PEER GROUP AND ITS INFLUENCE ON THE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF BIOLOGY STUDENTS IN SECONDARY SCHOOL
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
Biology as a branch of science plays a vital role in providing knowledge of relevant concepts, scientific skills, environment and natural phenomena. It helps to develop science process skills and scientific attitude. Education on the other hand is a designed process for training an individual by which knowledge is acquired
Academic activities are directed towards ensuring that students gain mastery of educational objectives. In schools, the extent to which these objectives have been met is determined greatly by the interaction of peer groups which could possibly reflect in student’s academic performance. Peer group play a large role in the social, emotional and academic development of students. Allen in Steinberg (2005) maintains that peer group influence begins at an early age and increases through the teenage years. Thus, understanding the prospects and challenges of peer group is crucial for the productivity of educational processes and the organizational design of school systems in order to improve student’s academic performance.
Hamm et al. in Lavy and Schlosser (2007), argued that, “for many students, friendships are critical interpersonal vehicle that move them towards psychological growth and maturity, allowing social compassion which influences the development of self-evaluation”. The above statement suggests strongly, the unprecedented effect of peer group in almost all facet of adolescent’ s growth. Such effect could be seen in social and emotional lives of young people, which does not end at the above mentioned, but could also manifest in their attitude
towards educational activities and careful consideration of these elements has shown that they reflect in the academic performance of students.
However, Castrogiovanni (2002) defined peer group as a small group of similar age, fairly close friends, sharing the same activities. In its most acceptable form, peer group is a healthy coming-of age intermediary, by which youth grasp negotiating skills and learn to deal with challenges and to solve problems in a social context.
Peer group can also act as positive role model, for example, if one is involved with a group of people that are ambitious and working hard to attain high academic goals, one might feel pressured to follow suit to avoid feeling excluded from the group.
A negative peer influence could be seen as one of the militating forces why most student record poorly in academic performance, the reason for this is not farfetched: they spend large amount of time in extra curriculum. More often than none, academic priorities are neglected and thus academic performance grossly
affected.
Academic performance refers to excellence in all academic discipline. Steinberg (2005) posits that academic performance encompasses students’ ability and performance; it is multi-dimensional; it is intricately associated to human growth and cognitive, emotional and social physical development. Academic performance also refers to how well a student is accomplishing his tasks and studies. There should be a interrelated relationship between peer group and academic performance. It was believed that student’s academic performance correlates with the group he or she belongs. Peer Influence can be either positive or negative. If a student is influenced negatively by peer, it affects his or her academic performance. Nevertheless, stronger student do have an impact on their peers and actually help improve their overall academic performance. Conversely, positive peer influence on academic performance depends on person’s self-identity, self-esteem and self-reliance. Peer influence can as well inspire student’s academic vigor and motivation for achievement (Lashbrook, 2000).
Peer relations are never more prominent than in adolescence which falls within the age group under this study. They spend more time than adults interacting with peers and recording a very high degree of happiness in peer contexts, while giving the greatest priority to peer norms for behavior (Brown and Larson, 2009). This developmental stage in affiliation motivation appears to be highly preserved across peers.
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 group as it influences academic performance of secondary school students in Biology .
In support of this view, Ezewu (2012) advised that the school must therefore use peer group energies to promote rather than impede good learning. It is therefore necessary to let students realize the reason why they have to be careful in choosing their friends so that their attitudes toward learning would be improved as the peer group they belong can have effect on their learning negatively and positively. Peers are so critical to an adolescent's should provide boundaries from which teens form their identity, while peers form the cushion of support during the fragile time that identity is being formed. These boundaries that enables him to internalize the values that form his character to foster his learning that he acts accordingly without generating retribution from authority or rejection from his peers. It is on the backdrop the study seek to investigate the influence of peer group on the academy performance of secondary school students in Ondo State .
Statement of the Problem
The low academic performance of students in biology is brought the need to investigate the factors influencing learning. The peer group influence is one of the factors causing low academic performance in biology. However, the problem of peers is that they influence their selves negatively. 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.
