REPORT COURSE ENG100 WRITING CLASSROOM topic peer pressure on adolescents causes and effects

Figure 3.3: The average time that NEU students spend on social media Figure 3.4: Responses of the group who are online from 2 to 5 hours a day about the impacts of social media Figure 3.

NATIONAL ECONOMICS UNIVERSITY FALCULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES FOR ECONOMICS

-*** -REPORT COURSE: ENG100 WRITING CLASSROOM

Topic: Peer Pressure on Adolescents: Causes and Effects

Group: A Team Class: 61 Finance B Members: Dinh Sy Anh

Dao Ngoc Diep Dong Thuy Duong Truong Ngoc Huyen Linh

Hanoi, 2020

List of abbreviations

NEU: National Economics University

List of Tables

Table 3.1: Attitude of respondents toward their friends’ achievements

Table 3.2: Reactions of respondents to pressure

List of Figures

Figure 3.1: Parents’ expected grades achieved by their children

Figure 3.2: Responses to the statement: “My parents have the

tendency of comparing me with my peers”

Figure 3.3: The average time that NEU students spend on social media

Figure 3.4: Responses of the group who are online from 2 to 5 hours a day about the impacts of social media

Figure 3.5: Preferred workplace for optimal performance

Figure 3.6: Responses about peers’ influences on students

Figure 3.7: Responses about mental health associated with peer pressure Figure 3.8: Frequencies of the respondents’ opinion on the effects

of peer pressure on their physical health

2.1 Effects of Peer Pressure on Academic Performance 42.2 Effects of Peer Pressure on Substance Abuse 6

3.1.1 Parents’ Expectation as a Factor Stimulating Peer Pressure 93.1.2 Social Media as a Tool Making Peer Pressure More Widespread 113.2 Positive Effects of Peer Pressure on NEU Students 133.3 Negative Effects of Peer Pressure on NEU Students 15

PART I: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background

Nowadays, people become more aware of the significance of psychology,especially the young The young are the key force that contributes to theinnovation of the world, yet mental problems are the biggest obstacle for them

In the world of knowledge economy today, life is getting more competitive thanever before; hence, it is easy to understand the growth of mental disorders.Psychological issues can lead to several problems regarding to human’sbehaviors, relationships and productivity Therefore, in some developedcountries, there are psychologists at schools or workplaces to help peoplerelease negative feelings and give them advice Most importantly, one of themost common reasons for those issues is peer pressure Peers are defined asthose people who are in the same social group, so the term “peer pressure”can be simply understood as the influence of peers’ lifestyle on human

Peer pressure happens to people of all ages As people grow, they tend to spendmore time with their peers rather than their family It is natural to be influenced bythose who they usually interact with Not only are children influenced by theirfriends’ activities and achievements, but adults are also under pressure to beexcellent as their colleagues However, adolescents are the most sensitive to peerpressure since this age is the transition time from childhood to adulthood As mostteenagers’ desire is attention from people, they tend to follow the popular trendwithout consideration As a result, peer pressure affects youngsters on everyaspect of their life from simple matters like physical appearance and entertainment

to bigger issues such as academic performance and community relations It couldhave both positive and negative impacts on them; therefore, it is crucial to identifythe roots of the problem and from that, develop some recommendations

Due to the spread of peer pressure, several studies into this phenomenon havebeen carried out in developed countries Those studies mostly focus on theeffects of peer pressure and the relationship between peer pressure and otheraspects such as academic performance, alcohol and drug abuse, self-esteemand depression However, developing countries including Vietnam seem toneglect the matter of peer pressure Therefore, we decided to conduct this

research “Peer Pressure on Adolescents: Causes and Effects”.

1.2 Rationales and Purposes

Rationale

Peer pressure is a critical part of education and future career path Previouswork mostly focused on the impacts of peer pressure in academicperformance and substance abuse Thus, there is a need to dig into theroots of the issue and other effects on students

This paper aims to raise the awareness of peer pressure among students

To be specific, the research will help students understand the nature of peerpressure, make use of its benefits and minimize its downsides The results,moreover, give parents and teachers a warning to have a proper approachwith children The findings are also the basis to produce solutions forpreventing as well as overcoming adverse influences of peer pressure

Purposes

The purpose of this study is to discover the origins of peer pressure in terms

of parental guidance and the utilization of social media platforms Anotherobjective is to find out the positive and negative effects that peer pressurehas on pupils: from being a type of motivation to causing detrimentalconsequences to one’s physical and mental health

1.3 Research Questions

1 Does parents’ high expectation put pressure on their children?

2 Is social media a tool that makes peer pressure more widespread?

3 How can peer pressure be a positive incentive that motivates students?

4 Does peer pressure stimulate mental disorders?

5 How can peer pressure negatively influence one’s physical health?

1.4 Scope of Study

The research is confined to the concept of peer pressure on students atNational Economics University The study concentrates on the factors thattrigger peer pressure among teenagers and investigates how pressure canchange their behaviors

