2012/2013 WAEC. A total of 324, 998 candidates registered for
the Examination 168,835 are Males: while 141,242 are Females: candidates who
registered for the WAEC examination. Withheld results, the results of 51,876
candidates, representing 16. 73% of candidates are being withheld by the WAEC
Board, based on various reports, mostly for these candidates alleged
involvement in examination malpractice, while another Statistics shows that a
whooping number of 250,487 candidates representing 80. 78% have 2 credits and
above, while 217,161 candidates, representing 70. 03 of the total 2012 WAEC
candidates, have three credits and above. Several factors have generally been
7
identified
as causes of poor academic performance. Morakinyo (2003) believes that the
falling level of academic performance is attributable to teachers’ non-use of
verbal reinforcement strategy. Welsh (2007) also found that the attitude of
some teachers to their job, poor teaching methods and the like influence
students’ academic performance.
The blame
for poor academic performance among secondary school students could be
attributable to a variety of factors such as student inability to manage their
time, peers influence, family factors and the likes. Parents, teachers,
curriculum, experts and evaluators have expressed considerable concern over the
deteriorating students’ performance in public examinations.
Therefore,
an in-school adolescent should avoid negative pressure such loitering along the
street during school hours holding parties at the expense of their study,
skipping school and drug abuse. That will create room for poor academic
performance. The adolescent should move with people that study their books in
order to have good academic performance.
Adolescence
is a developmental period in which an individual changes (over a varying length
of time) from childhood into adulthood. This creates confusion about the self
because society considers them neither children nor adults. Adolescence is also
a period of sexual maturity (of sex organs and the development of hormones) and
the development of sexual urge. The pattern of thinking is that in
8
which
immediate needs tend to have priority over long term ones and because they lack
knowledge and skills to make healthy choices, they tend to go into risky
behavior and tryout experiences which often leads to mistakes and regrets in
most adolescents it marks the beginning of sexual activity Steinberg, (2008)
Adolescents substance use, or antisocial behavior are often considered as
“problem” behaviours.
Adolescent
period is a time when many young people take the opportunity assess themselves
as well as begin the process of seeking out their own personal identities. Part
of this process includes questioning previously accepted beliefs and guidance
given in childhood and maintaining a distance from adult influences. Young ones
during this period often, rely on their peer group for support, approval and
behavior models (Aribiyi, 2006). Empirical sources indicated that adolescent’s
involvement in unguarded and discriminate negative peer pressure is on the
increase (Okonofua & Kanfua, 1996; Osarenren, 2000).
Adolescents’
use of time is an issue importance to youth, families and society as a whole
because the amount of time spent in various activities has been linked to the
development of adolescent problem behaviours. Occupying time in constructive
ways by participating in co-curricular activities an doing homework, for
example, is often viewed by parents and community leaders as well a means of
preventing negative peer pressure such as substance abuse ,delinquency and
sexual
9
activity.
Adolescent time use in school and peer experiences may also have profound
influences on the development of problem behavior. Some literature shows high
level of family support and cohesion are associated with lower levels of
adolescent substance use, delinquency and other negative outcomes (Barnes and
Farrell (1992); Farrell and Barnes (2000). On the order hand, large exclusive
amount of time spent in unsupervised peer context may reinforce or exacerbate
adolescent substance use and delinquency. Thus, large amount of unsupervised
time spent with peers at parties, “hanging out” at malls, dating and talking on
the phone may contribute to a variety of negative peer pressure in adolescents
(Osgood and Anderson, 2004).
Adolescents
are particularly vulnerable to peer pressure, because they are at a stage of
development, when they are separating more from their parents’ influence but
have not yet established their own values or understanding about human
relationship or the consequences of their behaviour. They are also typically
striving for social acceptance at this stage and may be willing to engage in
behaviours that will allow them to be accepted but are against their better
judgment. At this stage whether male or female the pattern thinking is that in
which immediate needs tend to have priority over long term ones and because
they lack knowledge and skill to make healthy choices.
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Gender may
have positive and negative influence on in-school adolescents. The World Health
Organization defines gender as the socially constructed roles, behaviour,
activities and attributes that a particular society considers for men and
women. To Woolfolk (2010) gender usually refers to traits and behaviours that a
particular culture judges to be appropriate for men and women. Cross and Madson
(2007) stated that although the majority of the researcher shows that parent
attachment is stronger in female, female may also be more likely than boys to
draw support from other sources, such as peers, because female may be more
active in the pursuit of relatedness in the context of their peer relations.
