THE IMPACT OF PEER PRESSURE ON THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

OF COLLEGE STUDENTS OF PASIG CATHOLIC COLLEGE

Pasig Catholic College

By

Emilee P. Magsajo
Jesica D. Pristo

2009

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THE IMPACT OF PEER PRESSURE ON THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
OF COLLEGE STUDENTS OF PASIG CATHOLIC COLLEGE

A Thesis Proposal
To the Faculty of the
College Department of
Pasig Catholic College

In Partial Fulfillment of
The Requirements of the Degree
Of Bachelor of Science in Psychology

By

Emilee P. Magsajo
Jesica D. Pristo

2009

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 Chapter 1
THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

The issue of peer pressure is one of great interest in the psychological

field in Erik Erikson’s Theory of Identity vs. Identity Confusion; the psychological

conflict of adolescence in this developmental stage is reviewed. According to

Erickson, individuals in this stage become more susceptible to peer pressure due

to the shift in emotional dependence from parents to peers. (Berk, 2004)

The researchers believed that it is not only the adolescences who

experience peer pressure but maybe also those people who are still fulfilling their

educational college degree. Because of this idea, the researchers decided to

conduct this study to explore how peer pressure affects the academic

performance of selected college students of Pasig Catholic College.

Because of this, the researchers decide to conduct this study. They want

to know more about the different roles of peer groups and the pressure that they

are inserting in their study habits, whether it brings negative or positive effect.

The researchers want to acquire more knowledge on this matter. If an individual

gains a lot of information about peer pressure and its influences, it is a lot easier

for them to know what to do, whether to accept or ignore the given pressure. It

will be easier for them to handle different kinds of peer pressure and to

understand why people give in to that.

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Statement of the Problem

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of peer pressure on the

academic performance of psychology students of Pasig Catholic College.

The following research questions guided this study:

1. What is the personal profile of the respondents in terms of:

1.1 age

1.2 gender

1.3 civil status

1.4 program

1.5 annual family income

1.6 status of the students (fulltime/working student)

1.7 affiliation

2. What is the academic performance of college students?

3. Is there a significant relationship between peer pressure and

demographic profile of the college students?

4. Is there a significant difference between the peer pressure and their

academic performance with regard the following indicators:

4.1 age

4.2 gender

4.3 civil status

4.4 program

4.5 annual family income

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 4.6 status of the students

4.7 affiliation

Hypothesis

There is no significant relationship between peer pressure and the

Psychology students’ study habits.

There is no significant relationship between the psychology students’ peer

pressure and personal profile.

Scope Limitations and Delimitations of the Study

The study focuses on the common impact of peer pressure on the

academic performance of the Psychology students of Pasig Catholic College.

The population of this study is limited only to the seven hundred fifty one

(751) college students of Pasig Catholic College enrolled during the second

semester of school year 2009-2010. The researchers tend to utilize 100% of the

total target population but leave a 10% margin of error incase the researchers will

encounter difficulties related to the retrieval of questionnaire from target

respondents.

This study covers the second semester of academic year 2009-20010.

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Significance of the Study

The significance of the study to the peer pressures experienced by

psychology students in relation to their study habits is of great importance in their

life as they enter a new phase of development in their social life. The study is

significant and will be useful to the following people.

The school administrators, because such study can be used as a guide

specifically in formulating new school policies that can aid and can help improve

the study habits of a student thereby producing a sound individual. It is important

then, that school administrators have knowledge of the study habits of the

respondents in different colleges.

The Guidance Counselor, may enable them to establish new approaches

to the students in relation to the different environments they are about to

encounter everyday in school.

The faculty, they themselves can use this study as a tool for designing

new teaching method as well as approaches to students. This study could define

various means of improving the study habits of students.

The parents, at this stage of life, their adolescent child is focused on

problems which are inevitably and uncontrollable on their part. Chances are, they

are faced with conflicts which were not what they have experienced during their

adolescence. This study can be a tool in helping parent facilitates the transition of

their children into adolescence stage which could aid their young adults in

achieving high academic performance through good study habits in school.

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 To the Psychology students, it will be a help for them because this study is

relevant in the field of psychology. The psychological aspects, specifically, the

adjustments and the behavior of the college students are to be discussed and to

be analyzed.

