Chapter I

The Problem and Its Background

Introduction

Peer pressure often seems to have a variety of effects on the student's academic

performance in school. It is how their peers affect them, whether in a positive or

negative way. Teenagers need to seek comfort from others that they have found in the

presence of their peers, and they are not even aware of how their peers influence them

academically. According to Uslu (2013), adolescence social environment could affect

teenagers in their adolescence, because mostly in this period teenagers tend to

communicate more by their peers. As children grow and reach adolescence, teenagers

become more dependent with their peers than their family especially in making choices

and enhancing their moral values in life.

Peers are considered a huge part of adolescence, a time of increased social

interaction and the development of esteem and self-worth. Friends and classmates are

often the primary sources of information, emotional support in times of adversities, and

validation that can greatly impact their career choices. Positive peer influence may

inspire students to think bigger and take their future seriously. On the other hand,

negative peer influence may lead to poor decision-making in choosing a career.

Peer pressure is often seen during the adolescence stage of a teenagers because

they often seek comfort among their peers and intend to do what their peers does

without knowing if it is good or bad for them. Adolescence is a period of an individual

that is transitory when a child reaches the point in changing its childhood to adulthood

(Adeniyi & Kolawole, 2015). Thus individuals are prone temptations in the social

contextualization concepts, for example, socializing with others tend to do some

activities such as napping and drinking during classes or work day (Bonein & Denont-
Boemont, 2013). Adolescence social environment could affect teenagers in their

adolescence, because mostly in this period teenagers tend to communicate more by their

peers. As children grow and reach adolescence, teenagers become more dependent with

their peers than their family especially in making choices and enhancing their moral

values in life (Uslu, 2013). Human development is affected by its socialization with

other people in the environment. Specifically the academic achievements of students

are conjectured to be correlational by the support given by the parents, the teachers and

the peer of teenagers that affect their level of academic performance (Chen, 2008).

This study was also carried out to get the peer pressure of study habits on the

academic performance of students using some of academic skills to those selected

Junior High School Students in Tarlac City National High School.

Peers group and education are closely interdependent each; education can

mould the child behaviour and ensuring that students attain the mastery of educational

purposes through peers group. In the school observed that the student’s success on

academic performance determined and reflected by their level of peer pressure. So the

peer group is a crucial in transformation in many capacities of an individual’s life. Peer

group interaction is important role in each individual life for improving intellectual,

moral, rapid physical, emotional and social and psychological. Academic performance

also refers to that in what way sound a student’s achieving his activities and studies.

Steinberg (2005) suggests that academic performance encompasses students' ability and

performance; it is multi-dimensional; it is intricately associated to human growth and

cognitive, emotional and social physical development.

A peer group is generally known as a person who is of equal association with

another in a group. But pear group defined by various studies in different ways.

According to Castrogiovanni (2002) defined peer group as a small group of similar age,
fairly close friends, sharing the same activities. According to Olalekan (2016) it is

usually found that peer group has influence lot of on students.

This positive influence plays an important role model towards leading a high

academic goal attainment. However, peers group likewise have a negative influence on

one another such as encouraging academic priority neglected, skip classes, not to do

timely class activities and involving in the risky behaviour inside and outside the

learning palace. So the parents and school should be provided healthy environment.

School should organised counselling programme to establish peer relationship,

globalisation, socialisation and for building self-confident. Therefore this reviewed

research study of influence of peer group on academic performance of students is

important to be aware to the parents, society, school and counsellor to provide heathy

environments.

One of the most important decisions students make during their transition from

secondary education to adulthood is choosing a career. Such a decision defines not their

professional lives but also their self-aspirations and contributions to the society. In the

case of Grade 10 students of Tarlac National High School, this decision-making process

becomes an essential part of their future endeavors, in which peer influence is a

contributing factor.

In general teenagers spend more time with peers. Peer pressure is described to

have a positive and negative impact among individuals and even without effect to a

person because peer pressure is a continuous learning (Gulati, 2017). Peer pressure

often seems to have various effects toward the student academic performance in school.

It is how their peers affect them whether in a positive or negative way. Teenagers need

to seek comfort from others that they found in the presence of their peers, and they are

not even aware on how their peers influence them academically. Eventually this study
aimed to know the relationship of peer pressure the Junior High School Students and

their academic performance.

Socialization being a life-long process 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/her life. The family is not expected to provide all

the education required by the growing child. The school which is an established

academic institution in which the behaviour of an individual is sharpened to get him/her

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 socialization 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.

Studies show children and adolescents significantly adjust their behavior to

match their peers, particularly those with high social status. This conformity extends to

both externalizing behaviors (aggression) and internalizing behaviors (depression).

While Asch's research demonstrated conformity in adults, educational research

highlights its impact on academic achievement, especially among female adolescents.

Peer influence shapes not only negative behaviors but also positive ones, like academic

motivation. Children select friends with similar academic drive, and this shared

motivation persists even when peer groups change. Conversations about academic

choices further reinforce this conformity, highlighting the crucial role of peer

relationships in academic success and the need to consider them in educational

interventions.
 Research on peer influence and academic performance reveals mixed results.

