CHAPTER
ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND
TO THE STUDY
The
Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary (7 Edition) defines social group as a group
of people of same age or social status. The social group is the first social
group outside the home in which the child attempts to gain acceptance and
recognition.
Bartolome,
Charles (2001). Social group is an important influence throughout one’s life
but they are more critical during the developmental years of childhood and
adolescence. Adolescents always emulate their mates in whatever form of
behaviour they exhibit, particularly that which interest them thus, since
socialization only refer to changes in behaviour, attitudes having their origin
in interaction with other persons and those which occur through integration, a
child learn more through interaction with peers.
However,
a social group consists of two or more people who interact with one another and
who recognize themselves as a distinct social unit. The definition is simple
enough, but it has significant implications. Frequent interaction leads people
to share values and beliefs.
This
similarity and the interaction cause them to identify with one another.
Identification and attachment, in turn, stimulate more frequent and intense
interaction. Each group maintains solidarity with all to other groups and other
types of social systems.
Benabou,
Roland. (2003). 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.
Each
peer group has its code of conduct which does not always conform to adult
standards. The important thing is that each child takes his/her membership of
the per very serious and attempts to do anything to ensure he/she is accepted
and recognized. Lack of acceptance by t he peer disturbs the child especially
at adolescent age. Some children have been known to do badly in school not
because they lack the academic ability to do well but because they are
disturbed by the fact they are not accepted by their peer group. What makes
learning comparative is the fact that the child has equal status with the other
children.
Caucutt,
Elizabeth M. (2008). There is an atmosphere of freedom in which each child
learns the way of the world from others. The peer group thus becomes more and
more important to the child as he advances in age.
Other
ways in which the peer group can help the child include, teaching the culture
of the society at large, making possible social mobility, providing opportunity
for the child to play many social roles such as that of a leader, a follower,
teacher or student.
The
social group also help the child to win his/her independence easily from
domination and set before him a goal which is more easily attainable than the
expectation of adults. This in itself provides motivation for learning and is
mainly responsible for the fact that all children at one stage or the other
regard their membership of peer group as very important.
To
this end the research will find out the effect of social groups and group
participation on Academic Performance of the selected Senior Secondary School
Students of Irepodun Local Government, Osun State
1.2 STATEMENT
OF PROBLEM
Children
socialize with the people with when they associate. Through interaction over
many years, acceptable social customs are taught and fostered. Other children
as well as adults can have a great impact on a broad range of issues in the
child’s life including achievement in schools. The research is geared towards
having a proper understanding of the way social interaction affect academic
achievement and it is very important for parents, educators, and policy makers.
The
immediate environment such as peer, family, school, religion and other factors
can encourage or discourage students academic performance.
This
research is thus an inquiry into the effect of social groups and group
participation on academic performance of the selected senior secondary school
students of Irepodun local government, Osun state
1.3 OBJECTIVES
OF THE STUDY
i.
To investigate whether social group
affect the academic performance of adolescent.
ii.
To determine whether social group
influence has any effect on academic performance of children of
children from broken homes.
iii.
To find out whether peer influence
determines variation in academic performance of male and female students.
iv.
To investigate whether age does
determine the extent to which peer influence affects academic performance
of students.
v.
To find out how negative effect of
social group on students’ can performance be curbed?
1.4 RESEARCH
QUESTIONS
To
guide this study, the following research questions were formulated;
i.
What are the effects of social group
and group participation on the academic performance of students?
ii.
Does social group influence have any
negative effect on academic performance of children from broken homes?
iii.
Does age determines the extent of
social group influence on academic performance of students?
iv.
How can negative effect of social
group on students’ performance be curbed?
v.
Is there variation in influence of
social group in academic performance of male and female students?
vi.
Has social group stimulate group
discussion among students?
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE
OF STUDY
The
research work is carried out to examine critically the effect of social groups
and group participation on academic performance of the selected senior secondary
school students of Irepodun local government, Osun State.
Information
gathered from this work is pertinent and will go along way in unveiling the
influence of social group on the academic performance of students.
Parents
will at the end of this work know hw their children can be influence by the
decision of the peer.
It
will form part of academic materials that future researchers can use in
advancing their study.
The
importance of this study is to know whether peer group has any influence on the
academic performance of a child as well as making an effect to strike a balance
in the educational system in line with the national policy on education.
1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
Because
of time, geographical locations, fund and other necessary logistics, the study
is narrowed down to Ilobu Commercial Grammar School, St. Paul’s Grammar School
and Ima High School, all are located within Ilobu town, Osun State as
case study, because it is very difficult if not impossible to study all
secondary school students across all the state of federation and that is while
students in three popular secondary school is selected.
The
researcher will visit the schools before structuring and administration of
questionnaires to seek the demographic factors of the respondents such as age,
sex, class and other.
1.7 LIMITATION
OF THE STUDY
It
is not an overstatement that a work of this nature cannot be carried out
without some hard experience, however below are some of the constrains to this
work.
There
are many limitations ranging from not knowing where to start, not knowing who
to consult or approach for materials not knowing what next to write in various
segment of this study and not actually knowing who to put me through in
achieving my work and others are:
i.
Stress from other academic
activities is one of the limitations to the research work
ii.
Financial constraint to travel to
different places.
iii.
Duration for the research work is
relatively short
iv.
Materials that are available on
this topic is relatively small as the concept is new or people are not written
from that angle.
1.8 DEFINITION
OF TERMS
Effect: This
means the influence, role or contribution of something on another.
Social Group: This
is a group consists of two or more people who interact with one another and who
recognize themselves as a distinct social unit
Academic Performance: The
extent to which children are able to cope with the studies.
