ABSTRACT

The study investigated the influence of parenting styles and peer pressure on social adjustment of in-school adolescents in Ibadan metropolis, Oyo state Nigeria.

 The population of the study comprises students in senior secondary school one and two (SS1-SS2). The participant’s age ranged from 12 years to 18 years. 150 questionnaires were administered out of which 149 students participated and this amount to 98% of total respondents. The instrument used for data collection was a questionnaire consisting of Parenting Style Scale, Peer Pressure Scale and Social Adjustment Scale. The data were analyzed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) and Multiple Regression Statistics Method. Two research questions and two hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. Three research instruments were used they are: Measurement of Parenting Style (MOPS) contained fifteen questions in total for the students to answer pertaining to their primary caregiver, Peer Pressure Scale (PPS) contained 10 questions and the popularity subscale contained 12 questions and Social Adjustment Scale (SAS) is a six items scale with responses anchored base on the four likert points.

The results revealed that there was significant relationship between the independent variables (Parenting Style and Peer Group Pressure) and the dependent variable (Social Adjustment) in the following order of magnitude: Parenting Style (r = 0.658; P < 0.05) and Peer Pressure (r = 0.760; P < 0.05). Similarly, the result also indicated that the two independent variables (Parenting Style and Peer Group Pressure) when pulled together have significant effect on Social Adjustment of in-school Adolescents in Ibadan Metropolis. The result shows that Peer Pressure made the most significant contribution to Social Adjustment of in-school Adolescents in Ibadan Metropolis. (β = 0.704) to the prediction follow by Parenting Styles (β = 0.136).

The findings of this research provide reasonable information that can be applied in counselling and social psychology to the better understanding of social adjustment of in-school adolescents considering the fact that a keen observation of what is happening in Nigeria today seems to indicate that social behaviour is on the increase among in-school adolescents despite the fact that the manifestation of anti-social behaviour could hinder their ability to concentrate in classroom teaching and learning situation and prevent them from developing required functional competencies for academic success. It is recommended that additional research examine the influence of peer group acceptance on the social adjustment of adolescents in the context of other potential influences, including the nature of the parent-children relationship, the academic culture in the home setting, and the support and encouragement that students receive from teachers at school.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Page                                                                                                        i

Certification                                                                                                    ii

Dedication                                                                                                      iii

Acknowledgement                                                                                          iv

Table of Contents                                                                                           vii

Abstract                                                                                                          ix

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study                                                                               1

Statement of the Problem                                                                               6

Purpose of the Study                                                                                      7

Significant of the Study                                                                                 8

Scope of the study                                                                                          9

Operational Definition of Terms                                                                     10

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW

Theoretical Review                                                                                         13

Adolescence                                                                                                    13

Social Adjustment                                                                                          15

Parenting Style                                                                                                17

Parenting Involvement                                                                                    20

Peer Group Pressure                                                                                        24

Anomie Theory                                                                                               27

Sociological Theory                                                                                        29

The Attachment Theory                                                                                  30

Problem behavior Theory                                                                                34

Theory of Adolescent                                                                                     36

Empirical Review                                                                                            51

Parenting style and Social Adjustment                                                           51

Peer pressure and Social Adjustment                                                             56

Research Hypothesis                                                                                       58

Research Questions                                                                                         59

CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY

Research Design                                                                                             60

Population                                                                                                       61

Sample and Sampling Technique                                                                    61

Research Instruments                                                                                      61

Procedure for Data Collection                                                                        63

Data analysis                                                                                                   64

CHAPTER FOUR: RESULT

Results                                                                                                                        65

Summary of Findings                                                                                     68

CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Discussion of Findings                                                                                   70

Implication                                                                                                      77

Recommendations                                                                                          78

Conclusion                                                                                                      80

Limitations                                                                                                      83

Suggestion for Future Studies                                                                                 83

References                                                                                                      85

Appendixes                                                                                                     96

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1       Background to the Study

Social adjustment problems have been associated with academic performance of secondary school students particularly in Ibadan, Oyo State and in Nigeria in general. Several researchers relate students’ academic performance to social adjustment problems, study habits, hardwork, commitment, events, perseverance and preconceived convictions (Ugwuegbu, 2004). Others associate students’ achievements in school to instructional methods, teaching strategies and techniques. In general, teaching and learning as well as achievement in school are affected by social adjustment problems, study habits and strategies of instruction adopted by the teacher.

Students in secondary schools exhibit various social adjustment problems and these affect their academic performance. It is generally believed that the adolescence period offers a unique opportunity to the learners to realize many intrinsic values associated with their adjustment problems.

The relationship between a student and his or her parents has been noted to have an influential impact not only on the student performance in school but also in his/her life generally. Parenting styles have been analysed and grouped by educationists. Numerous studies such as Baumrind, (1991), Maccoby & Martin, (1983), Mandara, (2006) and Micki, (2008), have shown that the parenting style experienced by children contribute in no small measure to the molding of the behavioral pattern generally and specifically, the performance of the children. Miki (2008) noted that the relationship between parenting styles and their children’s performance has shown that parents can have dramatic impact on their children’s performance, often resulting in a removable improvement. It is also shown that parents can have a powerful impact on their children’s behaviour in the classroom and at other school based activities.

The adolescent years are often portrayed as stressful for both parents and teenagers. Research demonstrates that teenagers undergo a number of developmental adjustments including biological, cognitive, emotional and social changes on their way to becoming adults. Parenting effectively during the teen years, as in any developmental period, requires a thorough understanding of these normative developmental changes. Parents can benefit from an understanding that their parenting style provides a basis for many healthy developmental outcomes during adolescence. Understanding the different parenting styles and their impact on the parent-teen relationship may help parents and their teens navigate adolescence more smoothly.

In ways similar to the community, the peer group becomes an agency of enculturation and learning. Even very young children develop a sense of self from their perceptions of important people in their surroundings, including relatives, teachers, and peers. Socioeconomic status, ethnic identity, and parents’ occupations affect how families view themselves and the process by which they socialize their children (Bornstein, 2002). Later, as children leave the home setting, their self-perception and socializing skills become influenced by how their peers view them. When children move out from family to child care centers, school, and the community at large, they begin to form attachments, and friendships emerge through their play. These relationships influence behavior. Even infants and toddlers are observed reacting to other infants by touching them, by crying when others cry, and later by offering nurturance or comfort. By about age three, early friendships begin to form and children’s peers begin to have a more lasting influence (Parke, 1990).

Further, Peer influence on behavior gradually becomes more dominant. Harris (1998, 2002) and Rowe (1994) maintained that peer groups have an even stronger influence than that of parents, although that extreme position has been refuted by other researchers (Berk, 2005). Gradually, children discover that others can share their feelings or attitudes or have quite different ones. The perspectives of others will affect how children feel about their own families. Children usually have a “family” view of their own and of other cultures. So, when confronted with other perspectives, they often need to rethink their own viewpoints. It is often difficult for children to adjust to the idea that other families can function radically differently from their own and yet hold many of the same attitudes and beliefs and be equally nurturing and secure. The peer group serves as a barometer for children examining themselves and their feelings about self and family.

The peer group also influences development of children’s socializing skills. These early friendships help children learn how to negotiate and relate to others, including their siblings and other family members. They learn from peers how to cooperate and socialize according to group norms and group-sanctioned modes of behavior. The peer group can influence what the child values, knows, wears, eats, and learns. The extent of this influence, however, depends on other situational constraints, such as the age and personality of children and the nature of the group (Harris, 1998; Hartup, 1983). Socialization is particularly important for childr