1.1 Introduction
Chemistry is a branch of science that finds applications at home and industry. According to Akpan (2016), chemistry is the study of matter and the changes that matter undergoes. It is a branch of science which deals with the study of the nature, composition and properties of matter and the changes matter will undergo under different conditions. Chemistry is an experimental science whose study involves exploration of relationship between theory and experiment (Otor, 2013).
As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.
1.2 Background of Study
Peer relations are never more prominent than in adolescence which falls within the age group under this study. They spend more time than adults interacting with peers and recording a very high degree of happiness in peer contexts, while giving the greatest priority to peer norms for behavior (Brown and Larson, 2009). This developmental stage in affiliation motivation appears to be highly preserved across peers. A negative peer influence could be seen as one of the militating forces why most student record poorly in academic performance, the reason for this is not farfetched: they spend large amount of time in extra curriculum. More often than none, academic priorities are neglected and thus academic performance grossly affected.
Anxiety is an important variable often related to academic achievement (Spielberger & Vagg, 2015) Anxiety is an unpleasant emotion experienced as dread, scare, alarm, fright, trepidation, horror or panic (Nadeem, Maqbool & Zaidi, 2012). Test anxiety implies the debilitating experiences of anxiety as described by Lewis, during the preparation for a test or during the test itself. Minimal amount of anxiety can mobilize human beings to respond rapidly and efficiently, but excessive amount of anxiety may foster poor response and sometimes inhibit response. Test anxiety makes it hard for students to concentrate on test and perform adequately. In chemistry, students are tested for both knowledge levels, skill acquisitions and attitudes. Test anxiety can adversely affect a chemistry student carrying out practical exercises, his or her attitudes specific to the materials, his or her peer groups and even the ability to record observations promptly and correctly. Hence, this study is suspecting that test anxiety may be a contributing factor to poor achievement in chemistry. Most studies done in Nigeria in this area concentrated on the relationship existing between self-efficacy and one or two variables (Adeyemo & Torubeli, 2008; Onyeizugbo, 2010).
The factors that affect academic achievement in chemistry have been identified by scholars. According to Usman and Memeh (2012), the factors that negatively affect chemistry achievement include students’ background, their self-efficacy, lack of interest and negative attitude towards chemistry. Teacher related factors like poor teacher preparation, inadequate teacher qualification, inadequate instructional materials and adoption of poor teaching methods also play a role. In Nigeria, efforts are being made by researchers, government and non- governmental organizations to improve cognitive outcomes among chemistry students. Some of these efforts includes organization of conferences, seminars and workshops for both students and teachers, organization of quizzes for students as a motivational approach to learning, equipping the laboratory with modern laboratory equipment’s and facilities among others.
Hamm et al. in Lavy and Schlosser (2007), argued 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”. The above statement suggests strongly, the unprecedented effect of peer group in almost all facet of adolescent’s growth. Such effect could be seen in social and emotional lives of young people, which does not end at the above mentioned, but could also manifest in their attitude towards educational activities and careful consideration of these elements has shown that they reflect in the academic performance of students.
According to Olalekan (2016), it is generally observed that peer group has 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. Katz in Olalekan (2016) wrote that the nature of a peer group determines the impact on the motivation of and achievements of its member. He further suggests that one group may have a negative impact on its members while the other may have positive impact on its members as well.
Therefore, in Awka Education Zone where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know the Influence of Peer Pressure and Anxiety on Students Academic Achievement in Secondary School Chemistry.
1.3 Statement of the Problem
The study of Chemistry as a subject at the secondary school level helps students in developing basic science skills, knowledge and competence required for problem solving in their environment. It is observed that secondary school students in Nigeria perform very poorly in Chemistry yearly. The dismal achievement of students in Chemistry over the years is a cause of serious concern. WAEC Chief Examiner’s Report (2012-2017) showed consistent poor academic achievement of students in Chemistry over a period of six years. Efforts have been made by educational researchers to improve students’ academic achievement especially in chemistry but adequate attention has not been paid to an affective component of learners such as test anxiety.
The problem of this study, therefore, is the perennial poor academic achievement of secondary school students in chemistry despite robust efforts of teachers and researchers for an improvement. This could be due to the fact that the impact of an affective component of learners such as test anxiety on their academic achievement in the subject has not been examined. Therefore, this study on test anxiety as correlate of chemistry achievement among secondary school students in Imo State is considered imperative. The findings of this study will be of immense benefits to secondary school Chemistry students, Chemistry teachers, parents, administrators, government and future researchers. However, only senior secondary class II students in public secondary schools were involved in the study. Respondent variable is delimited to gender.
1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study
The aim of the study is to investigate the Influence of Peer Pressure and Anxiety on Students Academic Achievement in Secondary School Chemistry in Awka Education Zone. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:
- To examine the anxiety of secondary school students relate with their chemistry achievement scores
- To determine the relationship between anxiety of secondary school male students and their chemistry achievement scores
- To determine the relationship between anxiety of secondary school female students and their chemistry achievement scores
- To investigate the effect of Peer Pressure Students Academic Achievement in Secondary School Chemistry in Awka Education Zone
1.5 Research Questions
The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:
- Does peer pressure influence negatively impact students Academic Achievement in Secondary School Chemistry in Awka Education Zone?
- To what extent does anxiety of secondary school students relate with their chemistry achievement scores?
- What is the relationship between anxiety of secondary school male students and their chemistry achievement scores?
- What is the relationship between anxiety secondary school female students and their chemistry achievement scores?
1.6 Research Hypothesis
In order to pursue the objective of this study, the following generalized statements have been designed to guide and aids in obtaining the result for the experiment to be conducted. For this work, the null hypothesis will be represented with H0 while the alternative hypothesis will be represented with hypothesis H1.
Hypothesis One
- H0: There is no significant relationship between peer pressure influence and anxiety of secondary school chemistry students in Awka Education Zone
- H1: There is significant relationship between peer pressure influence and anxiety of secondary school chemistry students in Awka Education Zone
Hypothesis Two
- H0: Anxiety scores of secondary school students do not significantly correlate or predict their chemistry achievement scores in Awka Education Zone
- H1: Anxiety scores of secondary school students significantly correlate or predict their chemistry achievement scores in Awka Education Zone
Hypothesis Three
- H0: There is no significant relationship between peer group and academic performance in Awka Education Zone
- H1: There is significant relationship between peer group and academic performance in Awka Education Zone
Hypothesis Four
- H0: There is no significant influence of peer group and academic performance of students
- H1: There is significant influence of peer group and academic performance of students
1.7 Significance of Study
The findings of this study will be beneficial to secondary school Chemistry students, Chemistry teachers, parents, administrators, government and future researchers. However, only senior secondary students in Awka Education Zone were involved in the study.
This study will also be of immense benefit to other researchers who intend to know more on this study and can also be used by non-researchers to build more on their research work. This study contributes to knowledge and could serve as a guide for other study.
1.8 Scope of Study
The study focuses on the Influence of Peer Pressure and Anxiety on Students Academic Achievement in Secondary School Chemistry in Awka Education Zone.
1.9 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:
- Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
- Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
- Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
- Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).
