Influence Of Peer Pressure, Self-Esteem As Determinants On Students Performance In English Language

In school, the extent to which educational goads are achieved is determined by factors which significantly influences students academic performance such as the level of peer pressure, and self esteem which serve the major focus for this investigation. Likewise, the surge of students poor performance in English language could be attributable to a variety of factors of which school factors, peers influence, family factors, and self esteem tops the list. In the light of the aforementioned, this study examines influence of peer pressure, self-esteem as determinants on students" performance in English language in South West Local Government Area Of Oyo State.

The study employed the survey descriptive research design. Hence, the questionnaire was used for data collection which was raised against a four Likert scale of yes; no; maybe; and i don"t know. A total of 100 respondents were conveniently selected as sample size, which comprises of JSS3 - SS1 students of two(2) selected secondary schools in South West Local Government Area of Oyo state. The data collected were analyzed using mean score statistics. The hypotheses test was conducted using Product Moment Pearson Correlation statistical tool, SPSS v.23.

From the responses obtained and analyzed, the findings revealed thatpeer pressure and self esteem factors influences students" academic performance in secondary school in English language. The study also showed that there is a significant positive relationship between peer pressure and students academic performance in English Language r. = 0.821 and p< 0.000.Likewise, the further revealed that there is a significant positive relationship between self esteem and students academic performance in English Language at r. = 0.888and p< 0.000.

The study therefore recommends that students should be taught and enlightened on the strategies of avoiding and or coping with negative peer influence as well as the need to maintain one"s positive values against other opposing opinions. And parents, significant others, teachers and guidance and counsellors should provide emotional support to students to make them positive oriented towards boosting their self-esteem and modifying their attitude both at home and in school. To mention but a few.

Introduction

1.1 Background of the Study

Educational activities are geared towards ensuring that students achieve mastery of educational objectives. In school, the extent to which these objectives are achieved is determined by factors which significantly influences students academic performance such as the level of peer pressure, and self esteem which serve the major focus for this investigation. According to Allen, McGarland, & Elhaney (2005), peers play a large role in the social and emotional development of adolescents. Their influence begins at an early age and increases through the teenage years, it is natural, for adolescent to have and rely on friends as they grow and mature. A peer could be any one you look up to in behaviour or someone who you would think is equal to your age or ability (Hardcastle, 2002). On the other hand, the term "pressure" implies the process that influence people to do something that they might not otherwise choose to do. According to Hartney, (2011) peer pressure refers to the influences that peers can have on each other. Peer pressure is emotional or mental forces from people belonging to the same social group (such as age, grade or status) to act or behave in a manner similar to themselves (Weinfied 2011).Peer pressure is commonly associated with episodes of adolescent risk taking (such as delinquency, drug abuse, sexual behaviours), because these behaviour commonly occur in the company of peers. It can also have positive effects when youth are pressured by the peer toward positive behaviour. Such as volunteering for charity or excelling in academics (Kellie, 2013).

However, peers can also have a negative influence. They can encourage each other to skip classes, steal, cheat, use of drugs or alcohol, or become involve in other risky behaviours. Majority of adolescents with substance abuse problems began using drug or alcohol as a result of peer pressure. Negative peer pressure may influence in various ways like joining group who drink alcohol, smoke cigarette and Indian hemp among others. It may also lead to the decision to have a boy friend/girl friend, Peer pressure indulges youth into loitering about in the streets, watching films and attending parties during school hours, taping as alternative to stealing which may eventually graduate into armed robbery (Arief, 2011). Notably, the blame for poor academic performance among secondary school students could be attributable to a variety of factors such as student inability to manage their time, peers influence, family factors, self esteem, and the likes.

