Bulacan State University

Guinhawa, City of Malolos, Bulacan

College of Education
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Peer Influence in High School Students Leading to Engagement in

Premarital Sex

______________________________________________________________________________

Submitted
by:
Cindy T. Gonzales
BSEd 3A

Chapter I
Problem and Its Background
Introduction
Premarital sex is sexual intercourse engage by persons before marriage or who are
unmarried. It refers to individuals who are not in the right age for marriage or even adults that
are having sexual activity prior the marriage. In Gods words, sex is sacred, it is secluded times
when married couple meeting God not literally but through the life that was expected to be
created after the sex. In other words, sex is for reproduction of our own kind. Our church
inculcated this value to us that sex should be done only after marriage with the guidance and
blessing of our God. For us Filipinos who are known as a conservative culture it is continuously
practice in our culture and accepted by our society. Thus, new generations perception about this
value is too old, traditional and not in trend. Mostly adolescents, teen agers or high school
students are the group of people who have this kind of perception.
Adolescence is a stage in which a child undergone series of physical, mental and
emotional changes. It is the stage where he is maturing sexually and attracted to the opposite sex
for intimate relationship. This period of development is generally known where a child is curious
of everything revolves around him. At this stage of transition for a child, strong parental
guidance is one of the major keys to develop in depth appreciation of values which our culture
contains and make a pathway for them to have a vivid goal in their life. Rampant changes in our
world also change our values formations that were contained in our culture, our values were
modified. Many of our high school students who are explorer of many things engage in
premarital sex just because out of curiosity and as told by their peers.

Peer influence is one of the primary factors that affect a childs development. Peers in
adolescence period are truly affecting the teen agers development, for the reason that in this stage
a child prefers to hang out with their friends longer than staying at house. The fact that they want
to be wanted and always in trend as the same as with their friends, they do what they friends are
doing or told to them to do even it is not always good for them. But if the child develops a strong
and unshakeable personality that he had developed with the guidance of his parents, his stand in
life and moral values would never be changed.
Many of high school students engage themselves in premarital sex as influenced by their
peers as one of the major factors. They find the doings of their friends enjoyable and make them
feel independent and free. With the thought of the influence of their friends regarding with their
lifestyle specially engagement in premarital sex must be studied out by the parents and
authorities to prevent increasing percentage of transmission of sexual transmitted diseases,
unwanted pregnancies and number of out of school youth which are not different scenario in
recent studies conducted by private companies and government authorities.
This study assumes to see how big does the role played by peers in the development of a
child towards maturity and sexual behavior involving premarital sex. It also assumes to see how
deep the parents engrave moral values of the society to their children to face worlds temptations
and struggles.

Statement of the Problem

This study endeavors to provide information about the impact of influence of peers in
high school students in engagement in premarital sex. Through answering the following general

and specific problems we will be able to see the peer influence in engagement in premarital sex.
The general problem of the study is: How does peer influence the students engagement in
premarital sex? The following are the specific problems:
1. How do the student and his friends spend time together?
2. How do you help each other dealing with shared personal problems?
3. How do the moral values feed by your parents help you dealing with your friends
majority decisions?
4. How do you and your friends deal with the topic about sex?

Significance of the Study

This study will provide information and knowledge to the concern authorities about the
influence of peers in engagement of students in premarital sex. This study is significant to the
following:
To the Teachers:
This study will guide teachers to be concerned more with their students whom they must
treat as their own child because they are the second parents of them. Students stays whole day in
school more than in house. They will reinforce the learning at home of the students about the
values that will guide them in life helping the parents of the students at home.
To the Parents:
This will help parents to thoroughly develop and inculcate moral values of culture which
are the good and accepted in our society to their children who are dealing in the outside world

where there are a lot of obstructions. The moral values they will thoroughly engrave in the hearts
and minds of their children will provide them a better future.
To the Students:
This study will enlighten the minds of the students to choose and decide for themselves
with regards to peers decision making. This will guide them to decide based on the moral values
do their teachers and parents give them. This will let them to choose friends smartly who are
good influence for them the will lead them to their achievements.
To the Authority:
This study will provide awareness to the authority to conduct seminars for adolescents
about peer influences in many aspects of life particularly in engagement in premarital sex. This
will help to decrease transmission of disease, unwanted pregnancy and out of school youth.
Disseminating information of being responsible and conscious with the choice of your circle of
friends will lead most students to success.
To the Future Researcher:
This study will serve as the reference for related studies for the future researches that will
be conducted regarding with the same research topic.