1.5 Methodology

In the research on the issue “Peer pressure on adolescents: causes andeffects”, the main research instrument is survey Our target object for thesurvey was NEU students We made a list of 11 questions related to peerpressure to understand the level of concern and some opinions of the NEU’sstudents about this problem All of those questions were selected and put onthe survey form The survey was conducted in 200 students of NEU With

200 NEU students who taken part in the survey, the observational error will

be around 8% Besides, the data was also collected from newsletters,documents in the Internet and previous peer pressure data

On the whole, survey in the questionaire form was the main and most effective methodology that we applied to capture statistics for our process

1.6 Report structure

First, this report presents the introduction of the study Second, we reviewthe previous papers regarding to peer pressure Third, this report shows thedata analysis and findings Finally, the conclusion of this research is given

PART II: LITERATURE REVIEW

Young people, especially students, spend more time of their routine doingactivities among their peers Updegraff et al (2001) proposed that “teens arespending more than half of their time in the company of their peers”.Eventually, there is a high chance that they might feel the “pressure from peers

to behave in a particular way or not to behave in a certain way” according to Dr.Murugesan and Dr Lazmey (2019) That is the definition of peer pressure.Experience of pressure from other peers is common and its effects areinevitable during one’s adolescence However, peer pressure is frequentlyassumed to be a one of the reasons contributing to adolescent misbehaviorbecause “most risky behavior in which adolescents engage, such asdelinquency, substance use, and reckless driving, takes place in the company

of peers”, stated by Chassin (2004) and Simon-Morton (2005) The PewResearch Center of U.S teens ages 13 to 17 (2018) reported that “fewer thanone-in-ten say they personally feel a lot of pressure to use drugs or to drinkalcohol Peer pressure might also fuel the urge of “fitting in” About three-in-tensay they feel a lot of pressure to look good and to fit in socially (as also cited inPew Research Center’s survey of U.S teens ages 13 to 17 (2018))

Peer pressure is a phenomenon that affects various aspects in the life of the younggeneration However, this article will mainly study the influence of peer pressure onthree categories that are believed to have the most impact on people of youngerage The first aspect that would be discussed is the effect of peer pressure onstudents’ performance among their peer group at school Secondly, the paper willindicate the role of peer pressure in the abusive usage of addictive substancesamong adolescents and young adults Finally, it will analyze the way that pressurefrom other peers influence one’s consciousness about their self-worth

2.1 Effects of peer pressure on academic performance

Peer pressure tends to have different effects on the academic performance ofstudents in school It's how, whether in a positive or negative way, their peersimpact them Teenagers need to seek comfort from their peer when they makedecisions, and they are not yet aware of how their peers are academicallyaffecting them In National Bureau of Economic Research paper called “How DoesPeer Pressure Affect Educational Investments?”, authors Leonardo Bursztyn and

Robert Jensen took two groups of 11th graders and offered them free SATprep courses One group, in full view of colleagues, had to sign up publicly andthe other party signed up confidentially In both honors (Advanced Placementclasses) and non-honors classes (regular classes), the experiment wasperformed These learners were 25 percentage points less likely to sign upwhen offered the course in a non-honors class if the decision was public ratherthan private However, in honors classes, they were 25 percentage points morelikely to sign up when the decision was public They concluded that: “Thus,students are highly responsive to who their peers are and what the prevailingnorm is when they make decisions.” and that “Peer pressure appears to be apowerful force affecting educational choices and whether students undertakeimportant investments that could improve academic performance or outcome”.Students’ peer relationships may play an important role in their school adjustmentand motivation They were motivated by the destructive actions and academicsuccess of their peers Epstein (1983), through her study, found that students’grades decreased when their friends had low grades even if the student initiallyhad high grades The opposite was also true that students’ grades increased whentheir friends had high grades even if students initially had low grades SukkyungYou (2011) has a similar conclusion: “Students whose friends had high academicvalue and high academic aspiration increased in their school engagement Peeracademic value and academic aspiration had significant direct effects on student’sacademic engagement” He also stated that some teenagers may have thoughtsand actions in line with peer values and standards if they want to belong or besimilar to their peer group.

Academic misconduct is also a serious consequence of peer pressure Many ofthe risky conduct and propensity of college students to take excessive risk iscaused by peer pressure, not only among males but also among females (El-Tahch,2009).According to Jeizelle Fernandez (2019), “students usually justifytheir behavior based on their perception of their peers’ behavior and attitudetowards cheating When a student sees their classmates and peers stillcheating, they will have a conclusion that it is acceptable, and it is normal sinceeveryone else is doing it” Students may have a mentality that because theirfriends and classmates sometimes cheat themselves behavior they can alsoget away with it and will not disclose such immoral

2.2 Effects of peer pressure on substance abuse

Teenagers might not absolutely comprehend the role that peer pressureplays in their lives; however, we all know however prevailing this kind ofpressure is often throughout these years According to the AmericanAcademy of kid & Adolescent Psychology (AACAP): “The majority of teenswith substance abuse problems began using drugs or alcohol as a result ofpeer pressure” Oftentimes this could occur at parties or different timeswherever youngsters may feel liable to risky behaviors

