Peer pressure can be defined as the extent to which one is affected by their peer’s activities. Peer pressure is mostly experienced in adolescents and teenagers. As time goes, one begins to get better at copping with pressure. When one hears of peer pressure it is naturally assumed that there it has negative impact on their life. This is more so at colleges or university students as these people depend on their colleagues to get the better out of their college days. This paper is intended to shed some light on how peer pressure impacts academic performances.
According to (Adeyemi, Bello, Christiana O, Anwanane, & Nwangburuka, 2019), academic activities are directed towards ensuring that students gain mastery of educational objectives. Peer group plays a large role in the social, emotional and academic development of students. Stages of student development are rife with change in areas of social, physiological, and cognitive development; and, students are required to make important decisions relative to their respective academic endeavors, which may, or may not, rate the same level of importance as their perceived social status. Adeyemi et al. states that for many students, friendships are critical interpersonal vehicle that move them towards psychological growth and maturity, allowing social compassion which influences the development of self-evaluation.
“A negatives peer influence could be seen as one of the militating forces why most students record poorl in academic performance, the reason for this is not farfetched; the spend large amount of time on extra curriculum”, Adeyemi et al (2019). It is common amongst students to make wayward decisions influenced by their friends. One might feel compelled to leave an assignment uncomplete just to grab a drink with their friend in fear of being called “lame”. Some may feel obliged to join a sports team or a club of some sort simply because their friend or colleague is partaking in such activities.
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“It is generally observed that peer groups have a lot of influence on students. This is seen from the role played by the peer group in the life and learning of a child, evidence abound that students feel more comfortable and relaxed among fellow students. A child who is brilliant and surrounded by dull friends would lose interest in learning. On the other hand, a peer group which is prone to study would have positive effect on a dull member towards learning and stimulate his/her interest on learning. A hostile group will constantly, mostly such that does not place prominence to academics will frustrate and produce a negative impact not only on the member’s growth and behavior but also on their drive to studies and academic achievement”, (Philip A. Reich, 2012)