Lastly, the students as a whole, the findings of this study may provide

awareness on the various complex factors which would be beneficial to establish

harmony between their study habits and peer pressure.

Conceptual Paradigm

Demographic Profile

Age

gender

civil status
Peer Pressure
program

annual family income

status of the students

affiliation

Academic Performance

Figure1. The conceptual paradigm of the impact of peer pressure on the study

habits of Psychology students of Pasig Catholic College.

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 This framework tends to show that the peer pressure and the

demographic profile of the college students have a significant relationship and

differences to their academic performance. The researchers want to prove that

the gender, age, civil status and financial status play a vital role on how the

students handle peer pressures and the kind of friends they have.

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Definition of Terms

Peer pressure Refers to the influence exerted by a peer group in encouraging a

person to change his or her attitudes, values, or behavior in order to conform to

group norms.

Peer group A group of friends that a certain person will try to impress to get their

bond, social status, and interests

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 Chapter 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Related Literature

This chapter is a review of the existing literature relevant to the topic of

peer pressure among adolescents and its effects on the study habits of the

students inside a peer group.

A distinguishing characteristic of adolescents is the amount of time which

young people spend in public places in groups of their peers. The groups vary in

size from small cliques to peer crowds; and in the course of one evening these

groups grow, split up, and form again as larger groupings, in ways which are

distinctive to youth. Being part of a group, and deriving one’s identity from group,

is among the benefits which young people seek from associating with others of

their own age. (Lotterel, 1996)

Peer pressure refers to the influence exerted by a peer group in

encouraging a person to change his or her attitudes, values, or behavior in order

to conform to group norms. Social groups affected include membership groups,

when the individual is "formally" a member (for example, political party, trade

union), or a social clique. A person affected by peer pressure may or may not

want to belong to these groups. They may also recognize dissociative groups

with which they would not wish to associate, and thus they behave adversely

concerning that group's behaviors. Peer pressure can cause people to do things

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they would not normally do, e.g. take drugs, smoke, get a girlfriend, marry, have

a job, get children, buy expensive items they don't really need (cars, houses,

boats), etc. (Berk, 2004)

Peers influence your life, even if you don't realize it, just by spending time

with you. You learn from them, and they learn from you. It's only human nature to

listen to and learn from other people in your age group.

The definition given enables us to understand what peer pressure is and

what it causes to an individual. In order for us to fit in a group, we must do the

same thing that their doing even though those kinds of things are something that

you don’t want to do. Being influenced by peers is something that occurs every

now and then and we can’t escape it.

Youth peer pressure is one of the most frequently referred-to forms of

negative peer pressure. It is particularly common because most youths are

forced to spend large amounts of time in fixed groups (schools and subgroups

within them) regardless of their opinion of those groups. In addition to this, they

may lack the maturity to handle it. Also, young people are more willing to behave

negatively towards those who are not members of their own peer groups.

However, youth peer pressure can also have positive effects. For example, if one

is involved with a group of people that are ambitious and working to succeed,

one might feel pressured to follow suit to avoid feeling excluded from the group.

Therefore, the youth would be pressured into improving themselves, bettering

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them in the long run. This is most commonly seen in youths that are active in

sports or other extracurricular activities. (Downs and Rose, 1991)

Negative peer pressure is the unwanted pressure that causes a teen to

participate in activities that may hurt him or others. It can draw a teen away from

their family and into dangerous activities like experimenting with tobacco, alcohol

or drugs. Also, the pressure to be sexually active is very strong among teens.

Teenage boys can be pressured by friends to engage in sexual activity to

"become a man", and girls can feel pressured to have sex in order to fit in or feel

better about themselves. In both cases, teens see it as a way of fitting in and

being accepted. Even reasonably independent teens can be persuaded to go

with the crowd and follow what their friends may say or do.

Research has shown that teens look to their peer groups for social and

emotional support. In order to keep that support they are more likely to give in to

negative peer pressure. Teens who don't receive enough affection and approval

from their parents will be more likely to seek approval from their friends and are

more susceptible to negative peer pressure.

The influence of negative peer pressure on your teen is greatly impacted

by their age. Research has shown that pre-teens age 11 to 13 showed the

greatest conformity to peer pressure.

