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Chapter 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SCOPE

Introduction

Peer pressure has long been known as a major risk factor for youth’s academic

performance. Peer pressure is often seen during adolescence stage of a teenagers because

they often seek comfort among their peers and intend to do what their peers does. Peer

pressure is the direct influence on people by peers, or the effect on an individual who gets

encourage to follow their peers by changing their attitudes, values, and behaviors to conform

to those of the influencing group or individual. Peer pressure often seems to have various

effects toward the student academic performance in school. It is how their peers affect them

either in a positive or negative way. Peer Pressure Statistics says that when children start

going to school, their parents begin to lose the influence they once had. By the teenage years,

the peers are the most influential group as teenagers navigate finding an identity and figuring

out the roles that they play.

Academic performance is the extent to which a student, teacher or institution has

achieved their short or long-term educational goals. Academic Performance is one of the

major goal of the students to perform and achieve for them to be able to pass and have high

grades which makes the students feel pressure and stress because of the fear of failing in their

studies. In this generation, people have the mindset that grades define who you are by which

students spend most of their time focusing on their academics in doing their performance

tasks, reviewing for exams, quizzes and oral recitations. In addition, students usually cannot

spend time with their families even on holidays because of doing their academic tasks that is
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why students spend most of their time with their peers which influence them on what they are

doing today.

According to research, if properly harnessed, the same pressure can motivate

individuals to stay focused and work hard towards achieving their goals. Positive effects of

peer pressure on teenagers are also evident by the example of a student who is motivated to

get good grades because his friends are getting good grades – an action that can be attributed

to positive peer pressure.

On the other hand, peer pressure is something that causes conflict in an individual's

life. The feeling of not fitting in, not being good enough, and not being a part of the “group”

overwhelms and takes over the mindset of a regular teen. With this, in able for the teens to

feel fit in,feel that they are good enough and being part of a circle of friends,teen are letting

themselves influence from another to drink, smoke, cheat on a test, participate in sexual

activities, lying, skipping class,and do whatever the peers do. Peer pressure in high school is

both harmful and effective because it can lead to teen depression, high stress levels, negative

behavior issues, and poor decision-making and outcomes.High stress and hurtful experiences

seem to always be the result to giving to peer pressure because of the endless amount of

negative aspects that can come with it. Statistics say between 20% – 30% of adolescents

report symptoms of depression because of peer pressure.Peer pressure can affect in a positive

or negative way and it depends on the doings of the peers who surrounds the youth.

Peer pressure is something that young people possess, specifically the students. Youth

coordinate or gets influenced by the people surrounding around them. The family of a youth

are the ones who showed great deeds first which they also witness and follow as it is. As the
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young one reach the teenage years, they meet lots of people showcasing different characters

which may be good or bad influence of each other’s lives. Having someone who influence

their co-youth to do something positive or do some growth building are very effective and

can help each other to be more goal oriented.

However, according to Jill A. Goedeken, a Psychologist, peer pressure does not

necessarily have to be negative and leads youths to unhealthy and safe behaviours. To

minimize the negative impacts of these, youth, parents, schools, and community leaders must

come together to establish workable and effective strategies to guide teen behaviour and

support their transition from children to mature, responsible adults. Strategies such as

nurturing teen’s abilities, encourage positive results, encourage diverse relationships, and

many more. In this, peer pressure producing negative teens in the community will be

lessened and they will be back on track once more. Instead of watching teenagers suffer from

peer pressure ,this paper may help us to have considerations and idea on guiding them with

the right path.This paper focuses on the effects brought by peer pressure on te academic

performance of the Senior-High School students.

Theoretical Framework

According to Erik Erickson, adolescence is the age in which people must set up an

identity to escape identity diffusion and confusion. At this age, adolescents give much

importance to their friends who have a power over them. This phenomenon is called “peer

pressure.” Oxford English Dictionary defines peer pressure as the influence from members of

the same group. One may think of many kinds of peer pressure that may have a positive or

negative aspect. Peer group is a term commonly used by psychologists to describe people of
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a similar age, often when talking about adolescents. There is peer pressure in different ages

and different places. For instance, workers at the same factory have peer pressure which is

positive because each one of them tries to do his or her best at work. There is peer pressure

among small kids; they try to do the same gestures and have the same toys and there is also

peer pressure in ethnic groups. Finally, there is peer pressure among adolescents which is the

most important kind since it influences the adolescents’ personality and intervenes in the

development of their morality.

