INFLUENCE OF PEER PRESSURE AND PARENTING STYLES ON SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS' ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN MATHEMATICS IN OSUN STATE

Abstract

The study determined the influence of peer pressure and parenting styles on secondary school students' academic performance in Mathematics in Osun State. This was done with a view to providing empirical information on students' academic performance in Mathematics in the State. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design of correlational type. The population of the study comprised all senior secondary school students offering Mathematics in the State. The sample for the study consisted of 600 senior secondary school students selected using multi-stage sampling technique. In each selected school, ten senior secondary schools were also selected using simple random sampling technique, and from each selected school, twenty students offering Mathematics in Senior Secondary two (SSII) were randomly selected to take part in the study. The instruments used for data collection were: Peer Pressure and Parenting Styles Questionnaire (PPPSQ) and Mathematics Achievement Test (MAT). The data collected were analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, and Regression analysis of the results from the study showed that the most prevalent peer pressure among senior secondary school students was that they most receive peer academic supports from their friends (x̄ = 3.78), friends help them to avoid difficult Mathematics problems (x̄ = 3.73), and friends help them to study Mathematics owing to study habits (x̄ = 3.47), while friends' study habits influence them to study Mathematics (x̄ = 3.15). Furthermore, the results of the study revealed that the most common parenting styles were authoritative (x̄ = 3.11) and neglectful (x̄ = 2.78). The results of the study finally showed that there was significant influence of peer pressure and parenting styles on senior secondary school students' academic performance in Mathematics in the study area (F(6,14) = 6.416; p < 0.05). The study concluded that peer pressure and parenting styles have significant influence on students' academic performance in Mathematics in Osun State senior secondary schools.