Peer group influence and academic performance of secondary school students in english language

---

1 
PEER GROUP INFLUENCE AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF 
SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE 
 
BY 
 
BASSEY, INYANG ODO 
E-mail: 
[e-mail]
 
Phone: [phone] 
 
ABSTRACT 
The study was on the influence peer group on the academic performance 
secondary school students in English language in Calabar Municipality of Cross 
River State, Nigeria. To carry out the purpose of the research, a null hypothesis 
was formulated to guide the study. Descriptive research design was utilised for 
the research. A sample size of two hundred (200) respondents was selected 
randomly for the study through the simple random sampling technique. A 
questionnaire and an English Language achievement test were the instruments 
used in the collection data. The instruments were subjected to face and content 
validation by experts in measurement and evaluation. The reliability estimates of 
the instruments were established through test-re-test reliability method. Pearson 
moment product correlation analysis was the statistical tool adopted to test the 
hypothesis at 0.05 level of significance. The result of the finding revealed that 
Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3606183

---

2 
peer group significantly influences the academic performance secondary school 
students in English Language. Based on the finding, it was recommended that 
students should be on the type of friends they keep so as not to fall into the 
company of bad friends (peer) who may influence them negatively. 
Key words: Academic performance, peer group, influence,
INTRODUCTION 
Peer group plays an important part throughout one’s life. It is more crucial 
during the developmental years of learners. The child’s peer group consists of 
people or individuals that are within an age bracket. The school serves as the 
primary setting for the membership of a peer group. They may be in the same 
class. 
The educational foundation of a child starts right from the home in an 
informal way before the child is sent to school for formal education. At school, 
the child is exposed to classmates, teachers and peers (Ryan, 2012). They all 
influence the child in one way or the other. The peer group is therefore the first 
social group outside the home which the child interacts with. Each peer group has 
its code of conduct which may not always conform to advanced standard. 
Peer group is the pilot of social change and during interaction the child’s 
life is transformed from helplessness into mature adult. According to 
Castrogiovanni (2002) a peer group is a small group of about the same age, fairly 
Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3606183

---

3 
close friends, sharing the same activities. In general, peer groups or cliques 
are essential to social and general development. Communication with fellow peer 
group members increases significantly during adolescence, and peer relationship 
becomes more intensive than in other stages (Papalia, Feldman & Kruk, 2004). 
High quality friendship may enhance students’ development regardless of the 
characteristics of those friends. As children begin to bond with various people and 
create friendships, it helps them as adolescents and set up a framework for 
adolescent life and peer group interaction.
Peer group is an agency of acculturation and learning. Every child 
develops a sense of self from their perception of important people in their 
surroundings, relations, teachers and peers. As a child leaves the home setting, 
self-perception and socialization takes place. When children move out from their 
family to schools and the community at large, they begin to form attachment, and 
friendship results as they play together (Landau, 2002). This relationship 
influences behaviour. Peer group influence on students’ academic performance 
greatly depends on the skills and potentials of the students. As a child grows up, 
his/her own peer group or companion is likely to be of greater importance to the 
child than even the parents and teachers. 
It is believed that students feel more comfortable and relaxed among 
friends. A student who is brilliant and surrounded by dull friends may lose interest 
Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3606183

---

4 
in learning. On the other hand, peer group that is inclined to study will have 
positive effect on the dull members towards academic work. Peer group 
influences academic performance in various ways. One of the ways is through 
model similarity. A student observing his or her successful peer can raise his or 
her self-motivation to perform better. In school set up teachers can take advantage 
of peer group to plan group activities for learning and to promote peer counseling. 
However, peer group may socialize negatively (Ukume, Uguma & Agbinya, 
2020). An example is when they inculcate antisocial behaviour, immoral conduct, 
and experiment with drugs. (Thungu, Wandera & Gachie, 2008) 
Peer group influence could be negative or positive. Positive influences 
could be volunteering for community and social activities, participating in sports, 
and other productive endeavours (De Guzman, 2007, Omojuwa & Uguma, 2003). 
Negative peer group leads an adolescent student to be involved in antisocial 
behaviours (Howard & Medway, 2004). Peer influence is not a simple process 
where a child is a passive recipient of influence from others. In fact, peers who 
become friends already have a lot of behaviourial traits in common. Peers with 
similar interest and similar academic standing enjoy doing the same thing; they 
gravitate towards each other (De Guzman, 2007).
Adolescents are always exposed to peer influences. Influence could be 
mode dressing, substance abuse or other anti-social behaviours (Temitope & 
Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3606183

---

5 
Christy, 2015). Literature indicates that peers who are interested in academic 
issues are more likely to associate with fellow peers who have same interest. They 
study together, sharing materials and information with fellow peers who are 
motivated to learn. For instance, it has been noted by Landau, (2002) that, 
students who form positive peer group make more effort during learning, doing 
social activities, and fear to engage in delinquent activities. However, Ryan 
(2012) argues that those students who are identified as jock popular perceive more 
pressure in the area of social involvement than pressure towards misconduct. 
Peer group according to Bankole and Ogunsakin (2016) provides a sense 
of security and helps adolescents to ask questions relating to social identity theory 
such as ‘who am I?’ and ‘what do I want out of life?’ Many peer groups can exert 
a positive influence on their friends. It is thought that intelligent students do help 
their peers by bringing up their academic performances. Likewise students with 
good friends who are considered intelligent tend to do better in school: all 
attributed to the fact that they share a common team of similar aspiration (Landau, 
2002). Adolescent period is a time an individual makes important decisions on 
commitment to academics. Young students begin to ask questions such as ‘is 
English language important to me’? ‘Why do I want to spend my time studying 
English”? The choices that adolescents make regarding their motivation re-
engagement and achievement in school (and life) and the satisfaction they obtain 
Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3606183

---

6 
from their choices depend in part on the context in which they make such choices. 
The kind of peers a student identifies with and depends on, will determine the 
kind of influence the group will have on his academic achievement. 
Peer influence on academic achievement depends on the students’ self-
identity, self-esteem and self-reliance. Peer influence can mobilize students’ 
energy and motivate for success. Peers can act as positive role models. If a student 
is influenced negatively, it affects his academic performance. Stronger students do 
have some impact on their peers and improves the overall academic performance. 
Attitudes and aspirations of peers as well as peer expectations and standards affect 
individual effort and achievement in school (Uguma & Usani, 2016). 
However, it is through the peer group that students are more likely to be 
introduced to problem behaviour such as drinking, smoking and low academic 
performance results. Positive peer influence generates more alternative solution to 
problems, proposes more mature solution and are less aggressive than students 
who are influenced negatively. It is thought that intelligent students do help their 
peers bring up their academic performance. Girls with good friends who are 
considered intelligent tend to do better in school, all attributable to the fact that 
they share a common team of similar aspirations (Landau, 2002; Timothy & 
Uguma, 2017). Also there are some peer group members who can exert negative 
influence on their friends and this group tends to share low aspirations of going to 
Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3606183

---

7 
tertiary institution to pursue certain careers. There may be other values in place, 
such as taking care of the family or making quick money rather than pursuing 
education first (Ide, 2006).