Self-esteem is defined as the set of positive or negative evaluations of individuals about their own selves (Rosenberg 1965, cited in Babawale(2015). Self and self-esteem constitute two different dimensions of personality. The self represents the cognitive part of the personality, whereas self-esteem represents the affective and psychologic dimension. The personality traits of the individuals, their physical features, abilities, skills, social relations, feelings and their ideas about their academic or professional performance and the satisfaction they feel as a result of these ideas, are included in the concept of self-esteem (Yılmaz 2000; İzgiç et al. 2001). A high level of perceived satisfaction indicates that the individual has high self-esteem, whereas a low level of satisfaction indicates low self-esteem. �"zkan (2014) defined people with high self-esteem as individuals who are successful in academic and professional areas, who can handle stress, who can establish social and close relations and who have a high level of vitality and enjoyment. At the same time, he defined people with low self-esteem as individuals who have a low level of vitality and enjoyment, who are not self-confident, who feel shame and feelings of worthlessness and who feel inadequate in terms of successes and skills.Today, self-esteem as one of the influential factor which affect student"s academic achievement has received increasing attention. It has been declared that high self-esteem can lead to high academic achievement. The Self-esteem can be referred as person"s global judgments of competency regarding one"s self-worth (Harter, 2018). This construct emerges when children compare their self-evaluation with actual performance on a variety of tasks. Moreover, this comparison between the perceived self and the ideal self is very crucial specially during adolescence because adolescents encounter with diversified job of developing and challenges of their own age. Hence, development of self-esteem is considered as one of the most important developmental processes of adolescence (Sirin and Rogers-Sirin, 2004). In general, high self-esteem help individuals to view themselves as active and capable persons to promote changes through effort and set higher goals which cause learning new things. Interestingly, numerous researchers have demonstrated that the best way to improve student achievement is to increase their self-esteem (Rubie et al., 2004). Research has also documented that high self-esteem plays an important role in academic achievement, social and personal responsibility (Redenbach, 2011). Those who have higher academic achievement tend to feel more confident, and have less of peer influence, in contrast those who lack confidence in themselves achieve less, and are most vulnerable to peer pressure. In the light of the above, this study seek to examine influence of peer pressure, self-esteem as determinants of students" performance in English language.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

The blame for poor academic performance among secondary school students could be attributable to a variety of factors such as student inability to manage their time, peers influence, family factors and the likes(Midgett, Adams, & Corville-Smith, 2012). Parents, teachers, curriculum, experts and evaluators have expressed considerable concern over the deteriorating students" performance in public examinations. Therefore, an in-school adolescent should avoid negative pressure such loitering along the street during school hours holding parties at the expense of their study, skipping school and drug abuse(Davies, & Brember, 2019). That will create room for poor academic performance. The adolescent should move with people that study their books in order to have good academic performance.

This research therefore attempts to find out the effects of peer pressure and self esteem in academic performance among secondary school students in Oluyole Local Government Area Oyo State.

1.3 Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of the study is to investigate the influence of peer pressure and self-esteem on the academic performance of secondary school students in South West Local Government Area of Oyo State. The specific objectives of the study seek to:

Find out the degree to which peer pressure influence academic performance of secondary school students in English Language studies in South West Local Government Area of Oyo State.

Determine the extent to which self-esteem influence academic performance of students in secondary schools in English language study in South West Local Government Area of Oyo State.

Proffer solutions on how to improve students affected with peer pressure with low self-esteem for improving the academic performance of secondary school students in South West Local Government Area of Oyo State.

1.4 Research Questions

To guide the study, the following research questions are raised;

1. To what extent does peer pressure influence academic performance of students in English studies in secondary schools in South West Local Government Area of Oyo State.
2. To what extent self-esteem influence academic performance of secondary school students in English studies in South West Local Government Area of Oyo State.
3. What can be done to improve students with low self-esteem and those facing negative peer pressure influence for improved academic performance of secondary school students in English studies in South West Local Government Area of Oyo State.

1.5 Research Hypotheses

The following hypothetical statements will be validated in the course of this study;

H01: There is no significant correlation between peer pressure and students academic performance in English Language.

Ha1: There is a significant correlation between peer pressure and students academic performance in English Language.

H02: There is no significant correlation between self esteem and students academic performance in English Language.

Ha2: There is a significant correlation between self esteem and students academic performance in English Language.

1.6 Significance of the Study

The findings of the study will be significant to teachers in that it will serve as a guide that would enable them understand their students and know the method to adopt in teaching so as to bridge the gap or variation in academic performance and how to organize, to use, to see that every student is carried along no matter his family condition.

The findings of the study will also make principals and teachers have a better understanding of the students and provide effective guidance and counselling and remedial programme for the weak students.

Additionally, subsequent researchers will use it as literature review. This means that, other students who may decide to conduct studies in this area will have the opportunity to use this study as available literature that can be subjected to critical review. Invariably, the result of the study contributes immensely to the body of academic knowledge with regards to the influence of peer pressure and self esteem on students academic performance in English Language.

1.7 Scope of Study

The study focuses mainly on the influence of peer pressure and self esteem on students academic performance in English Language. The study will be delimited to some selected senior secondary schools in South West Local Government Area of Oyo State.