Poor choices are not always obvious to parents. Teens who appear to be

happy and well grounded when they are with their parents may actually be

participating in dangerous activities when they are with their friends. Parents can

help their teens recognize that just because everyone else is doing it doesn't

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make it okay. (http://www.militaryschoolalternatives.com/article-peer-

pressure.html)

It is tough to be the only one who says "no" to peer pressure, but you can

do it. Paying attention to your own feelings and beliefs about what is right and

wrong can help you know the right thing to do. Inner strength and self-confidence

can help you stand firm, walk away, and resist doing something when you know

better.

It can really help to have at least one other peer, or friend, who is willing to

say "no," too. This takes a lot of the power out of peer pressure and makes it

much easier to resist. It is great to have friends with values similar to yours who

will back you up when you don't want to do something.

You probably had a parent or teacher advice you to "choose your friends

wisely." Peer pressure is a big reason why they say this. If you choose friends

who don't use drugs, cut class, smoke cigarettes, or lie to their parents, then you

probably won't do these things either, even if other kids do. Try to help a friend

who's having trouble resisting peer pressure. It can be powerful for one kid to join

another by simply saying, "I'm with you - let's go."

Even if you are faced with peer pressure while you are alone, there are

still things you can do. You can simply stay away from peers who pressure you to

do stuff you know is wrong. You can tell them "no" and walk away. Better yet,

find other friends and classmates to pal around with.

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 If you continue to face peer pressure and you are finding it difficult to

handle, talk to someone you trust. Do not feel guilty if you have made a mistake

or two. Talking to a parent, teacher, or school counselor can help you feel much

better and prepare you for the next time you face peer pressure.

To prevent your teen from being a victim of peer pressure, get to know

your teen's friends and their parents ask your teen questions about their activities

when they are with friends. Not as a formal inquisition, but as casual

conversation, and make open and honest communication a part of your

relationship.

Often, just talking about things can help a teenager see how he is being

pressured unfairly or unnecessarily by the group. It can be difficult for teens to

talk about these topics with their parents, but if a parent provides for open

communication with their teen, it can be much easier. It is necessary to keep

channels of communication open with other parents as well. This will help keep

you informed of your teen's activities, even when you can not be there.

Being a parent is one of the hardest jobs that there is and if you have any

children I am sure you would be quick to agree with that statement. One of the

many challenges of being a parent and that every parent will encounter is helping

a teen deal with peer pressure.

Parents need to be more involved with their teens and offer more

supervised activities with their friends. Parents should hold their teen

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accountable for their misbehavior and encourage their teen to take responsibility

for his or her actions rather than blame friends.

Good social skills are learned at home. Even though teens are influenced

by peer pressure, the values and social skills they learn at home will stay with

them throughout life. In order to establish these skills, parents should start

teaching their children good social skills early. Do not wait until they are faced

with the problem of peer pressure to start talking to the child about it. Also,

parents must make clear, sensible rules for their teen and expect their teen to

follow those rules consistently.

Parents have to help build and maintain healthy self-esteem in their teen

so that the teen values himself as a person, trusts his abilities and makes the

right choices on his own (http://www.militaryschoolalternatives.com)

Related Studies

Peer pressure is defined as when people your own age encourage

or urge you to do something or to keep from doing something else, no matter if

you personally want to do it or not (Ryan, 2000). The more subtle form of peer

pressure is known as peer influence, and it involves changing one’s behavior to

meet the perceived expectations of others (Burns & Darling, 2002). In general,

most teens conform to peer pressure about fairly insignificant things like music,

clothing, or hairstyles. When it comes to more important issues like moral values,

parents still remain more influential than the peer group (Black, 2002).

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 Educators and parents should be aware that peer groups provide a variety

of positive experiences for adolescents. Castrogiovanni (2002) cited the

following: (1) the opportunity to learn how to interact with others; (2) support in

defining identity, interests, abilities, and personality; (3) autonomy without control

of adults and parents; (4) opportunities for witnessing the strategies others use to

cope with similar problems, and for observing how effective they are; (5) involved

emotional support and; (6) building and maintaining friendships.

According to Black (2002), peer groups provide a forum where teens

construct and reconstruct their identities. Castrogiovanni (2002) stated that at no

other stage of development is one’s sense of identity so unstable. A peer-labeling

process may be contributing to the construction of positive identities for some

adolescents but negative identities for others (Downs & Rose, 1991).

