Chapter II

Review of Related Literature and Studies

Introduction

Adolescents are in a stage of identity formation, and they look to their peers

for acceptance, validation, and a sense of belonging. This heightened need for peer

approval can make them more susceptible to the influence of their friends and

classmates. Students spend a significant amount of time in the company of their peers.

This shared time in classrooms, hallways, playgrounds, and extracurricular activities

creates numerous opportunities for influence to occur.

Peer groups serve as a source of social comparison, where students evaluate

their own abilities, behaviors, and values in relation to those of their classmates.

To provide a deeper understanding with the present study: the following literature and

study conducted by the foreign and local researchers will be presented. This chapter

presents the literature concerning the role of peer pressure and its relationship to

adolescent misbehavior.

Peer influence plays a key role in shaping students social and emotional

behavior. Positive Peer relationship can foster the development of skills such as

cooperation, communication, and empathy. While negative peer influence can lead to

the adoption of bad behavior among students. The main objective of this chapter is to

comprehensively review the existing literature on the role of peer influence on

students’ academic achievement and behavior. In addition, this chapter will also

identify gaps in the research and suggest directions for future research. By doing so it

is hoped that this chapter will contribute to a better understanding of the role of peer

influence on students’ academic achievement and behavior.

Peers affect almost all aspects of adolescent lives, from the more trivial, such

as taste in music and clothing, to the more serious, such as the use of illicit drugs or

engaging in unprotected sex (Castillio, 2022). Studying how peers affect students’

motivation is essential as it helps understand how students feel and learn in school.

When friends influence each other, it can impact how much students enjoy learning

and how ell they do in school. Figuring out these things can help teachers, parents,

and others to support students better. In the study conducted by Mendoza (2020), he

examined the effects of peer relationships on academic performance among senior

high students.

The findings indicated thar positive peer interactions foster collaboration,

motivation, and a deeper understanding of academic subjects, leading to improved

performance. Conversely, negative peer influence, such as social distractions and peer

pressure were found to hinder academic progress. Research conducted by Mendoza

and Dizon (2020) found out that the correlation between perceived levels of peer

pressure and academic performance.

The study revealed that peer pressure, both positive and negative, significantly

affects students’ academic outcomes. Students facing negative peer pressure, such as

engaging in non-academic activities during class hours, often experienced a decline in

academic performance. The study emphasized the importance of teacher guidance to

help students navigate peer influences effectively. the influence of peer pressure can

be either positive or negative, it is positive when youth are pressured by their peers

toward positive behavior like better academic achievement, increase social skill,

companionship, support etc. and it seems to be negative when youth are pressured by
their peers toward negative behavior or antisocial activities and risky behaviors

among youths.

A study by Santos and Reyes (2023) explored how peer influence affects

students’ decision-making regarding academic engagement. The research found that

students are significantly influenced by their peers in making decisions related to

academic participation. Positive peer influence encouraged active engagement in

academic activities, while negative influences led to disengagement.

The study highlighted the critical role of peer groups in shaping students’

academic behaviors and attitudes. A study focusing on the influence of peer groups on

academic performance among undergraduate students revealed that peer groups play a

substantial role in shaping students’ attitudes, study habits, and academic

achievements. Positive peer interactions were associated with improved academic

performance, while negative influences, such as peer pressure to engage in non-

academic activities, were linked to poorer outcomes. The study underscored the

importance of understanding peer dynamics to enhance academic success.

Lauren Silvinio (2019) explored that peer pressure significantly influences

the academic specialization choices of Grade 10 students. The study found that

students moderately agreed that they encountered problems with peers regarding their

academic performance, self-esteem, social development, and personality

development. They also encountered problems regarding absenteeism and decision

making. However, students said that peers have a good influence when it comes to

academic performance, decision making, and social development. Students focus

more on their academics, avoid negative influences from peers, maintain a positive

mindset, and they choose friends who support their studies. Elaiza Yusoph (2022).
 Amabelle Feliciano (2015) found that both self-control and peer influence

directly affect delinquency among Filipino students. This means that having low self-

control increases the likelihood of engaging in delinquent behavior, and being

surrounded by delinquent peers also increases this likelihood. These factors work

together, rather than one negating the other.

