The Influence Of Peer Group On The Academic Performance Of Secondary School Students

1.0 INTRODUCTION

In this chapter the study covers the background of the study, statement of the problem of the study, main objectives and specific objectives of the study, research questions of the study, significance of the study, and scope of the study

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The Oxford Advancetl Learners Dictionary (2001) defined peer 3roup as a group of people of sane age or social status. The peer youp is the first social gi-oup outside the home in which the child attempts to gain acceptance and recognition. Peer group is an important infliience throughout one’s life but they are more critical during the developmental years of childhood and adolescence. Adolescents always emulate their vague in whatever form of behavior they exhibit, particularly that which interest them thus, since socialization only refer to changes in behavior, attitudes having their origin in interaction with other persons and those which occur through integration, a child learn more through interaction with peers. Socialization being a life-long process that cannot be limited to the family members alone. As a child grows older and more matured, it become more necessary for the external bodies to be involved in his life .The family is not expectcd to provide all the education required by the growing child. The school which is an established academic institution in which the behavior of an individual is sharpened to get him equipped for occupational socialization. In the school system, the child gets into the social group of “like minds” and interest. As a result of the various attitudes, skills, knowledge is acquired through role-play. Peer group as an agent of sociaIization is the most important socializing is the most important socializing agent for the developing child. Peer group is the pivot of social change and during interaction peers; the child’s life is transformed from the helpless child into a mature adult.

Each peer group has its code of conduct which does not always conform to the standard of adult. The important thing is that each child takes his membership of the peer very serious and attempts to do anything to ensure he is accepted and recognized. Lack of acceptance by the peer disturbs the child especially at adolescent age. Some children have been known to do badly in school not because they lack the academic ability to do well  but  because  they are disturbed  by the fact they are not accepted by their peer group. What makes learning  comparative  is the fact that the child has equal status with the other children. There is an atmosphere  of  freedom  in which each child learns the way of the world  from others. The peer  group  thus becomes more  and more important to the advances in apse. Other ways in which the peer gl‘oup can help the  child include, teaching the culture of the society at large waking possible social  mobility, pi-ovitling opportunity for the child to {a lay many social i‘olcs suc’n as that of a leader, a follower, teacher or student. The peer group also help the child to win his/her indcpendcnce easily from domination and set before him a goal which is more easily Attainable than the expectation of aclults. This in itsel I provirles motivation for learning anal is mainly responsible for the fact that all children at one stage or the other regard their membership of peer group as very important.

When the family is not supportive for instance, if the parents work extra jobs and are largely unavailable, their children may turn to their peer for emotional support. This also occur when the conflict between parents and children during adolescence or at any stage during a child’s development becomes so great that the child feels pushed away and seeks company elsewhere. Most children and adolescents in this position do not discriminate about the kind of group  they join. They will often turn to a group simply because the group accepts them even if the group is involved in negative tendency (Peter Smith and Anthony  Pellegrini,  2001).  The  need  for affection or closeness is often greater than the need to do the right thing.  For some adolescents  who feel isolated and abandoned by members of their family being part of a peer group provides such individual with acceptance and security not available at home.  In  the  Ugandan  society today, the influence of peer group cannot be over emphasized  in a child’s  life most  especially child education. Peer group has in one way or the other influenced the life of children both academically, socially, morally,  psychologically and otherwise.  It helps just like any other  agent of school students in Bukwo district. Socialization such as family, religion, mass  media,  and school among others help in modifying the behavior of the child. In conclusion, therefore the influence of peer group on the academic performance of secondary  school  students  cannot  be over emphasized. The peer group forms the main basis through which the child learns lot of empirical facts about his physical and social  environment,  acquisition  of skills and value as well as attitude for a better future.