Unfortunately, members of groups may accept negative labels, incorporate them

into their identity, and through the process of secondary deviance, increase

levels of deviant behavior.

Teenagers learn about what is acceptable in their social group by

“reading” their friends’ reactions to how they act, what they wear, and what they

say. The peer group gives this potent feedback by their words and actions, which

either encourages or discourages certain behaviors and attitudes. Anxiety can

arise when teens try to predict how peers will react, and this anxiety plays a large

role in peer influence. In fact, Burns and Darling (2002) stated that self-conscious

worrying about how others will react to future actions is the most common way

adolescents are influenced by their peers. When a teen who takes an unpopular

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stand and goes against the expectations or norms of the peer group, he or she is

at risk for being ridiculed. Ridicule is not an easy thing to accept at any age, let

alone when a child is twelve or thirteen years old. This leads to the topic of peer

pressure.

Biddle, Bank, and Marlin conducted a study to examine parental and peer

influence on adolescents. The data collected was part of a field study of

expectations and reported behaviors conducted by interviews with American

adolescents. Subjects for the study consisted of 149 adolescents, and then

enrolled in public high schools in a Midwestern state. The respondents

constituted a quota-sample design that was approximately balanced for age, sex,

social class, race, and community of residence. In comparison with the total

population, the sample contained more blacks and disproportionately few who

lived in rural areas; and the sample was obtained within a single, Midwestern

state and consisted only of adolescents who were then enrolled within public

schools. In other respects the sample was presumably representative.

The researchers found that peer behaviors are more likely to affect the

adolescent than parental behaviors, whereas parental norms are more likely to

affect the adolescent than peer norms. Parents have had a longer time to

influence adolescents and retain a responsibility to represent the standards of the

adult world. Peers, in contrast, may be shunned if they attempt to impose

standards on their adolescent friends but are likely to be omnipresent as

behavioral models within schools (Biddle, Bank, & Marlin, 2001). It is unfortunate

that many adolescents do not have parents who are actively involved in their

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lives, do not provide appropriate supervision, and are unable to clearly

communicate their values. This puts these adolescents in an even greater

danger of giving in to negative peer pressure.

James Jaccard, professor of psychology at the University at Albany in

New York, noted that young people might be influenced as much by what they

think their peers are doing as by what they are really doing. A young person may

think that everyone is smoking or everyone is sexually active and may therefore

feel pressure to try those behaviors (cited in Fischhoff, Cromwell, & Kipke, 1999).

Peer groups are constantly evolving and many factors play a role in how

peer groups function today. Lingren (1995) cited some interesting facts about

peer relations. These facts may help adults better understand the potential

foundation of some peer group behaviors during adolescence. Adults should

understand the facts surrounding peer relations before forming an opinion about

adolescent groups in general.

First, during adolescence, parents and their children are more physically

and psychologically distant from each other. This is a normal process, but it is

shown in decreases in emotional closeness and warmth, increases in parent-

adolescent conflict/disagreement, and an increase in time adolescents spend

with peers. Second, increases in family strains, such as economic pressures and

divorce, have prompted teenagers to depend more on peers for emotional

support. Third, in ten to twenty percent of families, parents and adolescents are

in distressed relationships characterized by emotional coldness and frequent

outbursts of anger/conflict. Fourth, youth gangs commonly associated with inner-

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city neighborhoods are becoming a more common phenomenon among youth in

smaller cities, suburbs, and even rural areas. Fifth, formal dating patterns have

been replaced with informal socializing patterns in mixed-sex groups. This may

encourage casual sexual relationships that heighten the risk of teenage

pregnancy, AIDS, and other sexually transmitted diseases. Sixth, ethnicity is

replacing individual abilities or interests as the basis for defining peer “crowds.”

Finally, the increase in part-time employment among youth has had little effect on

peer relations. In order to spend time with peers, teenagers drop extracurricular

activities, reduce time spent on homework, and withdraw from family functions.

It is clear that everything from family strain to ethnicity plays a role in how peer

groups develop and operate. All of these factors have the potential for creating

greater peer influence in or outside of school, and sometimes have the

consequence of generating increased pressures on adolescents to engage in

problematic behaviors. Some parents may assume that they are the only family

experiencing frustration with some of their adolescent’s behaviors when, in

reality, frustration between parents and adolescents is a fairly universal

occurrence.