Scope and Delimitation of the Study

This study was focused and limited only for the students of Marcelo H. Del Pilar National
High School in Grade 9 school year 2013-2014. Survey method is used to gather data from the

respondents. This method is used to prevent misinterpretations and miscalculations ensuring

validity and reliability of the results.
The populations of the respondents include 50 female and 50 male from the Grade 9, who
are still in the age bracket of 13-16 years old.

CHAPTER II
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
This part of the study will presents theories, literatures, and other studies conducted
related and relevant to the topic also conceptual framework and hypotheses for the study.
Relevant Theories
The following theories are the basis of this study:
Psychosocial Theory
Psychosocial theory was developed by the psychologist Erik Erikson. He focused on
social aspects of development of a child organized the stages into eight psychosocial stages
where the fifth stage is the adolescence period- identity vs. identity confusion. According to
Erikson, children are most influenced by their peers in teenage years. Adolescents are looking for
their own identity that is why they are experiencing everything that what they unconsciously
think that will contribute to their identity as dictated by the others. This is reason why the
students in adolescence period are more prone to be influenced by their friends to engage in
premarital sex without parent guidance. At this stage, impulsiveness is always present in
adolescents that they do first before thinking what must be done. They prefer to spend more time
with friends and think their parents rules are holding them in neck. They want to fit in the
society and peer groups fulfill their needs and give them space for exploration and
experimentation. Inculcation of more values and strong attachment by the parents to their should
be strong enough to still guide the child even though they are hanging out with friends.

Attachment Theory
Attachment theory is described as relationships and bonds between people in long-term
relationship including parent-child relationship. It is developed by the psychologist John Bowlby,
the central idea of this theory is that the parents who are responsive to their childs needs will
more likely to developed child sense of security making them grow with strong personality and
high self-esteem. This theory focused on the parents on how to deal with their so that the child
will develop firmly, being a child with personality and high self-esteem because of the parents
relationship with child, peer influence will not be easily get into their system, they will be more
likely independently live not caring about peers approval because the child knows what is his
role in the society even without the acceptance provided by their peers. This type of children will
not be engage to premarital sex and will influence other not to be involved in the premarital sex.
Psychosexual Theory
Psychosexual theory is composed of five stages which are- the oral stage, anal stage,
phallic stage, latent stage and genital stage developed by Sigmund Freud, a psychologist. The
latent stage is the focused for this study, where sexual drives are lessen but still present yet the
child focused in now become more concerned with peer relationships and interests. The sexual
interests are still present and peer relationship is focused by the child at this stage, sexual
behavior of the child will be influenced by the relationship with friends and unconsciously
triggered will lead the child to engage in premarital sex. When it comes to sexual desires id part
of our brain is unconsciously triggered. Social development in this stage is the most vivid result
that is why the fact to be wanted will lead the child to do premarital sex because of peer
influence.

Related Literature
This subpart of the study presents literature and studies that are related and contain the
same concepts that provide additional information about the peer influence to engage high school
students in premarital sex.
The Determinants of Premarital Sex Among the Adolescents in Cebu, Philippines ( Ushma
D. Upgadhyay, 2006)
One of the primary aims of the present study is to explore the gender differences in
precoital behavior. This study finds significant difference between adolescent boys and girls.
Girls experience emotional relationships at younger age than boys. Boys engage in precoital
physical behaviors and sexual intercourse at younger age than girls. Over the third of the boys
have their first sexual intercourse outside the relationship while the majority the girls have their
sexual intercourse with their romantic partner. Educational attainment of the boys determine the
risks of engaging in premarital sex while girls determine the risks of engaging in premarital sex
through infrequent attendance in church and the fast pace of emotional relationship.
There is no significance difference between the peers acceptance in sexual intercourse
with the mother agreement to engage their children in premarital sex after the age of 16.

On Their Own: Effect of Home and School- leaving on Filipino Adolescents Sexual
Initiation (Elma P. Laguna, November 2001)

Adolescence is an important stage in the development of a person and how one makes the
transition to adulthood. The paper confirmed as well as the other studies that adolescent behavior
is shaped by the family, social institutions and in general our society.
However, there are things that remain constant family and school will always have the
strong influence in adolescent behavior. The absence of control contributes to the probability of
engaging in risk-taking behavior like premarital sex. The effect of school departure on premarital
sex only manifests in females. Females have only limited options in life the contingent on
completion of their education. Once they dropped out at school, they are at greater risk of early
sexual initiation and eventually marriage.
With the increasing exposure of adolescents to mass media, they learn more sexual
norms. In addition, the presence of sexually active friends which is more likely to initiate
premarital sex to adolescents. To certain extent the church obligation serves as the protective
factor to control premarital sex.

Conceptual Framework
The study speculates that the peers have the great influence in the students engagement
to premarital sex. The conceptual figure of the dependent variables relationship to the
independent variable is shown in the Figure 1.
The independent variables are the influence of peers to student to engage in premarital
sex and the values given by the parent to their child.

