PROJECT CODE: 000319

THE INFLUENCE OF PEER GROUP ON SELECTED SECONDARY SCHOOL

STUDENTS ATTITUDE AND EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT IN UGHELLI
NORTH LGA

BY

OGBEVIRE PAMELA

DELTA STATE UNIVERSITY, ABRAKA

2016
PROJECT CODE: 000319

CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
In ways similar to the community, the peer group becomes an agency of
enculturation and learning. Even very young children develop a sense of self from their
perceptions of important people in their surroundings, including relatives, teachers, and
peers. Socioeconomic status, ethnic identity, and parents occupations affect how
families view themselves and the process by which they socialize their children
(Bornstein, 2002). Later, as children leave the home setting, their self-perception and
socializing skills become influenced by how their peers view them.
When children move out from family to child-care centers, school, and the
community at large, they begin to form attachments, and friendships emerge through
their play. These relationships influence behavior. Even infants and toddlers are
observed reacting to other infants by touching them, by crying when others cry, and
later by offering nurturance or comfort. By about age three, early friendships begin to
form and childrens peers begin to have a more lasting influence (Parke, 1990).
Peer influence on behavior gradually becomes more dominant. Harris (1998,
2002) and Rowe (1994) maintained that peer groups have an even stronger
influence than that of parents, although that extreme position has been refuted by other
researchers (Berk, 2005). Gradually, children discover that others can share their
feelings or attitudes or have quite different ones. The perspectives of others will affect
how children feel about their own families. Children usually have a family view of
their own and of other cultures. So, when confronted with other perspectives, they often
need to rethink their own viewpoints. It is often difficult for children to adjust to the
idea that other families can function radically differently from their own and yet hold
many of the same attitudes and beliefs and be equally nurturing and secure. The peer
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group serves as a barometer for children examining themselves and their feelings about
self and family.
The peer group also influences development of childrens socializing skills.
These early friendships help children learn how to negotiate and relate to others,
including their siblings and other family members. They learn from peers how to
cooperate and socialize according to group norms and group-sanctioned modes of
behavior. The peer group can influence what the child values, knows, wears, eats, and
learns. The extent of this influence, however, depends on other situational constraints,
such as the age and personality of children and the nature of the group (Harris, 1998;
Hartup, 1983). Socialization is particularly important for children with disabilities, and
it is the reason many programs include peers who are typically developing in special
education programs or include children with disabilities in general education
classrooms.
In its most acceptable form, the peer group is a healthy coming-of- age
arbiter, by which children grasp negotiating skills and learn to deal with hostility and
to solve problems in a social context. In its most destructive mode, the peer group
can demand blind obedience to a group norm, which can result in socially alienated
gangs with pathological outlooks (Perry, 1987).
Despite so much change in today's society, the fundamental tasks of growing up
still endure - to find a place in a valued group that gives a sense of belonging; to
identify and master tasks that are generally recognized as having value and
therefore can earn respect by acquiring skill to cope with them; to acquire a sense
of worth as a person; and to develop reliable and predictable relationships with other
people, especially a few close friends and loved ones (Hamburg, 1992).
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
PROJECT CODE: 000319

home in which the child attempts to gain acceptance and recognition. Peer group is an
important influence throughout ones 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
thus, since socialization only refer 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.
Socialization being a life-long process cannot be limited to the family members
alone. As a child grows older and more matured, it become 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. 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, skills,
knowledge is acquired through role-play. Peer group as an agent of socialization is the
most important socializing is the most important socializing agent for the developing
child. Peer group is the pivot of social change and during interaction peers; the childs
life is transformed from the helpless child into a mature adult.
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 peer
very serious and attempts to do anything to ensure he/she is accepted and recognized.
Lack of acceptance by the 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. What makes learning comparative is the fact that the child has equal
status with the other children. There is an atmosphere of freedom in which each child
PROJECT CODE: 000319

learns the way of the world from others. The 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. The 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.
When the family is not supportive for instance, if the parents work extra jobs and
are largely unavailable, their children may turn to their peer for emotional support. This
also occur when the conflict between parents and children during adolescence or at any
stage during a childs development becomes so great that the child feels pushed away
and seeks company elsewhere. 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 tendency
(Peter and Anthony, 2001). The need for affection or closeness is often greater than the
need to do 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 childs life most especially
child education.
Peer group has in one way or the other influenced the life of children both
academically, socially, morally, psychologically and otherwise. It helps just like any
other agent of secondary school students in Ughelli North Local Government Area of
Delta State. Socialization such as family, religion, mass media, and school among
PROJECT CODE: 000319