Another important aspect of adolescent peer groups is motivation. The

difference between motivation and engagement is that motivation is more

focused on student cognition underlying involvement in schoolwork (i.e., beliefs)

and engagement is more focused on actual involvement in schoolwork (i.e.,

behavior). Ryan (2000) found that peer groups were influential regarding

changes in students’ intrinsic value for school (i.e., liking and enjoying) as well as

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achievement (i.e., report card grades). The peer group was not, however,

influential regarding changes in students’ utility value for school (i.e., importance

and usefulness). It was found that associating with friends who have a positive

affect toward school enhanced students’ own satisfaction with school, whereas

associating with friends who have a negative affect toward school decreased it

(Ryan, 2000). Landau (2002) stated that an adolescent’s expectancy of success

was the primary predictor of academic effort and grades. A sense of belonging

and support of a peer group was also significantly associated with these

outcomes.

Athletics, dating, and sexual behavior, as well as alcohol, drug, and

tobacco use have been shown to be important to friendship choice in

adolescence. For some adolescents, other interests may compete with or take

charge over similar academic motivation and engagement as criteria for selecting

a peer group. This could put an adolescent’s motivation and engagement in

school in a precarious position (Ryan, 2000). Through selection, some

adolescents may place themselves in peer group situations that support or foster

their achievement-related beliefs and behaviors. Others may place themselves in

contexts that weaken achievement-related beliefs and behaviors.

While it is clear that peer groups can be positive for identity formation,

negative peers groups do exist and should be of concern to education-related

professionals. One aspect that may contribute to the continuation of negative

peer groups is passive acceptance of peer-group structure. Teachers expect that

students will behave in a certain way that is consistent with their peer group

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affiliation and consequently make no attempt to intervene with the structure. In

other words, teachers passively accept the “brain-nerd” differentiation. Another

problem that arises in the school is favoritism toward athletes. Athletes often

receive more esteem in school and are often seen by other students as receiving

special treatment. Special treatment could come in the form of more teacher-

student interaction or more academic help from advisors. This extra attention

given towards athletes can be very discouraging for non-athletes and can spark

jealousy. If educators focus too much on the athletes and/or popular students,

they may not even fully notice a struggling student slip through the cracks.

An additional drawback in the eyes of Alderman (2000) is ability tracking.

Ability tracking involves separating students based on their achievement in

school in the past. Ability grouping forces isolation among students at different

achievement levels, with each group forming its own peer culture. Low achievers

are isolated from models of achievement motivation and more effective strategies

to succeed. In essence, ability tracking forces students to form groups that may

not result in the best outcome. High achieving students can benefit from

interacting with low achieving students and vice versa.

Lastly, effort may be diluted when adults use stereotypical images to

either excuse or blame students on social identity categories and crowds to

which they belong. For example, a teacher may excuse poor student test

performance on the basis of family lifestyle, or instead blame the family

background for the performance. Blaming poor performance on situational

factors gets the student nowhere. Regardless of background, students should be

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given equal opportunities to succeed and be treated just like everyone else.

Standards should be upheld and consequences for not performing well on a test

are not always a bad thing. Otherwise, the student may also begin to blame the

situational factors and give up trying.

Diminishing negative pressures involves walking a fine line between taking

an authoritative role and stepping back to allow individual freedom. Teachers can

increase their personal awareness of adolescent social systems by investing

more energy in getting to know their students and the groups to which they

belong. In the classroom, teachers should avoid making achievement a game of

winners and losers. One step to accomplish this is to use criterion-based grading

instead of grading on a curve. Most importantly, the school system and

community should enhance the status of academic achievement. Schools should

recognize academic excellence in areas outside of the core curriculum by having

trade fairs. It is important to avoid sending mixed messages about the relative

worth of academic versus nonacademic achievement. This involves being aware

of the peer-group social structure that operates in a particular school, the norms

that operate within each group, the relationship of one group to another, as well

as the loyalty students’ display towards their own group (Alderman, 2000).

Harnessing the power of peers can be important to create a school climate

supportive of academic excellence (Burns & Darling, 2002).