The dependent variables are the quality time of parents and peers with the student, the
appreciation of the student to the values from his parents, dealing with issues and personal
problems.

Independent Variables

Dependent Variables

Peers:

Influence to engage in
premarital sex.

Parents:

Moral values taught and

Quality time with parents

and friends
Application of moral
values
Dealing with issues and
problems

shared

Fig. 1. The conceptual model

This conceptual framework aims to obtain data that will clarify the dependent variables
relationship to the independent variables with enough proof of evidence from the data gathered
through the survey conducted to the respondents.

Hypothesis of the Study

The following are the attempts of the researcher about what will be the result of the study
and will be tested in the study:
1. Peers and the students have their quality time exposing themselves to mass media for
knowing the things they are curious about.
2. Peers give advices that are immaturely assessed all the factors of each others
personal problems.

3. Moral values taught by the parents to their child are changed in the outside world
with their friends.
4. Handles the issue about sex immaturely not giving all the consequences it may have.

Chapter III
Methods of Research

Methods in Techniques of the Study

The study used stratified sampling technique to select the 100 respondents from the total
population of Grade 9 students who will answer the questionnaires. The respondents ages ranges
from 13-16 years old who are considered and belong to adolescence period. This study used
survey method which serves as the procedure to extract data from the respondents.
Population and Sample of the Study
This study was focused on Grade 9 students of Marcelo H. Del Pilar National high school
in school year 2013-2014. This includes 50 females and 50 males of the Grade 9 population, who
belongs to adolescence period age group 13-16 years old. This will help on how they see their
friends as the most influential in their engagement in premarital sex.
Research Instrument
The research will use survey method where questionnaires are 20- items obtaining
personal information. This method is the fastest way of obtaining data from the respondents. The
type of questionnaires used is a standardized questionnaire.
Data Collection
The questionnaires will be distributed to the respondents who are the students of Grade 9
in Marcelo H. del Pilar National High School on school days but during students free time. When
the questionnaires will be retrieved 100 pieces of questionnaires are expected to be retrieved for
the valid and reliable result of the study. As the questionnaires are obtained it should be by
gender separated for easy analysis of the data between male and female.
Data Processing and Statistical Treatment

The process of data analysis will be presented using the tabular form grouped as dictated
by the sequence of the specific problems. The will be presented on the following:
1. The things done by the students and peers during their quality time together.
2. The way how they deal with personal problems that are shared within the group.
3. The help given by the moral values that the students parents engraved on his heart
and mind.
4. The manner how the students and peers deal sensitive topics like sex.

Chapter IV
Presentation, Analysis and Interpretation of Data

This part of the study will present all the data obtained from the questionnaires
distributed to the Grade 9 students in a tabular form. This will be data that leads to the result of
peer influence in engagement of high school students in premarital sex.
The data include the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Things that peer usually do during their quality time together.

Attitudes of the peer in dealing with their shared personal problems.
The advantage of the moral values inculcated by the parents to their child.
Predisposition in dealing with the sensitive topics like sex.

Chapter V
Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations

This part of the study will present the summary of the findings, conclusions and
recommendations for the future use of the study.
Summary
Based on the findings, students and peers spent their quality time together watching
movies or in other words exposing themselves to mass media where they can absorb information
about sex. Students peers handle their problems immaturely that lead them to inconvenience
because of the consequences of their wrong decisions. Moral values provided by the parents to
their children in dealing with the challenges outside their home is no doubt helpful but modified
because peer influence dominates the personality of the child. The way students peers handle
sensitive issues are like they are just playing about these serious matters.
Conclusion
Therefore, strong parental guidance from the parents and teachers should be provided for
the students to have a better outlook about sex. Values of our culture must never be ignored and
should be always practice for the conservation of our future generation.
Recommendations
1. Parents should be open with their children for them to be able to know the updates that
are happening to them.
2. Peer group should treat each other as siblings not by blood but by heart to always hope
for your friends safety.
3. School authorities should take care of the responsibility to provide awareness for students
about premarital issues so that they will be able to take responsibility of themselves as
well considering the fact that the students stay longer in school than in home.

References
Electronic sources:

http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/eriksons-theory-regarding-peer-influence-adolescentdevelopment-19209.html
http://psychology.about.com/od/loveandattraction/a/attachment01.html
http://psychology.about.com/od/psychosexula/ss/theoriesofdev_5.html
http://www.scribd.com/doc/50857963/Thesis-on-Pre-Marital-Sex
http://www.journals.upd.edu.ph/index.php/pssr/article/viewFile/1282/1619
file:///C:/Users/pc/Downloads/1283-2446-1-PB.pdf