Marilou Y. Limput (2023) established that cooperative learning can help

reduce the negative impact of peer pressure on students' motivation to learn Filipino.

Jhun Rey Mor, (2020) suggested that promoting collaborative learning environments

can help mitigate the negative influences of peer pressure and encourage students to

engage in learning. This study confirmed that peer pressure can have both positive

and negative influences on students' academic behaviors and outcomes. This

reinforces the idea that peer influence is a complex factor that can affect academic

performance in various ways.

The study explored by Cruz, L. V. (2019) showed how peer influence impacts

both academic performance and behavioral choices in private high schools in Metro

Manila. The study highlighted that student in academically oriented peer groups were

more likely to engage in positive behaviors such as studying together, attending class

regularly, and participating in school activities. Positive peer influence played a

crucial role in fostering academic success, while negative peer influence contributed

to behavior issues such as truancy and a lack of academic effort. Perez, T. S. (2017)

found that students in peer groups that valued education and academic success

showed higher academic achievement compared to those in peer groups that

prioritized socializing and non-academic activities. Peer group norms significantly

influenced academic performance, with students in positive peer groups performing

better academically.
 Moneva, J.C., Legaspino, F. (2020) evaluated that the level of peer influence

and performance tasks of students. It shows that there is a negative association

between peer influence and performance tasks of High School Students. The study

shows that peers can influence a student’s engagement in class. This means that the

peer has a negative influence on the students. It shows from the results that peer

destruct the students in their studies.

Students were disagreeing that they get a high grade in every performance

task and they are not active in class. The results show that students’ performance task

can be influenced by their peers. The study shows that there is a significant

association between the variables peer influence and academic performance of

students. The results show that peers can influence the students’ performance tasks

negatively. This means that if the peers have a negative action, the students can

influence, or vice versa. A strong relationship between peer influence and

performance task was revealed

A study conducted by Pasco (2019). Exposed that Peer pressure could lead to

exposure to healthy lifestyles and become a positive role model in a positive way.

Peer pressure does not have a direct negative effect on students, but regardless of the

effects of peer pressure, it is still depending on the deal their peers. Rowena Imelda A.

Ramos (2024) discovered that the connection between implicit peer pressure and

impulsive buying behavior. However, the results suggest a positive but weak

correlation between these variables, indicating only a minor influence of peer pressure

on impulsive buying behavior. The results suggest that while implicit peer pressure

significantly influences impulsive buying behavior, the effect is relatively small. Thus,

it is advisable that to mitigate impulsive buying behavior, educators, parents, and

the level of peer influence from the responses is very high.

This means that the level of peer influence is always observed on many

occasions. All the indicators: resistance to peer pressure; and peers’ encouragement

were described as very high. Moreover, a very high description of peer influence is

also confirmed in the findings of this study. Additionally, this study found both peer

influence and students’ motivation to be affecting each other. Therefore, this study

concludes that any adjustment made on the peer influence has a significant effect to

students’ motivation or vice versa. For example, if students are influenced positively

through positive interactions by their peers in the school, students say that they

become highly and positively motivated.

Bad peer influence such as peer pressure would also affect their motivation

negatively. Based on the result of the study, the researchers come up with suggestions

and recommendations. In the school, the researchers also recommend that during

homeroom time, teachers must include discussing to the students the importance of

avoiding peer pressure among each other especially when it comes to academic

because it might ruin oneself confidence and motivation to engage in different school

activities. Also, orientations and seminars must be conducted in the school context

that requires deeper explanation about the importance of peer influence in the holistic

development of the students.

This study can help the students have better understanding about how

important to stay mentally and physical stable when dealing with academics and that

peers can help them achieve it with good guidance. Parents have a great role in their

children’s peer interactions. This study may help the parents give constant advice to
their children to value friendship. However, parents need to be attentive to the

interactions and activities that their children and their peer’s deal. In connection,

teachers, administrators, and stakeholders need to maintain a friendly and conducive

environment or classroom to motivate students positively.

