Full Project – INFLUENCE OF PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT AND PEER GROUP ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF STUDENTS IN SECONDARY SCHOOL, SHOMOLU, LAGOS

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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the study

Peer influence can be seen as a pressure exerted by peer group in encouraging a person to change or achieve his/her values or desires (Spear & Kulbok, 2001). Peer influence occurs when people provide knowledge, experience, emotional, social or practical help to each other (Shery, Hilton & Curtis 2006). Generally people cannot live alone in society. They need social belongingness, attachment and the feelings of affiliation for others. This need for affiliation may be based on genetics or experience. It constitutes a relatively stable trait or behavior. Basically people need social contacts that suit them. Sometimes they need parent’s help, love, care and guidance and some time they need friend’s intimacy, affection and love. Generally speaking, adolescents find their friendships to be enjoyable: together they relax, joke, watch television, and participate in sports activities.

Adolescents have always been exposed to peer influence and parental involvement, but the kinds of peer influence that they encounter have changed tremendously in the past years. Peers can influence everything from what an adolescent chooses to wear to whether or not an adolescent engages in drug related or other delinquent behavior. Thus, knowledge of the effects of Peer group is important for all in the society. Teachers and other education practitioners and those in related professional training should have an understanding of the issues surrounding Peer group.

Parent attachment and support may be stronger during infancy and childhood, whereas friend’s attachment and support seems to be stronger during adolescence. Unfortunately for parents within this period, adolescence prefer to receive compliments and support more from peers than from parents.

In most cases, adolescent tends to replace the modeling value of the family context during early childhood with that of their peers. The adolescent in search of social acknowledgement may come under a certain amount of pressure that drives them to abide by the peers convictions or rejections. Harris (2002) maintained that peer groups have a stronger influence than that of parents because the adolescents in search for acceptance join’s a particular peer group and identify with the behaviors and attitudes of that group. Adolescents are often willing to conform to their peers’ behaviors in order to be accepted (Newman, 2000).

As a result peers are torn between accepting the support from their parents which is to concentrate on their studies and the pressure from peers to engage in other social activities like spending time chanting on social media, playing football, visiting friends, watching television and many others. It is observed that associating with friends that serve as academic and social resources could have a direct and positive influence on achievement outcomes at school; peers may have a less influential role than parents in influencing adolescents’ academic performance.

Parents are said to be the most important mentors and teachers in a child’s life. Research on child development continues to cite the importance of parental involvement from the early childhood years and highlights the influence of parent and community involvement in a child’s academic performance and social adjustment. ( Epstein, 2001; Smrekar & Cohen-Vogel, 2001; Henderson, 2002; & Comer, 2005; ).

Academic performance is the outcome of education. It represents performance outcomes that indicate the extent to which a person has accomplished specific goals that were the focus of activities in instructional environments. It is one of the major goals of a school and it plays a very important role in the life of a student. Academic performance as measured by the standardized examination set by the Lagos state ministry of education at the end of second and third term determines whether a student will have the opportunity to sit for the West African Examination Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO). Therefore academic performance defines whether the adolescent will be able to continue his or her studies. Besides its relevance for an individual, academic performance is of utmost importance for the wealth of a nation and its prosperity (Anja, 2014). Giving the individual and societal importance of academic performance, it is not surprising that the knowledge of the factors that influence the outcome of academic performance are to be clear to the educators, parents, students and the society so that the standard of academic performance could be enhanced. It is on this note that the researcher wants to find out the influence of parental involvement and peer group on academic performance of students in secondary School.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

The education of students is of utmost importance to the development of a nation. Therefore academic performance is the best legacy a country can give to its citizens. This is evidence in the adoption of education as an instrument “par excellence” for effecting national development as contained in the National policy on education. Every nation looks up to those who achieve academically to occupy significant positions in order to improve the society.

Students who are academically successful and with high levels of education are more likely to be employed and enjoy stable employment; have more employment opportunities, earn higher salaries, more likely to be less dependent on social assistance, less likely to engage in criminal activity, more active as citizens and charitable volunteers and are healthier and happier than those with less education. Those who achieve academically introduce new vision and techniques that foster development.

As such parents, teachers, researchers as well as the society are concerned about the outcome of any academic activity. Parents are most especially worried when their children do not achieve academically. Parents therefore put in their best by ensuring that children achieve academic excellence by offering psychological support, helping with home work, monitoring the amount of time spent on study, emphasis the value of reading books. The researcher wants to find out whether these forms of involvement by parents and the peer influence enhance the student’s academic performance. The problem of this research therefore is to find out the influence of parental involvement and peer group on academic performance of students in secondary School.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

This research aimed to achieve the following objectives:

1. Determine the influence of Peer group on the academic performance of senior secondary school students;
2. Determine the influence of parental psychological support on the academic performance of senior secondary school students;
3. Determine the influence of parental monitoring for home work and study on the academic performance of secondary school students.

1.4 Research Questions

The following research questions are raised

1. How does Peer group influence the academic performance of senior secondary school students in Shomolu?
2. How does parental psychological support influence the academic performance of senior secondary school students in Shomolu?
3. How does parental monitoring for home work and study influence the academic performance of senior secondary school student in Shomolu?

1.5 Hypotheses Testing

The following hypotheses were formulated for this study.

1. There is no significant relationship between Peer group and academic performance of secondary school students.
2. There is no significant relationship between Parental psychological support and academic performance of Secondary School adolescent.
3. There is no significant relationship between parental monitoring for home work and academic performance of Secondary School adolescents.

1.6 Basic Assumptions

In this study it is assumed that:

1. Peer group may have an influence on academic performance of senior secondary school adolescents in Shomolu.
2. Parental psychological support may have an influence on the academic performance of senior secondary school students in Shomolu.
3. Parental monitoring with homework and study may have an influence on the academic performance of senior secondary school adolescents in Shomolu.

1.7 Significance of the study

The current study aims to examine the influence of parental involvement and peer group on academic performance of students in secondary School. This research findings might help in the design and development of interventions that maximize parental involvement where it may show to have the most positive and powerful effect.

This study will be beneficial to parents because it will enable them evaluate the different types and level of parental involvement and their influence on academic performance of their children so that they may choose the one that is appropriate for enhancement of academic performance among adolescence.

Non-Governmental organization like; United Nations Children’s Funds (UNICEF) and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNISCO) dealing with adolescent will find this study useful to bring about better ways of addressing problems of peer influence and parental involvement adolescens face in the society.

The study will be relevant to students in secondary school as this will guide them on how to deal with negative peer influence. It will also help them to have an in depth knowledge on the need to achieve academically. The study will bring to light the influence of peer group on adolescents’ academic performance

This research work will lead to further in-depth study on the influence of peer influence and parental involvement on adolescents’ academic performance.

Lastly, it will serve as a contribution to knowledge on adolescents in Nigeria. In this regard, it will be useful for other researchers who might want to carry out research in related area.

1.8 Scope and Delimitation of the study

This research work investigates the Influence of Peer and Parental involvement on the Academic performance of Senior Secondary School student in Shomolu Educational District. The study is delimited to public senior secondary school students (SS2). It covers both male and female students.

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Full Project – INFLUENCE OF PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT AND PEER GROUP ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF STUDENTS IN SECONDARY SCHOOL, SHOMOLU, LAGOS