1.8 Definition of Terms

Peer Pressure:

This is the ability of people from the same social rank or age to influence another of same age, bracket peer pressure is usually associated with teens although its influence is not confined to teenagers alone.

Academic Performance:

This refers to how well a student is accomplishing his or her tasks and studies (Scortt"s, 2012).

Self-esteem:

This is literally defined by how much value people put on themselves. It also means self-knowledge. High self-esteem refers to a highly positive evaluation of the self. Low self-esteem refers to an unfavorable definition of the self.

Summary, Conclusion and Recommendations

5.0 Introduction

This chapter summarizes the findings on the influence of peer pressure, self-esteem as determinants on students" performance in English language in South West Local Government Area Of Oyo State. The chapter consists of summary of the study, conclusions, recommendations and suggestions for further studies.

5.1 Summary of Findings

With regard to the analysis carried out in the previous chapter, the following key findings were made;

Peer pressure factors influences students" academic performance in secondary school in English language.

Peer pressure do not only influences students academic performance but also influences their behavior and lifestyle.

Factors which are responsible for peer pressure influence on academic performance of students which include desire to fit in, lack of confidence, low self-esteem, lack of parental care among others.

Self-esteem factors influence students" academic performance in secondary school in English language.

5.2 Conclusion

Peer pressure which can be affected by self-esteem plays a significant role in the social behavior and academic performance of students in secondary schools is seen as a key part of the developmental process of the students. Also the kind of attitudes exhibited by students always depend on the type of peers they move with within the school and peer pressure has more negative influence than positive influence on social and academic performance of students.

A number of factors are responsible for peer pressure influence on academic performance of students which include desire to fit in, lack of confidence, low self-esteem, lack of parental care among others. It was however, agreed that through proper enlightenment and effective counselling in schools, problems of negative peer pressure can be reduced or solved.

5.3 Implication of the Findings

The result of this study has some obvious educational implications. The findings of the study revealed that peers have negative influence on the attitude of students towards their academic performance. The type of peers adolescents keep matters a lot as they to a large extent could affect their attitude and possibly behaviour. If students identify with peers with good moral standing, who are focused and have negative attitude towards academics, they could be positively influenced by these peers and develop confidence in their ability in schools and society at large.
Similarly, the findings revealed that self-esteem has a positive relationship with secondary school students" attitude towards their academics, this implies that self-esteem could determine a students" attitude. Accordingly, the way a student evaluates his or herself relates to his or her attitude towards academic performance and attitude precedes action. Thus, poor self-esteem could lead a student to a wrong belief that one is worthless, lose confidence in one"s ability to perform well, develop positive attitude towards their academics and finally engage in it. This does not underscore the fact that it is always the case, since people who possess positive self-esteem could also have negative attitude towards social and academic but ironically indulge in it.

5.4 Recommendations

Based on the results of the study, the following recommendations were made:

Students should be taught and enlightened on the strategies of avoiding and or coping with negative peer influence as well as the need to maintain one"s positive values against other opposing opinions.

Parents, significant others, teachers and guidance and counsellors should provide emotional support to students to make them positive oriented towards boosting their self-esteem and modifying their attitude both at home and in school.

There should be trained counselor in all secondary schools so as to help counsel students who are moving with peers to counteract negative influences.

Parents should have negative effective supervision on their children and should not allow any bad friends to distract their children in school.

There is need for teachers, lecturers and the institution authority to have greater supervision, rules and regulations to guide against bad gangs in the school environment.

Government can also help by including subjects and courses that can curb bad behaviors in secondary schools as to enlighten students more and let them know the consequences of bad peer group.

5.5 Suggestions for Further Studies

A single study cannot examine all the pertinent issues relevant to a research problem. With the shortcomings already identified in this study therefore, prospective researchers who wish to replicate the findings should adopt more effective research design. The scope of the study should be broaden to accommodate other schools and other adolescents who are not in school, possibly more than one local government, while self-report should be complemented with other sources of generating reliable information from the participants.

5.6 Limitations

In the course of undertaking this research some problems were encountered which limit this research work to the few school that are offering English language.

Other problems faced by the research includes financial constraints, limited time given for the project to be submitted frustration in the area of data collection. Also inability to validate accuracy of the responses of the respondents also limited this study, default can be as a product of limitations and arts of both respondents and provider.

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