Foreign Studies

In the study conducted by Wolf (2015), adolescents typically associate with

peers who exhibit similar behaviors, preferences, and attitudes, such as a shared love

of music, politics, fashion, or favored pastimes. Two processes have been identified as

responsible for this teenage homophily: first, selection factors cause adolescents to

initially choose friends with similar attitudes and preferences, and second, over time,

they grow increasingly similar to their peers. 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).

Friendships, according to Filade et al. (2019), are “essential interpersonal

vehicles that drive pupils toward psychological growth and maturity, permitting social

compassion that promotes the development of self-evaluation”. The preceding remark

strongly shows that peer group has an unparalleled impact on practically every aspect

of teenage development. Such an effect can be seen in young people’s social and

emotional life, which doesn’t stop there; it can also be shown in their attitudes toward

educational activities, and careful analysis of these factors has demonstrated that they

have an impact on students’ academic achievement.

students’ low academic performance; the rationale for this is not far-fetched: they

spend a significant amount of time in extracurricular activities. Academic priorities

are frequently overlooked, and academic achievement suffers as a result. Interaction

between students and teachers is another factor that influences students’ academic

progress at the university level. One of the key goals of every university in the

country is to improve academic performance as assessed by examination results.

Wolaita Sodo University, which aspires to be a center of excellence in Africa’s

heartland, places a premium on quality assurance and upholding standards. However,

students’ academic achievement in university is not very interesting in terms of

achieving the university’s objective. Peer pressure is generated by parents’ lack of

supervision of their children during adolescence; during this time, children prefer to

love their peers’ company and spend more time with them (Vangie et al., 2019). Peer

groups, on the other hand, respond to questions from teenagers about many issues that

arise during the adolescent era, such as physical appearance or body changes (Adeniyi

& Kolawole, 2015).

The selection affect students or groups of friends that share the same levels of

academic performance) and socialization process (i.e., peer performance is

significantly associated with future student achievement), which were reported by

Vignery and Laurier (2020), could be used to understand the links between student

academic performance and peer relationships. Wentzel et al. (2020) found an

association between peer social acceptance and academic performance as twice as

strong for students of primary education with respect to students of secondary

education. In learning, motivation is important and has different sides to it. People

define it in different ways. Motivation means you are mentally and emotionally ready
to do something, and you decide to keep trying to reach a specific goal. Being active

in class is important for students to learn and get better. When students join in, they

can learn more, show they understand the lessons, feel surer of themselves, and use

what they've learned (Acedillo & Saro, 2023).

Agoze (2018) opined that peer pressure can lead to poor school attendance

which they noted is one of the indices of poor academic achievement. Peer pressure

has also been linked with gender. Gender refers to either of the two sexes (male and

female), especially when considered with reference to social and cultural differences

rather than biological ones. The term is also used more broadly to denote a range of

identities that do not correspond to established ideas of male and female.

However, according to Good (2018), in education, gender refers to the sex of

the students of either being male or female. Udoh (2018) stated that peer pressure

might affect female students more than their male counterparts. In contrast Kunle

(2016) stated that peer pressure might affect male adolescent students more than

females. It is therefore still contentious on which gender is being influenced more

than the other by peer group. The term adolescence is derived from Latin word

‘adolescere’ which means ‘growing up’ (learner & Steinberg, 2019).

It is a period of transition in which the individual transforms from childhood

to adulthood. According to the World Health Organization (2019), adolescence is the

phase of life between childhood and adulthood, from age 10 to 19. It is a unique stage

of human development and an important time for laying the foundations of good

health. Adolescents experience rapid physical, cognitive and psychosocial growth.

This affects how they feel, think, make decisions, and interact with the world around

them including peer attraction and identification. Peer attraction and identification are
particularly common because most adolescents spend large amount of time in fixed

groups (schools and sub-groups within them) regardless of their opinion of these

groups. Adolescents are particularly vulnerable to peer pressure, because they are at a

stage of development when they are not matured enough to make choices among

alternatives.

According to Okuh (2019) adolescents are prone to social deviances because

they are yet to establish their own values or understand human relationship or the

consequences of their behaviour. They are also typically striving for social acceptance

at this stage and may be willing to engage in behaviours that might allow them to be

accepted but are against their better judgment. At this stage whether male or female

the pattern of thinking appears to be that immediate needs tend to have priority over

long term ones because they lack knowledge and skill to make healthy choices.

