Cxc

Social Studies Project

School Based Assessment
(Year 2021-2022)

Candidate name: Britania Moulton

Name of school: St James High School

Teacher: Ms. Campbell

Centre no:

Title: An investigation into peer pressure

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgement…………………………………………………………… 3

Introduction……………………………………………………………………. 4

Statement of Problem……………………………………………………….. 5

Reason For Selecting Area of Research………………………………. 6

Method of Investigation……………………………………………………. 7

Data Collection Instrument……………………………………………….. 8

Procedures Used To Collect Data………………………………………. 9

Questionnaires………………………………………………………………. 10-12

Presentation and Explanation of Data………………………………... 13-15

Interpretation of Data………………………………………………………. 16

Findings………………………………………………………………………… 17

Recommendation and Strategies……………………………………….. 18

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The successful completion would not have been possible without the assistance and
cooperation of a number of people. Consequently I would like to thank residents of
Montego-Bay, St. James for their massive support and valuable time spent on
answering the questionnaires given.

Members of my family have been a constant source of encouragement and assistance.

I thank my parents for relieving me from household duties while I was engaged in this
study. Finally special thanks goes to my teacher Ms.Campbell who guided me every
step of the way through this exercise.

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INTRODUCTION
The term ‘peer pressure’ has to do with the direct or indirect influence on people of
peers, members of a group with similar interest and social status. Peer pressure is the
feeling that you are being pushed toward making a certain choice good or bad.

Many individuals are suffering from peer pressure and some of the factors that cause
peer pressure are bad parenting, fear of rejection, mental issues and weak
personalities. Many people are suffering from these factors.

Montego Bay is located in the parish of St. James, Jamaica. It is Jamaica’s premier
tourist destination and is a major port with numerous beaches and rivers and the
population is no less than 20,000 people. It is said that many young persons in the
community of Paradise, Norwood are suffering from peer pressure.

The researchers have been a resident of Montego Bay, Jamaica for the past 10 years
During this time the researchers have observed the increase in peer pressure, therefore
decided to base her research on this social issue.

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STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
What are the causes, effects and possible solutions to decrease peer pressure in
Montego Bay, Jamaica?

5
REASON FOR SELECTING AREA OF RESEARCH
The researchers have decided to base their research on peer pressure. Over the past
16 years we have realized that there has been an increase in peer pressure and most of
these cases are happening to juveniles. Therefore we decided to further this
investigation on how to solve this problem.

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METHOD OF INVESTIGATIONS
To investigate the problem, the researchers have selected to assemble printed
questionnaires, in order to pull together enough information for the observation.

● It can be done at the accessibility of the persons required to have the form
completed.

● It is classified as persons are not obliged to write their names(ID)

● It requires little time to complete the questionnaire

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DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENTS
Dear citizens,

I have prepared a survey which is being carried out in this community, to

find out the level of peer pressure within this area. This survey is being conducted as an
assignment for my Social Studies SBA that I’m currently undertaking. The researchers
have decided to use a questionnaire, which requires no personal information from
citizens.

You are advised to answer the following questions honestly, since you are not required
to write any names anywhere, no one will ever know what your answers are. There are
no wrong or right answers. All of the questions can be answered by a simple tick in the
box.

Example. Sex Male 𛁣 Female 𛁣

Yours Truly,

Britania Moulton

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PROCEDURES USED TO COLLECT DATA
The community of Paradise, Norwood has approximately 175 households.It was
calculated that a sample of 20%was necessary in order to ensure accurate conclusion
on peer pressure being circulating in the area.(20% of 175 = 35)

A total number of 50 questionnaires will be distributed to the villagers, it is expected that

at least 35 of these will be returned.

I will therefore decide on which households that will be chosen by a process of random
selection that will cater for all the requirements mentioned above. The numbers of all
houses in the village were written, each on a slip of paper. The slips were folded and
placed into a box.

The box was closed and shaken vigorously to ensure a thorough mixture of the
numbers. A total of 50 slips were drawn from the box, one at a time, while shaking the
box in the process.

The fifty households thus selected were then supplied with questionnaires. In instances
where members were not at home, the questionnaires were left at their doorsteps with a
note to return the completed questionnaire to my mailbox at 150 Westgate Boulevard.

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QUESTIONNAIRES
INSTRUCTIONS: Please place a simple tick in the box (according to the answer)
1. Sex?

Male 𛁣 Female 𛁣

2. How long have you been living in Paradise, Norwood?

1-5 years 𛁣 5-10 years 𛁣

10 years and over 𛁣

3. Which age group are you ?

16-18 years 𛁣 19-25 years 𛁣

26-30 years 𛁣 31-40 years 𛁣

4. Which family type do you belong to?

Nuclear family 𐀴 Extended family 𐀴

Single-parent family 𐀴 Joint family 𐀴

5. Do you think peer pressure is harmful to kids

Yes 𛁣 No 𛁣

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6. What are some of the activities children can be pressured into doing?

Drugs Abuse 𛁣 Sexual Activities 𛁣

 Crime and Violence 𛁣

7. What do you think is the cause for peer pressure?

Hormonal reasons 𛁣 Bad parenting 𛁣

Fear of rejection 𐀴 Weak personality 𐀴

8. Where can you ask for help about peer pressure?

Schools 𛁣 Police Station 𛁣

Church 𛁣 Party 𛁣

9. How would you cope with this situation

Talk to someone about it 𛁣 Ignore it 𛁣

10. What do you think are the effects of peer pressure in the community?

Parental neglect 𛁣 Wrong decision making 𛁣

Stress 𐀴 Death 𛁥

12. Which gender do you think suffers from peer pressure the most

Male 𛁣 Female 𛁣

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13. How is the peer pressure rate in your community?