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. It is against this background
that this study is carried out to investigate the influence of peer group on selected
secondary school students attitude and educational achievement in Ughelli North LGA.

1.2 Statement of Problem

Children socialize with the people with when they associate. Through interaction
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 childs 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 secondary school students in Ughelli North Local
Government Area of Delta State.

During adolescence, the amount of influence that peer group have on ones
academic achievement is enormous. The ways and manners by which peer influence
affects adolescents academic performance needs to be researched and documented. This
will assist parents and counselors to understand the pattern of peer influence and ways
to curb negative influence. This study therefore seeks to address the aforementioned
problems.
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1.3 Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of peer group on selected
secondary school students attitude and educational achievement in Ughelli North LGA.
The purpose of this research work is to achieve the following objectives:
i. To examine the effects of peer group influence on academic performance of
secondary school students.
ii. To discuss the challenges faced by secondary school students as a result of peer
group influence.
iii. To determine whether peer influence has any effect on academic performance of
children of children from broken homes.
iv. To find out whether peer influence determines variation in academic performance
of male and female students.
v. To investigate whether age does determine the extent to which peer influence
affects academic performance of students.
vi. To proffer lasting solution to the problems associated with peer group influence
as it affects the academic performance of secondary school students.
1.4 Research Questions
To guide this study, the following research questions were formulated;
i. Does peer group influence h a v e a d v a n c e effect on academic performance
of secondary school students?
ii. Do secondary school students face challenges as a result of peer group influence?
iii. Does peer group influence have any effect on academic performance of children
of children from broken homes?
iv. Does peer group influence determines variation in academic performance of male
and female students?
PROJECT CODE: 000319

v. Does age determine the extent to which peer influence affects academic
performance of students?
vi. What do you think are the possible solution to the problems associated with peer
group influence as it affects the academic performance of secondary school
students?
1.5 Research Hypothesis
The following null hypotheses were tested in the study:
H01: There is no significant difference between peer group pressure and academic
performance of secondary school students in Ughelli North L.G.A. of Delta State.
H02: There is no significant difference between those in private and government
secondary schools as regards peer group influence on student academic
performance.

1.6 Significance of Study

The research work is carried out to examine critically the influence of peer group
on selected secondary school students attitude and educational achievement in Ughelli
North LGA. Information gathered from this work is pertinent and will go a long way in
unveiling the influence of peer group on the academic performance of students.

The importance of this study is to know whether peer group has any influence on
the academic performance of a child as well as making an effect to strike a balance in
the educational system in line with the national policy on education. This study will also
provide an insight into the impact of peer group on academic performance of Secondary
school students.

1.7 Scope of the Study

PROJECT CODE: 000319

This research work focuses on the influence of peer group on selected secondary
school students attitude and educational achievement in Ughelli North LGA. This
research work covers Secondary school students in Delta State using Ughelli North
Local Government Area as case study.
1.8 Limitation of the Study
Apart from time frame and shortage of finance, the major limitation to this
research is the inability of the researcher to cover the whole areas in Ughelli North
Local Government Area of Delta State as the title suggest.
1.9 Definition of Terms
Peer group: are children or adolescents who are of the same age or maturity, level
and have regular contact with each other.
Peer influence: peer influence can be described as the pressure adolescents feel from
their peers.
Adolescence: refers to the transitory period where a child moves to adulthood. The
adolescent years fall within 12-18 years.
In-School Adolescents: refers to adolescents who are still in the formal school system
as opposed to those who have dropped out of school.
Academic performance: refers to the intellectual ability of an individual when it
comes to academic or education.

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