Hay and Ashman (2003) concluded that females were more influenced by peer
relations than males.
It has also
been revealed that girls do better in school, get higher grades and can
graduate from high school at a higher level than boys (Aryana, 2010).
From the
on-going, adolescent boys and girls exhibit differences in behavioural patterns
regarding their relationship with their peers, time management and academic
performance. This study will investigate the relationship among peer pressure,
time management and academic performance of in-school adolescents in Umuahia
Education Zone.
Statement of
the Problem
Reports have
shown that there has been a downward trend in academic performance of in-school
adolescents in Nigerian secondary school in general and
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in Umuahia
Education Zone, Abia state in particular. Parents, teachers, Curriculum experts
have also expressed considerable concern about this poor performance in
external examination such as West African Examination Council. So also are
teachers and school counselor. These groups of individuals tend to point
accusing fingers on influence of negative peer pressure and poor time
management as being responsible for poor academic performance. These factors
are suspected for the luring of adolescents into engagement in negative habits
such as excessive drinking of alcohol, smoking, of Indian hemp, engagement in
unhealthy sexual behaviour, cultist activities and other maladjustive
behaviours that distract them from academic pursuit. These unhealthy behaviours
of adolescents which in turn impacts poor academic performance make the
researcher to ask “why are Nigerian adolescent not very concern about the
current trend on their academic performance in examination?
Could it be
that they are insensitive to the possible negative influence of peer pressure
and poor time management on their academic performance. It is in view of these
concerns that this study was carried out to determine the relationship among
peer pressure, time management and their academic performance.
12
Purpose of
the Study
The main
purpose of the study is to determine the relationship among peer
pressure,
time management and academic performance of in-school adolescents in
Umuahia
Education Zone, Abia State.
Specifically,
the study intends to:
1. Find out the level of peer pressure
among in-school adolescents.
2. Find out the level of time management
among in-school adolescents.
3. Determine the relationship between peer
pressure and academic performance of in-school adolescents.
4. Determine the relationship between time
management and academic performance of in-school adolescents.
5. Determine the relationship among peer
pressure, time management and academic performance of in-school adolescents.
Significance
of the Study
Theoretically,
the findings of this study will help to clear some of the theoretical assertion
by some of the theory on which this study will be anchored on as theory of
social control theory.
According to
the theorist he believes that exploiting the process of socialization and
social learning builds self control and reduces the inclination to indulge in
any bad behaviour. The theory stipulated that ties or bonds which lead
13
adolescents
in conformity to family, school and other aspects of societal beliefs serve to
diminish adolescent’s propensity for deviant behaviour. The theorist believes
that anti-social behaviour occurs only when such bonds are weakened or are not
established. Thus, if moral codes are internalized and individuals are tied to
and have a stake in their wider community they will voluntarily limit their
propensity to commit deviant acts.
On the
practical aspect, the findings from this study will be of immense benefits to
the counselors, teacher, the society, school and researchers.
To the
counselor- it will help to create discipline in the life of adolescents. When
this is done there will be sanity, peace and order, which will enhance the
moral tone of the school as well as the society. It will also help the
counselor to know the right technique to adopt in modifying negative peer
pressure. To the teacher-the teacher will equally benefits from the finding of
the study because the finding will help them know what is expected of them as
they are role model.
To the
school-the findings of the study will directly lead to the raising of our
standard of education because experience has shown that disciplined students
learn faster and perform better academically than undisciplined students.
Therefore, the findings of this study will help the school produce students who
can contribute meaningfully towards the development of the nation in future.
The findings of the study will be made known to public by organizing conferences,
workshops and seminars to inform them of the positive and negative effect of
peer pressure and
14
proper
utilization of time. This will help sensitize in-school adolescent by making
them to be aware of the merits of good peer pressure and time management.
Finally, the results of the work will be of great help to future researchers.
This will be a source of research materials or empirical data for them
Scope of the
Study
The study is
delimited to in-school adolescents in Umuahia Education Zone, Abia State. The
study will be restricted to SS2 students, both male and female senior secondary
school students. They were chosen because it is expected that they have spent
five years in the school and they have acquired the experience of both positive
and negative peer pressure, and how it can affect their performance. Academic
performance is delimited to the students’ cumulative average score of school
subjects in a session.
Research
Question
The
following research question will guide the study.
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