While some studies suggest that grouping weak students together improves

performance, others show that strong peers enhance grades. However, weak peers can

negatively impact strong students' performance. Peer influence also extends to negative

behaviors like drug use, which significantly harms academic achievement. Peers exert

influence through feedback on actions, appearance, and words, creating anxiety about

social acceptance and potentially leading to conformity or ridicule for non-conformity.

Although peer influence has always existed, its nature has evolved, impacting various

aspects of student life, from clothing choices to delinquent behavior.

Statement of the Problem

1) What is the profile of the students in terms of

a) Age,

b) Gender, and

c) GWA (Grade Weighted Average)

2) Are there significant relationship between peer pressure and academic performance

of Grade 10 students in Tarlac National Highschool?

3) How does peer influence affect a student’s motivation and engagement at school?

4) What are some positive aspects of peer influence?

5) What leads to negative peer groups?

6) What are the effects of peer pressure on the student's academic competence?

Scope and Delimitation

The study only focuses on Grade 10 students enrolled during the School Year

(SY) 2025-2026. It particularly explores peer influence within the school setting of
Tarlac National Highschool, including classmates, friends, and other societal groups.

Other extrinsic influence, such as parental guidance, teachers' advice, and socio-

economic factors, are given credit but are not the primary focus of this study. The results

of this study are limited to the students' perspectives and experiences, and does not

purposefully intend to generalize to other secondary schools.

The scope is further delimited by time constraints, as the study will be conducted

within a specified period only and the available resources for data collection. Moreover,

the study will not investigate long term effects of career decisions but mainly focuses

on the present influences and factors during the decision-making process of Grade 10

students.

Significance of the Study

This study is significant and beneficial to the following:

The study will be helpful in the field of education. It is important for students,

parents, educators and policy makers in understanding the way social interactions affect

academic achievement. In particular academic achievement and the often

corresponding level of the educational attainment tend to predict the average earnings

an individual may secure over a lifetime. For this reason, isolating the peer effects on

academic achievement will make a significant contribution to education reform.

This study will also provide an insight into the impact of peer group on academic

performance of adolescents.

To students: The results will help them become more aware of their peer influence to

their career choices and decision-making. By conducting this study, they are able to

think about their career choices through peer influence, and an assertive yet informed

and rational decision-making process.

insights into the extent and nature of peer influence on Grade 12 students' career

choices. These insights can guide and assist in the development of career guidance

programs and/or policies, mitigation of peer pressure, and conduct of seminars in career

assessment.

To parents: They will benefit from understanding the significant role peers play in

their children's career goals. This awareness can help them communicate effectively

with their children and offer support for their aspirations.

To School Administrators: I The findings can serve as a basis for implementing

policies and guidelines that foster a positive school environment. They can also assistin

mitigating negative influences and promoting constructive peer-to-peer relationships.

To Future Researchers: This study contributes to the growing body of knowledge

about career decision-making, specifically in the context of Philippine secondary

schools. It can also serve as reference for future researchers to conduct similar studies

on a larger scale.

Definition of Terms

Peer influence refers to the impact that people of the same age group, social status, or

group identity have on an individuals attitudes, behaviors, and decision-making. This

influence can be direct, such as through encouragement or pressure, or indirect, like

observing and emulating the actions of peers. In this study, peer influence is explored

and examined in relation to career decision-making.

Decision-Making refers to the process of identifying and selecting a course of action

from a set of alternatives to achieve a desired outcome. It is an essential cognitive

considering the potential consequences of each option.

Pressure it is the burden of physical or mental distress. It is the feeling that you are

being pushed toward making a certain choice either good or bad. In this study, pressure

it is a problem of an physical or even mental. In this study, pressure it is a problem of

an physical or even mental distress of person. It is also a feeling that you are being

pushed towards deciding a certain situation or choice either it is good to you or bad.

Peers Pressure is the way that people of the same social group can influence on another

individual to take a certain action, adopt certain values, or otherwise conform in order

to be accepted. In this study, peer pressure it is a way that a group of people that has

the same social group.

Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and psychological development that

typically occurs between childhood and adulthood. It's a period of significant changes,

both internally and externally.

Academic achievement is the extent to which a student, teacher or institution has

attained their short or long-term educational goals. Completion of educational

benchmarks such as secondary school diplomas and bachelor's degrees represent

academic achievement. In this study, is a knowledge and skills that students have

mastered in a subject or a source. It is a measure of how well student performed in the

various assessment and academic achievement.

Environment refers to the factors that can affect a person’s behaviour. There are social

and physical environments. Social environment include family members, friends and

colleagues. Physical environment is the size of a room, the ambient temperature or the

availability of certain foods.

adulthood, represents the period of time during which a person experiences a variety of

biological changes and encounters a number of emotional issues.

Misbehaviour is a negative response of an individual, group, or species to its

environment.

Antisocial behaviour is [opposition] to society or to existing social organization and

moral codes” and “aggressive, impulsive and sometimes violent actions that flout social

and ethical codes such as laws and regulations relating to personal and property rights.

Conformity is the act of matching one's attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors to group norms

or to the expectations of influential others. It's a fundamental aspect of human social

behavior, driven by a desire to fit in, avoid social rejection, or gain approval.