It would also be beneficial for adults and families to abandon the

stereotype of peer groups always being negative, promoting positive peer

relations, and perhaps setting up parent education programs for families with

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teenagers. Establishing peer intervention programs could target teens with poor

social skills and aggressive tendencies. These groups could teach appropriate

ways to communicate, deal with anger, and even raise self-esteem.

There are some ways parents can cultivate teens’ self-confidence so they

are not at risk for the negative peer influences. For instance, adults can praise

smart choices and compliment adolescents’ accomplishments. It is important for

parents to get involved and know their child’s friends, which could be

accomplished by inviting them to the home, carpooling, and asking appropriate

questions. Questions like: “Where are you going?”” Who will you be with?” and

“When will you be home?” are traditional, but crucial for parental involvement.

Parents can also encourage activities that are likely to include teens they

approve of. These activities might include after school clubs, church youth

groups, and scouts. When teens are secretive about new friends, they may be

hiding individuals they know their parents will not approve of. If a parent finds out

that their teen is engaging in unacceptable behavior with their friends, the adult

should be direct in addressing the issue and make their expectations clear. It is

always possible for parents to talk with school counselors and professionals to

help with the problem.

Overall, parents need to be present in their adolescent’s lives. They

should never underestimate the value of quality time spent together. If parents

have a busy schedule and cannot be physically present, they should still make

their presence felt in the home through phone calls, personal notes, or other

forms of communication. Black (2002) stated that teenagers with close ties to

23
their parents were far less likely to become delinquent or suffer depression than

students who felt distant from their families. The bottom line is that it is of utmost

importance for parents to be tolerant, patient, and show unconditional love during

the teen years, and to realize that adolescence is not terminal, it just feels like it!

Synthesis

All the literature cited is somehow related to this study because all of them

discuss about peer pressure and the effects of it to the adolescence’s academic

performance. The given literature, in one way or another help to shed light to the

topic being discussed and help understand what peer pressure is, how it affects

the academic performance of an adolescence and how to handle it.

In the study conducted by Lingren (1995), he cited some interesting facts

about peer relations that is constantly evolving and many factors play a role in

how peer groups function today. This study is similar to the study being

conducted because the study wants to include more facts about peer pressure,

and these facts may help adults better understand the potential foundation of

some peer group behaviors during adolescence.

Castrogiovanni (2002) cited the things that a peer group could provide for

an adolescent. This study is similar to the study that is being conducted because

of the fact that the study wants to identify the different pressure that a peer could

give to the psychology students of Pasig Catholic College. On the other hand, the

same study is different from the study being conducted because aside discussing

24
the different peer pressure on adolescence, the study also discusses the positive

effects of the peer pressure which we delaminates in this study.

Ryan (2000) stressed in his study that peer groups are very influential in

regarding changes in students’ intrinsic value for school. He discussed in his

study that associating with friends who have a positive affect toward school

enhanced students’ own satisfaction with school, whereas associating with

friends who have a negative affect toward school decreased it. This study is

similar with the on – going research in the sense that it identifies the effect of

peer pressure in the academic performance of an adolescent. It is also similar

with the ideas being presented in this paper.

Burns & Darling (2002) stated that, “harnessing the power of peers can be

important to create a school climate supportive of academic excellence” and he

further identified some ways on how to combat and diminish negative peer

pressures that will leads to a better and sound academic performance. This is

similar to this study because it also seeks some ways on how to alleviate the

negative effects of the peer pressure to have a good academic performance.

Peer Pressure, generally speaking can be both positive and negative. Its

effect is either positive or negative depending on the person who is experiencing

the pressure that their peer is giving. What is important in this study is that it

teaches us on how to deal with peer pressure and to prevent its harmful effect in

our academic performances.

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 Chapter 3

METHODOLOGY

This chapter discusses the method to be used, the sample and sampling

gathering procedure, the instruments as well as the statistical treatment of the

data to be collected.

Methods of Research

This study used the descriptive method of research. This study is a

correlation type of research because it involves a collection of data to test a

hypothesis and answer questions concerning the state of the subjects. It also

determines the extent to which different set of variables are related to each other

in the population interest.