High 𐀴 Low 𐀴
14. Have you ever witnessed anyone suffering from peer pressure?

Yes 𐀴 No 𐀴

15. Do you know anyone suffering from peer pressure?

Yes 𐀴 No 𐀴

16. What are some things that people often get pressured into doing?

Getting involved with drugs 𐀴 Having sexual intercourse 𐀴

Stealing 𐀴 Getting involved with guns 𐀴

17. What are some of the solutions that can reduce peer pressure?

Talk to your children 𐀴 Move him/her from their environment 𐀴

Let them share their problems 𐀴 Counseling 𐀴

18. Why is peer pressure hard for teenagers to resist?

They are too afraid to say no 𐀴 Weak personalities 𐀴

19. Which gender you think suffers the most from peer pressure

Male 𐀴 Female 𖥡

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PRESENTATION AND EXPLANATION OF DATA

A total number of questionnaires were distributed to citizens, in which all were

returned. Of these respondents, 63% males and 37% were females.
 Bar Graph Showing Causes Of Peer Pressure

Figure 1. Shows some of the causes for peer pressure in Montego Bay, St. James from
the data collected 40% believe that Fear of rejection is the main cause of peer pressure,
in some cases Hormonal reasons is said to be caused by 30% of the respondents.
Weak personalities is also one of the main reasons which is showed by it being 20%
while, the lowest in percentage, 10% of the people believe it is due to Bad parenting

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Pie Chart Showing The Effects Of Peer Pressure In M.S.J
Figure 2. The highest percentage 40% of respondents stated that stress is the main
effect of peer pressure, 27% believed that it’s death while 18% says it’s decision
making. Self-esteem persons think it is not really an effect, since it’s on 14%

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Table Showing Solutions to Peer Pressure
 Counseling 30%

Taking the person out of the environment 15%

Support him/her to find their passion 30%

Watch out for any suspicious changes 25%

Figure 3. It is stated 30% of the respondents said that counseling and supporting
him/him to find their passion is the most righteous solution for peer pressure.
25% suggested that parents should watch out for any suspicious changes
towards their child/children and 15% said that he/she should be taken out of
the environment and move to someplace safer.

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 ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

The research topic for my survey will be about peer pressure and my subtopic is “The
causes, effects and possible solutions to increase peer pressure in Montego Bay,
Jamaica?” is the topic for the survey. I will be explaining all of the following effects,
causes and solutions that can be done to alleviate this problem.

Peer pressure is very popular in Montego Bay but the community of Paradise, Norwood
has multiple increase of cases day by day, 40% of the respondents stated that peer
pressure is caused by fear of rejection, 30% stated that it was because of hormonal
reasons, 20% stated that it was because of weak personalities and 10% saif that it was
the cause of bad parenting.

Being a victim of peer pressure is very hard. People are suffering from long and short
term effects. Stress is the main effect of the problem people in Montego Bay are facing,
Shown by it being 50%. This in fact has proven to be true because depression can
happen for many different reasons and have many triggers mainly by the family history,
illness and health issues, medication, drugs and alcohol to commit violent crimes such
as robbery offenses and assault.

There are many solutions to reduce peer pressure but in my research I have four(4)
main solutions that are very useful for persons suffering from it. It is stated 30% of the
respondents said that counseling and supporting him/him to find their passion is the
most righteous solution for peer pressure.25% suggested that parents should watch out
for any suspicious changes towards their child/children and 15% said that he/she should
be taken out of the environment and move to someplace safer.

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 FINDINGS

During my research I have acquired a compilation of which regards peer pressure in the
community of Paradise, Norwood. These are as follows:

● Majority of the citizens in Montego Bay stated that the cause of peer pressure is
fear of rejection(40%).
● Majority of the citizens in Montego Bay stated that the effect of peer pressure is
stress(41%).
● Majority of the citizens in Montego Bay stated that the solution to peer pressure
is counseling(30%).

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 RECOMMENDATIONS

The importance of an efficient community of citizens cannot be oversetimated. In order

to maintain a healthy environment at Paradise, Norwood, the residents and the
government all have their parts to play to alleviate peer pressure experienced in the
community.

One of the most important recommendation is the need for good parenting, parents
need to be very observant towards their child/children, see if there's any changes since
recently, talk about their day and how things are going even though some of them might
be too afraid to talk about what is going on in their daily life.

Members of the community can further play their part by keeping an eye out for any
suspicious movements in the community and how the children are behaving.
Furthermore a community watch should be operated so that people can be on the alert
for anything off in the community.

The local government authority must be notified to embark on a programme of

educating its employees, so that they will see their job as being of major importance in
helping the community with this situation and improving the aesthetic value of the area.
Specific instructions should be given as to the manner in which peer pressure can be
reduced in the community.

In order to solve this problem I would do the following:

● Write letters to the editor of the newspapers concerning this issue.

● Talk to my Parliamentary Representative on the possibility of introducing laws to
reduce peer pressure.
● Invite members of the Environmental Management Authority to lecture to the
residents on the harmful effects of peer pressure and the alternatives available.

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