Ajibade, Basit Olalekan, (2016) analyzed the extent to which the peer group

determines the academic ability of students had been investigated in this study

revealed that a dull student may become study inclined when he finds himself in a

group that encourages effective learning.

The study also revealed that when students are not well monitored, they fall in

bad groups. However, the study has revealed the fact that students associated in

groups with other students of the same age and ethnic background. The study has also

shown that a high percentage of the students are more interested in relating to their

friends than to their teachers and parents. This may be because of the attitude of the

parents and teachers. It is indicated in the finding that teachers may be able to use the

peer group effectively for classroom interaction and participation. The peer group

could also be used in a group to motivate student’s class achievements. In schools,

peers have always had an impact. Studies show that people form groups to help and
guide each other. Teenagers, especially students, often hang out with friends who are

similar to them in behavior, likes, and attitudes. This includes things like school goals,

music taste, political views, fashion, or favorite activities. Peer pressure is when

friends try to make someone change their thoughts and values to fit in with the group

(Keletsositse, 2021).

According to Spadafora et al (2019), buddies are crucial for teenagers, giving

them the support, they need to handle tough situations. Having good friends

encourages young people to navigate emotional challenges, and research suggests that

these friendships can reduce the negative impact of stress on their mental well-being.

According to Davidovitch and Dorot (2023), that the processes that lead a specific

student to act in a specific way in the classroom are very complex and influenced by

interactions between the student’s traits, the broad social context, and the specific

situation in which the student performs the behavior.

Additionally, a study by El-Bialy and Mulay (2015), many studies have

suggested that peers have a powerful influence on school adjustment, attitudes, and

behaviors. However, there is a paucity of systematic investigations on the relationship

between peer influence and student motivation in school engagement. A significant

problem within the Philippine education system is the subpar academic performance

of students due to the influence of peer pressure, which often results in negative peer

reinforcement, leading students to prioritize social acceptance over their academic

responsibilities, resulting in distractions and diminished academic achievements

(Nicolas, 2022).

Peer pressure, whether positively enhancing academic engagement or

negatively causing school disengagement with consequences like decreased

shaping students' social development, decision-making, and value formation (Sarkar

et al., 2022). According to Ryzin and Roseth (2018), the influence of peers has an

impact on students' behavior. As children reach adolescence, their peer groups can

contribute to the changes in their behaviors and decision-making. Many students all

over the world can easily be influenced by their peers because they are seeking

acceptance and belonging.

A good group of peers can highly influence the student to actively participate

in academic activities, while on the other hand, bad company can influence students

to absent their minds and presence in academic activities, which both have an impact

on students' academic engagement and on their career in the future. In the study

Relationship between Peer Group Influence and Students' Academic Achievement in

Chemistry at Secondary School Level in Nigeria by Uzezi and Deya (2017), it shows

that peer group influence affects the performance of students that belong to peer

groups compared to those that do not belong to peer groups.

According to recent research, peer buddies are a crucial element of the

socialization process, and their effect and pressure in molding an individual's

trajectory have been generally acknowledged. It aids in the development of decision-

making among young people (Victorovna, 2017). Adolescents in the Philippines are

frequently unable to make independent judgments. Parents, professors, acquaintances,

and classmates are commonly sought for advice (Manapsal, 2018). Moreover, peer

influences have been found to significantly impact academic achievement in the

Philippines.
 Students who perceive higher levels of social support from their peers tend to

be more engaged and achieve higher scores. (Scispace, 2023). In a research study

conducted in Nigeria by Adyemi (2019), it was stated that peer groups play an

important role in the lives of students. They form a critical part of the social

environment of school and create and maintain a culture different from the home. It is

obvious that peer groups are not a fad or a trend because they are around to stay. Peers

do, in fact, have a relatively strong influence over the daily functioning of students

and their academic achievement. Therefore, the choices those students make

regarding their engagement and academic performance in school depend on how they

are guided and supported by their parents.