Research Locale

Pasig Catholic College (PCC) is a private sectarian college located at the

heart of Pasig City, Philippines. It was founded in 1913 as a small school

managed by the CICM Fathers headed by Fr. Cornelis de Brouwer inside the

"convento" (convent) of the then Immaculate Conception Parish (at present, the

Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Pasig City). Moreover, it is considered as

the central Catholic educational institution of the Diocese of Pasig.

26
Population and Sample Study

The subjects of this study are the Psychology students of Pasig Catholic

College enrolled during the first semester, for the academic year 2009-2010.

According to the Guidance and Counseling Office of the College Department, the

number of officially enrolled Psychology students is 106. The population of the

Psychology students is presented in Table 1.

Table 1

Distribution of the Population of the Psychology Students by Year Level

COURSE FIRST SECOND THIRD FORTH FIFTH TOTAL

YEAR YEAR YEAR YEAR YEAR

B.S. Ed. 13 10 7 2 32
B.E Ed. 27 16 7 8 58
B.S.E.C.Ed.
B.S P. 36 16 22 31 105
B.S.A. 60 26 20 19 12 137
B.S.I.S. 2 3 24 29
B.S.I.T. 67 57 42 16 182
B.S.B.A. 37 29 29 24 119
B.S.O.A. 2 2
ACT 1 1
HRS 86

Because the population of the respondents is in large number, the

researcher will use the Slovin’s formula to get the sample size of the population.

There will be four hundred twenty nine (429) respondents for this study.

Research Instrument

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 The research instrument plays a vital role in gathering information. For this

study, the researcher decides to use a standardize test which is Index of Peer

Relation (IPR). The IPR measures problems with peers.

The IPR is a 25-item instrument designed to measure the extent, severity,

or magnitude of a problem the respondent has with peers. The IPR can be used

as a global measure of relationship problems with peers or one more specific

peer reference groups can be considered. A note stating which reference group

is being used should be placed at the top of the questionnaire. The IPR has two

cutting scores. The first is a score of 30 (+-5); scores below this point indicate

absence of clinically significant problems. The second cutting score is 70. Score

above this point nearly always indicate that clients are experiencing severe

stress with a clear possibility that some type of violence could be considered or

used to deal with problems. The practitioner should be aware of this possibility.

Another advantage of the IPR is that it is one of the several scales of the

WALMYR Assessment Scales package reproduced here, all of which are

administered and scored the same way.

Data Gathering

In gathering the much need data for this study, the researchers will ask

the permission of the Dean of the College Department of Pasig Catholic College

for them to be allowed to conduct their study inside the school. The IPR will be

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administered to the college student of PCC and they will be asked to accomplish

the given instrument, and it will be collected as soon as the students are able to

accomplish all pertinent data needed in the instrument.

The researchers will also ask the permission of the Guidance and

Counseling Office of the College Department to get the midterm grade of the

second semester of academic year 2009-2010 of the respondents.

The researchers will categories the profile of the respondents to see the

difference of the peer pressure to their academic performance and if peer

pressure has a relation to the respondent’s profile. The Linear Correlation will be

used as the statistical method, the needed data will be gathered. The instruments

and data gathered will be treated, tabulated and results will be interpreted

accordingly.

Statistical Treatment Used

In order to measure the percentage of the frequency to derive insights

from the statistical result, after sorting, tabulating and classifying the data to be

gathered, the researchers will treat the data statistically. In analyzing the data

that were gathered, the formula for computing the percentage will be used.

Formula for percentage

P= f/n x 100

Where:

P = Percentage

f = frequency

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n = number of respondents

100 = constant

To get the sample size of the population, the Slovin’s formula will be used.

Slovin’s Formula

n = __N__
(1+Ne²)

Where:

n = sample size

N = population

e = margin of error

Another statistical instrument that the researchers will use in this study is

the Linear Correlation. This is particularly useful in this study, several variables or

characteristics of a population are studied simultaneously to determine whether a

relationship exists and if so show strong or how significant the relationship might

be. Correlation is a statistical tool to measure the association of two or more

quantitative variables.

The most widely used computational formula for correlation is the Pearson

Product Moment Correlation Coefficient. In computing for the Pearson r. there

are two basic assumptions namely, the presence of linear relationship and the

interval ratio level of measurement of the data.

The formula for the Pearson r is

R = _________ n∑ xy - ∑x ∑y ________
√ [n∑ x² - (∑ x) ²] [n∑ y² - (∑ y) ²]

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