Indeed, peers are one of the most factors that influence the adolescent’s psychological

development. Bronfenbrenner (as cited in Oswald and Suss, 1988), a Russian psychologist

who had developed many theories in the developmental psychology, asserts, “the first level

of the ecology or the context of human development is the micro system family, school, peer

groups as well as the specific culture within which the family identifies.”(349) this means

that adolescents are mostly influenced by their families and their surroundings. In previous

findings, family was the only responsible for adolescents’ behavior, yet recent research finds

out that peers have a more powerful influence on adolescents, especially in what concerns

academic achievement (Oswald and Suss, 1988). Even if in Bronfenbrenner’s model, family

comes before outer world which is school and peers, researches prove that the role of peers is

more significant than parents’ role. This role is important because at teen’s age, youths

become interested in knowing who they are. They try hard to find out their identity as this

stage is known as the “identity versus identity confusion” in Erik Erickson’s Theory of

Identity Development. This goes and says that peer pressure is important and even

unavoidable in adolescence. Peers are crucial for adolescent’s development because

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development needs to be in context which mainly means family and peers (Oswald and Suss,

1988). In fact, peer pressure has more negative than positive effects which influence

adolescents’ personality.

Senior High School Students are affected by peer pressure at least once in their life. It

is commonly thought to be an issue related being a student but pressure from society and

peers starts at a very young age and can continue into late adult hood. Peer pressure can

range from encouragement to indirect pressures to intense bullying. This study anchored on

Erikson's Theory on Social development Erickson's theory states that peer pressure is needed

for a person to develop, learn and grow and to form into an individual, it is through both

positive and negative peer pressure that people form and develop their individuality and

social status, this often starts in adolescence. The impact exerted by a peer group on its

separate members to fit in with or conform to group expectations by thinking, feeling, and

acting in a like or approved way. Commonly referred to as peer- pressure. Both positive and

negative social influences are used to form an individual. People learn and develop

personalities and traits from their social influences such as friends and family. Adolescence is

the time where people develop traits and caricatures that will from the way the act and are

perceived, these characteristics can be influenced by peers.

Schematic Presentation
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Independent Dependent Variable

Peer Pressure
Academic Performance

Figure 1: Schematic Diagram showing the relationship of the Independent and

Dependent Variables

Statement of the Problem

This study aimed to determine the effect of peer pressure in relation to the academic

performance of Senior High School students in Liceo de Cagayan University, Paseo del Rio

Campus.

Specifically, this study will seek to answer the following:

1. What is the demographic profile of the respondents in terms of :

1.1 Grade (Year Level);

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1.2 Sex;

2. How does academic performance gives peer pressure to the students in

Senior High School?

3. How does peer pressure affect the academic performance?

Hypothesis

Ho.1 There is no significant relationship between the peer pressure in the academic

performance of Senior-High School students.

Significance of the Study

The findings of the study would benefit the following stakeholders:

TEENAGERS. This research paper aims to help teenagers to carefully choose the people to

be with. People that would not ruin their life especially their studies.

PARENTS. The findings can help the parents able to monitor the condition of their child.

They will have the idea what is going through on their child. They can also guide them to the

right path and help them through influencing them to do the right things together with their

peers.

SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS: This study will serve as the basis for future plans of

actions of the administrators with regard to the necessary actions for recovery of the

deteriorating moral values of the students..

FUTURE RESEARCHERS.This study can help the future researchers to widely discuss

about this issue. Since the society is not that aware and conscious about the peer pressures of

the teenagers also regarding with their academic performance. The future researchers will be

able use this study to know the effects of peer pressure to the youths especially the students.
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Scope and Delimitations of the Study

This study focuses on the effects of peer pressure with regards to the academic

performance of Senior High School students. This study will also discuss about the

relationship of peer pressure and academic performance. Since peer pressure has been

considered as one of the most major problem in the society today.This is also to give

emphasis to the pressure that the teenagers will encounter during their maturity and possible

experiences.

Moreover, research participants are the Senior High School students. This research

study is applicable to all Senior-High School students of Liceo de Cagayan University, Paseo

del Rio Campus for the academic year 2019-2020.

Definition of Terms

Academic Performance - the extent to which a student, teacher or institution has achieved

their short or long- term educational goals.

Adolescence – the state or process of growing up.

Goal – the object of a person’s ambition or effort.

Goal-oriented – a person works hard to achieve good results in the tasks that they have

given.
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Influence – is the power to affect, control or manipulate something or someone.

Peers – someone at your own level.

Peer Pressure – influence from members of one’s peer group.

Pressure – a state or anxiety because of having too much to do.

Students – a person who attends a school, college or university.

Youth – the time of life when someone is young.

Chapter 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

This chapter presented a recommence of reviewed related relevant literatures and

studies that have bearing on the conceptual bases of the present study. In here, there are

literatures which supported the present study and gave additional information by which this

chapter has included.

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Foreign Literature and Studies

Peer Pressure appears to be powerful force affecting educational choices and

whether students undertake important investments that could improve academic performance

or outcomes. Studies in United States of America show that the influence of peer groups

among student can boost their anxiety especially pertaining to their education (Kadir,

Atmowasdoyo & Salija 2018). As cited by Wilson (2016) the relationship within the group

with its peers are co-related with each other, hence the direction of this particular relationship

should be monitored were these relationships should go considering all possible factors

correlated within the groups outcome.

