CARIBBEAN SECONDARY EXAMINATION CONCIL

SCHOOL BASED ASSESMENT: SOCIAL STUDIES

To what extent does peer pressure cause the adolescent males at my school to
start the use of illegal drugs?

Name of Candidate: Josef Neblett

Candidate Number: 030028

Name of school: St. Leonard’s Boys School

School Code: 0300281480

Territory: Barbados

Name of Teacher: Mr. Julian Francis

Year of Exam: 2021

Table of contents

Acknowledgements

Statement of the Problem

Reason for Selecting the Area of research

Method of Investigation

Instrument used to Collect Data

Procedures Used to Collect Data

Presentation of Data

Analysis and Interpretation of Data

Recommendation and Implementation Strategy

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

It is with great pleasure that I would like to thank all of those persons who made it possible for me to
complete this project. Firstly I would like to thank God for giving me the strength and knowledge to
complete this project. Additionally, I would also like to thank my class teacher for all of his assistance in
helping me complete this assignment.
 Statement of the problem

To what extent does peer pressure cause adolescent males at my

school to start the use of illegal drugs?

1). How widespread is peer pressure among adolescent males at my school?

2). What is the main cause of adolescents males at my school using illegal drugs?
 Reason for Selecting area of Research

It has now become evident that it has become the norm for under aged teenagers to take part in
the use of illegal drugs. The reason why I selected the following topic was because I have a lot
of family members and friends who use illegal drugs. Since having both family members and
friends that use illegal drugs this has given me the urge as to whether peer pressure plays a
significant role in their use of illegal drugs. However I truly believe that this topic can provide me
with the essential information which would assist me in preventing myself and others from
succumbing to the use of illegal drugs.
 Method of investigation

In order to get the needed information to ensure the completion of this SBA, I produced a
questionnaire with the relevant questions to gather the information needed. The reason why I
choose to use this method to gather my information was because it is more beneficial and
advantageous than using other methods to gather your information.

Some advantages of using a questionnaire are :

1.    Answers are straight forward.

2.    Questions do not require a lot of reading.
3.    Does not take much time to fill out.
4.    The questionnaire is not costly.

Disadvantages of using a questionnaire

1.    Some questions may remain unanswered

2.    Dishonest answers
3.    There is no way to tell how  truthful a respondent is being
4.    There is no way to know how much thought a respondent has put into the questions.
 Data Collection Instrument

QUESTIONNAIRE

Dear respondent

My name is Josef Neblett and I am currently a student of the St. Leonard’s boy’s school
studying social studies at the CSEC level. I am conducting a research project with the given
topic “To what extent does peer pressure cause adolescent males to start the use of illegal
drugs”. Therefore I am asking your assistance in completing the following questionnaire below
as it would be of great help to my research. Also there are no rights or wrong answers and you
are not required to give a name for your own safe keeping.

Questionnaire questions

1). What is your age?

14 – 15

15 – 17

18 - 20

 
2). Have you ever used illegal drugs before?

Yes

No
3). Have you ever taken illegal drugs before at school?

Yes

No

4). Was peer pressure the main cause of you using illegal drugs?

Yes

No

5). Who peered pressured you into using illegal drugs?

Family

Friends

Strangers

6). Who is most likely to peer pressure you into using illegal drugs?

Family
 Friends

Strangers

7). How wide spread is peer pressure among adolescent males at your school?

Very wide spread

Wide spread

Not that wide spread

8). Have you ever seen any students been peer pressured to use illegal drugs?

Yes

No

9) If yes, what was your next response?

You told the person afterward to go and complain?

 You spoke to the person afterward?

You walked away?

10). Have you ever peer pressured anyone into using illegal drugs?

11). If yes, what was their next response?

They complained to authority?

They walked away?

They took the drugs?

12). Have you ever been pressured into using illegal drugs?

Yes

No
13). If yes what was your next response?

You took the drugs?

You rejected the offer?

You walked away?

14).
 Procedure for collecting data

The target population of this study is senior school students males at the St. Leonard's boys
school. Since there are about 400 persons who make up this population it was important  for me
to select a sample which will represent the total population. The sample I selected was 10% of
the population which in all gave me a total of 40 persons. However after coming up with the
sample I decided to prepare my samples which then the 40 boys will receive the following
questionnaires. I selected my samples by putting them in a bag and then by choosing the
randomly.
  Statement of Findings

Having completed this study, the researcher can therefore say that peer pressure is very
relevant as 50% of the respondents stated that peer pressure is very widespread throughout the
senior male students at my school. Additionally, it was also discovered that 75% of the senior
population at my school have also been peer pressured into  using illegal drugs.

