Influence of peer group on the academic performance of junior secondary school students.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the study
The
oxford advanced learners dictionary (2001) defined peer group as a group of
people of same age or social status. The peer group is the first social group
outside the home in which the child attempts to gain acceptance and
recognition. Peer group is an important influence throughout one’s life but
they are more critical during the developmental years of childhood and
adolescence. Adolescents always emulate their mates in whatever form of behaviour
they exhibit, particularly that which interest them. Since socialization refers
to changes in behaviour, attitudes having their origin in interaction with
other persons and those which occur through integration, a child learn more
through interaction with peers McEwan and
Patrick (2003).
Socialization
being a life-long process cannot be limited to the family members alone. As a
child grows older and more mature, it becomes more necessary for the external
bodies to be involved in his/her life. The family is not expected to provide
all the education required by the growing child Lingren (2002). The school which is an established academic
institution in which the behaviour of an individual is sharpened to get him/her
equipped for occupational socialization. In the school system, the child gets
into the social group of “like minds” and interest. As a result of the various
attitudes and skills the child interacts, knowledge is acquired through
role-play. Peer group as an agent of socialization is the most important
socializing agent for the developing child. Peer group is the pivot of social
change and during interaction with peers; the child’s life is transformed from
the helplessness into a mature adult Ryan (2000).
Peer group is an
important agent of socialization. Participating in peer group activities is a
primary stage of development and adolescent identities are often closely
associated with that of their peers (Santor, Mesewey and Kusumakor 2006).
Because peer groups are key part of the developmental process, they can have a
negative effect on young people due to peer pressure and peer conformity.
Higher degrees of peer pressure, which is the pressure from others to participate
in certain activities, and peer conformity which is the degree to which an
individual adopts actions that are sanctioned by their peer group, have been
shown to increase the likelihood of risk taking behaviour such as substance
abuse and sexual activity (Santor, Messewey and Kusumakor 2000). The trio also
maintained that these risk-taking behaviours indirectly affect school
performance in a negative way.
Each
peer group has its code of conduct which does not always conform to adult
standards. The important thing is that each child takes his/her membership of
the per very serious and attempts to do anything to ensure he/she is accepted
and recognized. Lack of acceptance by t he peer disturbs the child especially
at adolescent age. Some children have been known to do badly in school not
because they lack the academic ability to do well but because they are
disturbed by the fact they are not accepted by their peer group Burns & Darling (2002). What makes learning comparative
is the fact that the child has equal status with the other children. They
further stress that peer group thus becomes more and more important to the
child as he advances in age. Other ways in which the peer group can help the
child include, teaching the culture of the society at large, making possible
social mobility, providing opportunity for the child to play many social roles
such as that of a leader, a follower, teacher or student. Peer group also help
the child to win his/her independence easily from domination and set before him
a goal which is more easily attainable than the expectation of adults. This in
itself provides motivation for learning and is mainly responsible for the fact
that all children at one stage or the other regard their membership of peer
group as very important Downs & Rose (2006).
Most
children and adolescents in this position do not discriminate about the kind of
group they join. They will often turn to a group simply because the group
accepts them even if the group is involved in negative tendencies (Peter Smith
and Anthony Pellegrini, 2001). The need for affection or closeness is often
greater than the need for the right thing. For some adolescents who feel
isolated and abandoned by members of their family being part of a peer group
provides such individual with acceptance and security not available at home. In
the Nigerian society today, the influence of peer group cannot be over
emphasized in a child’s life most especially child education. Peer group has in
one way or another influenced the life of children both academically, socially,
morally, psychologically and otherwise. Socialization such as family, religion,
mass media, and school among others help in modifying the behaviour of the
child.
In
conclusion, therefore the influence of peer group on the academic performance
of secondary school students cannot be over emphasized. The peer group forms
the main basis through which the child learns lot of empirical facts about his
physical and social environment, acquisition of skills and value as well as attitude
for a better future.
1.2 Theoretical framework
1.2.1 McClelland, Atkinson, Clark and Lowell’s
theory of achievement (1953)
The theory of
achievement which has become exceptionally influential was originally
formulated by McClelland, Atkinson, Clark and Lowell (1953) on the achievement
motive. The achievement motive has been used to predict such diverse events as
a student’s academic performance and a country's economic growth, and it has
been applied to such controversial areas as sex and social differences in
motivation.
There are two basic
motives at the heart of achievement theory, a motive or need for success
(symbolized Ms) and a motive or desire to avoid failure. These are competing
motives in that one pushes the individuals to undertake an achievement task and
the other pulls the person in the opposite direction. If the motive to achieve
success is greater than the motive to avoid failure, this person will likely
succeed, but if the motives are equal in strength or if the motives to avoid
failure is stronger, the person is not likely to succeed. The strength of these
motives is considered relatively stable overtime, but most people would
experience both motives to some extent.
