ABSTRACT: This research examined the Peer Group Influence and Academic Performance of Secondary School Students in Economics in Ika Local Government Area. To carry out the research, survey design was adopted. Two research and hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The total population of the study was three thousand six hundred and twenty five (2625) senior secondary one to three (SS1-SS3) economics students who registered for economics in 2016/2017 academic session from the three public schools and nine private secondary schools in Ika Local Government Area. Two hundred SS2 students were the sample size and were randomly selected from two public and two private secondary schools in the study area. The instrument used was Economics Performance Test (EPT). The data collected were analyzed using Independent t-test. The hypotheses were tested at 0.05 levels of significance.
The result revealed that there is no significant difference in academic performance of Economics students influenced peer group in urban and rural schools; also there is no significant difference in academic performance of Economics students influenced peer group in private and public schools in Ika Local Government Area. It was therefore recommended that, if teachers encourage students to form reading group, go to library and attend extra-moral lessons; if there are open rules and regulations to punish negative behaviours, if there are regular contest like quiz and programmes that reward student performances; students performance in economic will improved.
Peer Group Influence and Academic Performance of Secondary School Students in Economics
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the study
Peer group include group of persons of the same age who share the same status and bond together by common objective and believe in a social context or circumstance. It can also be seen as the people of the same ability who are knitted together by a feeling derived by a common concern as seekers of what was desirable for the group and whose interests are shortage and temporary (Ezewu, 2012).
It has been observed that the peer group influences are more pronounced and noted in secondary schools than in primary and nursery schools, partly because some of the children go away from home and stay in boarding schools where parental supervision and contact is very limited. The influence of peer group on the child is great both in and out of the school, because there is the tendency for members to be comfortable with group norms and values. Sometimes, peer group influence may lead to aggressive behaviour such as rioting in school. All these occur, possibly with lack of parental supervision and control.
According to Umoh (2015), peer groups are significant in students’ academic achievement and performance of different stages of education. They are highly influence for, pre-reading, linguistic skills and high level of commitment for education and training which affects the individuals educational and professional attainments. On the other hand, peers are highly influential in causing children to develop poor reading habits thereby resulting in malpractices and bribery during examinations. Different research studies have strongly linked higher-achiever to high achievements and performance. It is believed that peer groups characteristics’ and environment where it generates, affects the behaviours and educational attainments of students. Consequently, the variations observed in students’ educational performance and achievement is due to their peer group effect and orientation towards a particular subject.
Sacerdote (2001) argue that peer groups’ influence is strong at secondary school level due to the age of the peer (maturity level), while it is, to a less extent, weak in college and university. This is because, the student learned most of the characters and developed interest towards a particular course while at the same time developing hatred for some courses he seems would be difficult. This character and interest is what will influence his choice of education and interest in a particular field in the college.
Consequently, the peer influences a child both negatively and positively. Positively, the peer encourages learning and development to boost academic performance. Negatively, the peer influences a child into poor behavioural conduct and association which hinder academic performance of the student (Delp, 2014). This research will therefore examine both the positive and negative influence of peer group in academic performance of secondary school students in economics in Ika Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
Peer Group Influence and Academic Performance of Secondary School Students in Economics
1.2 Statement of the problem
Education is seen as an instrument par excellence for the development of a nation as recorded in National Policy on Education of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN) 2004. Economics as one of the social science subjects is very important to the development of any nation that is why every nation must take it very serious in all institutions of learning if this aim is to be achieved.
Interestingly, as important as this subject is, students’ academic performance has not been encouraging and this is worrisome and called for investigations. Also, it is a truism that of all the agents of socialization, peer group influence has a great impact on academic performance of a child. Students learn from peers how to cooperate and socialize according to school norms, values, learning ability and studies. But the extent of this influence depends on other situational constraints such as age and personality of children and the nature of the group.
Similarly, the chief examiner of West African Council Examination (WACE) in 2015 reported that out of 616, 370 candidates who sat for the examination representing 38.68% obtained five credits and above including mathematics and English Language with this result, the expected percent is not achieved. The chief examiner attributed this to several factors such as lack of teaching equipment, school variables and home environmental variables amongst others (Adesulu 2015).
Furthermore, in a research conducted by Akpan (2010) found out that the poor academic performance in social sciences (Economics inclusive) can be attributed to peer group influence in secondary schools in Ikot Ekpene senatorial district. This trigger the researcher’s interest to ask, could the peer group influence the academic performance of students in Economics particularly in secondary schools in Ika Local Government Area? Finding answer to this question necessitated this study. This research is therefore an attempt to examine the influence of peer group on academic performance of secondary school students in Ika Local Government area of Akwa Ibom State.