Peer pressure faced by many teenagers of the society, professionals understood

the concept of peer influence that could affect teenagers in a negative way which can be

prevented by educating and preparing teenagers to face the negative aspects caused by peer

pressure (Temitope & Og0nsakin, 2015). Similarly peer influence among teenagers does not

directly affect them in a negative way but it varies in how much and how the students receive

the climate of the peers coming from the group (Mosha, 2017). When a student is influenced

and motivated by peers he will perform excellent at school and got good grades in

mathematics (Boechnke, 2018). Getting the support needed coming from the peer group,

student tend to excel and exceed its capability and concentrate more pertaining to his studies

and do good in the academic tasks in school (Olalekan, 2016).

Local Literature and Studies

Peer pressure appears to be powerful force affecting educational choices and whether

students undertake important imvestments that could improve academic performance or

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outcomes. Studies shows that the influence of peer groups among student can boost their

anxiety especially pertaining to their education (Kadir, Atmowasdoyo

Chapter 3

METHODOLOGY

This chapter presented the research method and procedure which was used in this

study. The discussion included the following sections (a) research setting, (b) research

design, (c) respondents and sampling procedures, (d) research instrument, (e) scoring

procedure, (f) research protocol, (g) data gathering procedure, and (h) statistical techniques.

Research Setting

The study was conducted at Liceo de Cagayan University, Paseo del Rio Campus

which is located at Macasandig, Cagayan de Oro City within the second semester of the

academic year 2019-2020.

Research Design

This study will use the descriptive method of research. Descriptive survey method is

suitable for data resulting from observing situations, whether these are actually observed or

observed the use of a questionnaire or surveys. As stated by Cresswell (2012), this type of

research is used in order to observe the happenings of the occurrence through frequency

counting, averaging and other statistical calculations. This design requires coming up with

an organized description of a condition precisely and accurately. It includes some type of

comparison and contrast and tries to explain relationships between existing non-manipulated

variables (Best and Khan,2006).

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This study will not only need collecting, tabulating, computing of data but also

involves examination and interpretation of results and draw the implication of the findings. It

aims at describing the result of decision making of the Senior high school students

considering the type of environment or atmosphere they are in.

The researchers believe that this design is most suitable for the purpose of assessing

whether the type of the environment or the relationship of the respondent to the people

around him/her had an effect on his/her decisions.

Respondents and Sampling Procedure

The respondents o\f the study were the Senior high school students of Liceo de

Cagayan University, Paseo del Rio Campus during the first semester of academic year 2019-

N
2020 with the population of students. Slovin’s formula (n= 2 ) was utilized in this
1+ N (e)

study to compute the sample size of the respondents. 19 sections were surveyed; a total of

257 students were taken in as respondents.

Research Instrument

The study used a researcher-made survey questionnaire to obtain data in answer to the

problems of the study. The first part of the questionnaire was identifying the profile of the

respondents. The second part was determining how does academic performances gives peer

pressure to the students. The last part of the questionnaire was identifying how does peer

pressure affect the academic performance of the senior high school students.

Scoring Procedure
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To determine the respondents’ assessment of the predictors affecting their academic

performance, the following scoring guides were used:

Scale Mean Description Interpretation

1 1.0 – 1.75 Never Highly Negative
2 1.76 – 2.50 Sometimes Negative
3 2.51 – 3.25 Often Positive
4 3.26 – 4.0 Always Highly Positive

Research Protocol

The researchers asked for permission from the principal of the Senior High School

Department of Liceo de Cagayan University, Paseo del Rio Campus to conduct a study to

senior highschool students,Grade 11 and Grade 12. After the approval, the researchers

distributed their questionnaires to the respondents. The respondent’s answer and response

were gathered as information in the research. The respondents were assured that their

personal identity answers were kept confidential.

Data Gathering Procedure

The following data gathering procedure will be observed:

The instruments will be personally administered to Liceo de Cagayan University- Paseo del

Rio Campus Senior Highschool.

Once the letter is approved, this will be attached to a different letter addressed to the

senior high school students. The respondents will then answer the assessment test at their

convenient time and place within the school. The assessment test will be retrieved on the
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same day of the administration. Data that will be extracted from the assessment test will be

categorized, ordered and presented accordingly. The researchers will tabulate the data

gathered from the answered assessment test. Analysis and interpretation of data will help to

formulate findings, conclusions and recommendations.

Statistical Techniques

In analyzing the data, the researchers utilized the following statistical tools

1. To measure the extent of predictors affecting their academic performance as

perceived by the respondents, weighted mean was used.

2. To indicate the significant relationship between the variables and the respondents’

peer pressure in relation to academic performance of Senior High School

Students, Regression Analysisis was used.