The importance of
this theory to the present study is that students study hard in order to
succeed in life. That the two motives of need to succeed and desire to avoid
failure are competing forces in the life of students and other persons in the
society. That it is because the desire to avoid failure caused the students to
study very hard in order to succeed since success has millions of followers.
1.3 Statement
of the problem
In
recent time educators in Nigeria have been increasingly concerned about the
need to improve on the academic achievement of students (Akubuiro, 2008). In
the same vein Akomolafe (2009) asserted that parents, teachers and society in
general are worried and apprehensive about the best way to improve academic
standards, achievement and performance. Consequently the decline in the
academic performance of students in Nigerian’s tertiary institutions call for a
serious concern.
Academic achievement is an important
parameter in measuring success in students. Observations and reports have shown
that success or high academic achievement has become a Herculean task to
accomplish by students in recent times. The decline in the academic performance
of students in Nigerian universities had been highlighted by Soyinka (1999),
when he observed that university system in Nigeria needed restructuring. He
went further to say that academic standard had fallen drastically and the
quality of graduates being produced by the nations universities is questionable
and subject to re-examination. Poor academic achievement of students has been
of great concern to educationists, government and the public in general.
Students'
poor performance in Odukpani Local Government has continued to pose a serious
concern to government agencies, parents and the students themselves (Essien
2004, Akpan 2006 and Usoro 2007). Most previous studies had tended to attribute
this problem to factors that are extraneous to the learner, such as poor
physical facilities, school environment etc. (Onyejiaku, 1991). Various
strategies adopted by different governments and agencies tend not to address
the problem substantially. There is therefore further need to research into
other possible factors or variables underlying students' academic performance,
since behaviour is a product of environmental and psychosocial variables. The
researcher had therefore been motivated to carry out this study that is aimed
at examining if students' academic performance could be linked with peer group
variables. Children
socialize with the people when they are associate. Through interactions over
many years, acceptable social customs are taught and fostered. Other children
as well as adults can have a great impact on a broad range of issues in the
child’s life including achievement in schools. The research is geared towards
having a proper understanding of the way social interaction affect academic
achievement and it is very important for parents, educators, and policy makers.
The
immediate environment such as peer, family, school, religion and other factors
can encourage or discourage students academic performance. This research is
thus an inquiry into the influence of peer group on the academic performance of
junior secondary school students in Odukpani Local Government Area of Cross
River State.
1.4 Purpose of the
study
The purpose
of this study is to investigate the influence of peer group on the academic
performance of junior secondary school students in Odukpani Local Government
Area of Cross River State. Specifically the aim of this study is:
1. To investigate whether peer group do influence the academic performance
of students.
2. To determine whether peer pressure has any effect on academic
performance of students.
3. To find out whether peer conformity enhance the academic performance of
students.
1.5
Research questions
To
guide this study, the following research questions were posed.
1. To what extent does
peer group influence students' academic performance?
2. How does peer pressure affect academic performance of students?
3. Does peer conformity enhance academic performance of students?
1.6 Statement
of hypotheses
The following research hypotheses were
formulated:
1. There is no significant relationship between peer group influence and
academic performance of students.
2. There is no significant relationship between peer pressure and academic
performance students.
3. There is no significant relationship between peer conformity and academic
performance students.
1.7 Significance of study
The research work is carried out to
examine critically the influence of peer group on the academic performance in
selected secondary schools in Odukpani Local Government Area of Cross River State.
The
findings of this study will be of immense benefit the, parents, school
administrator and the body of literature.
To the
parents, it will enable them know how to control the type of company their ward
keeps; the peer to reject and those they can reject to boost the academic
outcome of their ward.
To school
administrator, it will enable them to select and group students in their
correct group that a child is best fit in. since their academic outcome depend
on the type of group they keep.
This study would
contribute to existing literature on psychosocial variables and students’
academic achievement with the aim of improving the quality of academic
achievement. Finally, the recommendations based on the results if implemented
would help to bring about innovations in institutions and improvement in
students’ academic achievement.
1.8 Scope of the study
While
the researcher acknowledges the fact that there are other variables that can
affect academic achievement, this study is limited to peer group variables
which are of interest to the researcher. The study is limited to secondary
schools in Odukpani Local Government Area of Cross River State.
1.9 Limitations of the Study
One unavoidable
limitation surrounding the study is that the questionnaire will depend
seriously on the honest reactions of the respondents. There is the possibility
that responses given by respondents may not be fully reflective of the actual
state of affairs. The emotional state of the respondents can hardly be
adequately ascertained. This study has not also considered the effect of
extraneous variables like the students’ intelligence which principally
determines achievement.
1.10 Definition
of terms
Peer group: This refers to adolescents who fall within
the same age bracket, membership of a group reading or studying the same course
or having some courses in common.
Peer conformity: this is the degree to which an individual adopts actions that are sanctioned
by their peer.
Peer pressure: this is the influence that a peers exert that encourages others
to change their attitudes, values, or behaviors
Academic performance: This refers to the
scores derived from the achievement test.
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