 What was also revealed by the data collected was the fact that most of the senior
population at my school have taken illegal drugs as research shows that 65% of senior
males have taken illegal drugs. Data collected has also shown that 50% of the senior
students at my school  have not taken illegal drugs before at school.

Data collected has also shown us that 71% of the respondents are most likely to be peer
pressured into using illegal drugs from their friends. Another major finding which was discovered
was that 47% of the respondents are most likely to be peer pressured into using illegal drugs
from a family member.

0
00
 Recommendations

1. I recommend that parents ensure that their children are given regular
drug tests to ensure that they are not using drugs.

2. I also recommend that adolescents who are found taking illegal drugs
should be punished by the law.
 

Implementation

I would suggest that adolescents programs are opened to educate teens

about the harmful effects of illegal drugs and also to ensure that drug use
among adolescents male decrease.  
 Have you ever pressured anyone into using illegal drugs?
80%

70%

60%

50%
Percentage

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%
Yes No
.

Figure 1 shows the percentage of persons who have and have not pressured persons into using illegal
drugs.
 If yes,what was your reaction?

25% 30%

45%

I walked away I complained to authority I spoke to the person afterwards

Figure 1.1 shows the responses of those who said yes.

Have you ever seen any students being peer pressured to use illegal
drugs?

50% 50%

Yes No

Figure 2 shows the Percentage of students who have seen other students being peer pressured into
using illegal drugs.
Responses from those persons who gave their response having seen other students being peer
pressured.

Have you ever been peer pressured into using illegal drugs?

80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%

Yes No

Figure 3 shows the Percentage showing if persons have been peer pressured into using illegal drugs.
 If yes what was your responce?

15%

50%

35%

I tooked the drugs I regected the offer I walked away

Responses form those persons who have been peer pressured into using illegal drugs.

How wide spread is peer pressure amoung adolesents males at your

school?
60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%
Very wide spread Wide spread Not wide spread

Series 1

Figure 4 shows the Percentage showing how widespread is peer pressure among adolescents’ males at
school.
Question Response Respondents Percentage

Was peer pressure Yes 17 43%

the main cause of
No 23 58%%
you using illegal
drugs?

Who peer Family 3 18%

pressured you to
Friends 12 71%
use illegal drugs?
Strangers 2 12%

Who is most likely Family 8 47%

to peer pressured
Friends 6 35%
you to use illegal
drugs? Strangers 3 18%

Have you ever Yes 26 65%

taken illegal drugs
No 14 35%
before?

Have you ever Yes 19 48%

taken illegal drugs
No 21 52%
before at school?

Data Analysis
According to the data, when the question was asked to the respondents about being peer
pressured into the use of illegal drugs, the majority which was 73% stated that they have been
pressured while the ramaining 27% stated that they haven’t been pressured. Additionally, a
follow up question came asking respondents what was their next reaction after being pressured
 into using illegal drugs. However, as the data has shown, 15% of persons took the drugs, 35%
of persons responding stating that they rejected the offer and 50% of respondents walked
away.

When the question was asked to respondents about if they had ever seen any students being
peer pressured into using illegal drugs, 50% of respondents said yes while the others, which was
also 50% said no.
After this question, came a follow up question asking the students, their next reaction after this
happening. The majority of which was 60% responded saying they rejected the offer, 20%
stated that they walked away while the last 20% said that they complained.
In addition, a question was asked to respondents asking if they had ever been peer pressured
into using illegal drugs, however 23% of respondents said yes while 77% responded and said no.

When the question was asked to respondents about the use of illegal drugs, 65% answered
saying they have taken illegal drugs while the remaining 35% said no.
In relation to the above question, a question was asked to respondents asking them if they had
ever taken illegal drugs at school, therefore 48% persons said yes while the other 52% of
respondents stated no.
When the next question was asked about peer pressure being the main cause of the
respondents using illegal drugs, 58% of the respondents replied yes while the other 42% stated
no.
For the 50% of respondents who answered yes to the above question, two follow up questions
were given to those persons, who peer pressured them into using illegal substances, in which
17% said family, 71% said friends and 12% said strangers. The second question asked
respondents who is most likely to peer pressure them into using illegal drugs in which 47% said
family, 35% said friends while the remaining 18% said strangers

According to the data collected it could be said that peer pressure is very widespread among
adolescent males at my school. This can be seen as evident because data has shown that 50
percent of males have stated that peer pressure is very widespread at my school.