There is need to look into peer group relationship and individual approach to learning, membership of the peer group they belong and find out how factors such as sex, age, social status or ethnicity determine their membership in a group. Base on the above issues, the researchers intend to investigate the influence of peer group on students academic achievement in biology in some selected secondary schools.
Purpose of the Study
This main purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of peer group on the academic performance of secondary school students in Biology in Ondo State .
The study will also find out the following:
i. The positive or negative influence of peer group relationship on academic performance of students in biology.
ii. The study will also examine the influence of economic status of peers on the academic performance of students in secondary schools in biolgy.
iii. The study will also examine if parents show interest in knowing the peer group association of their children
Research Questions
The following questions were answered in the study:
· Does the peer group influence the academic performance of students in Biology?
· Does the economic status of the peers influence their learning and academic-performance in Biology?
· Do parents show interest in knowing the peer group association of their children?
· What is the relationship between peer pressure and the academic performance of students in biology?
Research Hypotheses
The following hypotheses were tested in this research:
Ho1 There is no significant influence of peer group on the academic achievements of students in Biology.
Ho2 There is no significant relationship between the economic status of peers and their academic performance in biology
Ho3 There is no significant relationship between students' peer pressure and their academic performance in biology.
Research Questions
i. Does peer group influence the academic performance of secondary school students in Biology ?
ii. Does the economic status of peer influence their learning and academics?
iii. Do parents show interest in knowing the peer group association of their children?
Research Hypotheses
The following null hypothesis were raised to guide the study
ü There is no significant relationship between peer group and students academic performance in biology
ü There is no significant different on the economic status of peers and their academic performance in biology
Significance of the Study
The findings of this study will be helpful in determining some of the factors associated to the peer groups in relation to their academic performance.
The factors when identified will form a base for proffering appropriate solutions to parents and teachers to beware of the ways they can direct peer group relationship.
The result will also guide counsellors to find the best ways of handling peer groups relationship.
The students will also benefit from the study by acquiring knowledge on peers that can hinder their progress in academic.
The result will enable the teacher to know more about the peer group which in turn will continue to enhance teaching and learning process.
It is also hoped that the present research study will at least provide some background information for future study on the topic.
Scope of the Study
The study will focus on the influence of peer group relationship on the academic performance of students in secondary school in Biology. The study will be carried out in selected Secondary Schools in Akure South Local Government Area of Ondo State . The scope will be limited to five (5) secondary schools in the area and the respondents used are senior secondary school students.
Limitations of the Study
In this study, the researcher is limited to some factors which includes school size and time factor. The finances accompanying researches also confined the study to the selected secondary schools in Akure south Local Government Area of Ondo state .
Operational Definition of Terms
Thus the researcher deems it fit to give operational definition to the following concerned terms in the study.
Peers: This refers to children of same sex and usuallywithin the same age range.
Peer Group: This is the association of close friends of thesame sex, which are bound together by common emotional attachment and have a complex social system of which they posses certain code of conduct such as dressing codes.
Peer Group Relationship:This is the form, way and whyclose friends of the same sex (peers) communicate among themselves whether in public or exclusively.
Academic Performance:This is the level of achievementattained through efforts or skills during the learning processes (theoretical and practical) and has effect on the standard of education.
Influence: This refers to the effect which an element hason another specific element.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Introduction
In view of the importance of research in various aspects of the human existence and survival, it is necessary to publicize the work done on the influence of the peer group on the academic performance of students in order to expose the public to things that have been done already en that area of study.
With regards to this, this chapter focuses on the issue of poor performance and low academic achievements of students. Therefore, literatures are reviewed on the following subheadings:
· Concept of peer
· Concept of peer group
· Concept of peer pressure
· Concept of academic performance
· Effects of peer group relationships on students' learning
· Parents' influence on pupils' peer group relationship
· Teachers' influence on pupils' peer group relationship
· Theoretical framework
· Emperical framework
· Summary of the literature reviewed
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