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CHAPTER ONE | |||||
1.0 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 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 child’s 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 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. 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 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 child’s 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 Smith and Anthony Pellegrini, 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 child’s 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 school students in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State.
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 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 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
secondary school students in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State.
1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The objectives of this study include:
1. To investigate
whether peer group affect the academic performance of adolescent.
2. To determine
whether peer influence has any effect on academic performance of children of
children from broken homes.
3. To find out
whether peer influence determines variation in academic performance of male and
female students.
4. To investigate
whether age does determine the extent to which peer influence affects academic
performance of students.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
To guide this study, the following research
questions were formulated
1. Does peer group
influence have great effect on the acade4miuc performance of students?
2. Does peer
influence have any effect on academic performance of children from broken
homes?
3. Does peer group
influence have varying effects on academic performance of male and female
students?
4. Does age
determine the extent of peer group influence on academic performance of
students?
1.5 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 Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State.
information gathered from this work is pertinent and will go along 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 adolescents.
TO GET THE COMPLETED PROJECT WORK WITH
REFERENCES,
PLEASE CALL
+2347060556088 or +2348088748420
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you.
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Friday 25 October 2013
INFLUENCE OF PEER GROUP ON THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS
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