It is widely known that teenage drug experimentation can easily lead to lifelongsubstance abuse and addiction As with anything else, if a particular behavior isrewarding, the possibility of repetition is high, and availability remains strong.According to the National Household Survey on Drug Use and Health from the USDepartment of Health and Human Services (2018), 74.3% of high school studentshave tried alcohol, and around 30% of teens are offered drugs in middle schooland high school (Alcohol Substance Abuse Knowledgebase reports, 2019)

There is another survey that has been conducted by The National Center onAddiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University (2018),(75%) of teens said seeing pictures of teens partying with alcohol ormarijuana on social networking sites encouraged them to do the same.(47%) said they have seen party promoting pictures online that seemed likethe kids were having a good time Teens who saw images of partying werefour times more likely to have used marijuana and more than three timesmore likely to have used alcohol Historically, Adolescents viewed drinkingalcohol as somewhat of a “rite of passage “This concept is often validated inmovies and television shows that depict teens getting “wasted.” But now,this particular rite is often expanded to include smoking marijuana and takingpills, which leads us to another societal phenomenon

2.3 Effects of peer pressure on self-esteem

Self-esteem is generally defined as how one values themselves According toSantrock (2007), self-esteem in adolescents is often related to the search foridentity by trying to find a status independently of parents Meanwhile,individuals during adolescence tend to form groups and develop a desire to be

accepted by their peers Hence, peer pressure has certain impacts on one’sself-esteem.

Recently research by Zawadi (2019) concluded that there is a significant

relationship between peer pressure and self-esteem among adolescents To be specific, about 60% respondents admitted: “Being part of my group makes me feel cool” Responding to the statement “I feel that I am a person of worth, at least on anequal plane with others”, 30.77% of them strongly agreed and 26.37% of them agreed Further measure indicated peer pressure and self-esteem have positive correlation, which means the levels of self-esteem decline as the levels of negative peer pressure rise This outcome has similar points with the studies of Ryan (2000) and De Rosier and Markus (2005) Nonetheless, the research discussed the result

of participants upon their emotional supports rather than physical features

In terms of gender, M.Uslu (2013) observed that female adolescents are exposed

to more direct peer pressure than male adolescents However, male adolescentsput more indirect peer pressure than female adolescents As a result, femaleadolescents have a lower self-esteem degree than male adolescents Thisresearch examined the two specific types of peer pressure and gave readers amore detailed look at the different effects on different participant groups

Writing in 2004, Kapcı noted that peer pressure negatively affects bothchildren who are exposed to peer pressure and who put pressure on theothers Explaining this situation, these children perceive themselves asnervous, lonely and with low self-esteem This finding changed the majorassumption that only the ones under pressure face its adverseconsequences and suggested a more objective attitude to the phenomenon

This thorough literature review has delineate the effects peer pressure onbehavioral tendencies of adolescent and young adults in three categories,namely academic performance, substance abuse and self-esteem

Limitations and further research suggestions

The information and figure in this paper should be cautiously perceived asresearches cited has imperfections Firstly, the researches solely analyze theimpact of peer pressure and lacks data about its causes Therefore, it is difficult tointroduce thorough solutions in order to alleviate peer pressure negative effects.Secondly, the methodology used is sample selection which has limitation in

reflecting the situation of a population because of a insufficient sample size andselection bias Lastly, self-respond questionnaire might be fallaciously answeredaffecting the results of the research The researchers suggested that there should

be a further research on the origins of peer pressure as well as finding solutions tosolve this issue It is also recommended that more polished methods and updatedinformation be utilized in future survey for more accurate results

PART III: DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS3.1 Causes of Peer Pressure among NEU Students

3.1.1 Parents’ expectation as a factor stimulating peer pressure (Sy Anh)

Aside from school, students spend most of their time at home with their familymembers, hence their lives are mostly influenced by the nearest and dearest,especially their parents As a result, despite lacking the physical appearance ofany peers, students’ parents might be the triggering factor of peer pressure

Figure 3.1: Parents’ expected grades achieved by their children

It is illustrated in Figure 1.1.1 that 57% of surveyed students reported beingexpected to reach the band of 9 to 10 scores It can be inferred from thefigure that parents of many NEU’s students anticipate their children toachieve high grades Other than ensuring better knowledge for the future,this could also mean, though indirectly, that parents expect their offspring tohave academic results as high as or even exceed students with moreexcellent performance in the same class Consequently, peer pressure will

be provoked as competition between students becomes more intense

Figure 3.2: Responses to the statement: “My parents have

the tendency of comparing me with my peers”.

It can be seen clearly from Figure 3.2 that 35% of respondents showsdisagreement and total disagreement that their parents are proned to comparetheir offsprings with other students Only less than one third of respondents'parents have the tendency to put the offspring and their peers into comparison,

as shown on the Figure 3.2 From the results, it can be clearly seen that someparents of NEU’s students avoid comparing their children with their peers Thisindicates that despite parents’ high expectation on their children's academicresults, they do not put noticeable peer pressure on their children

In general, according to the analysis of the corresponding survey results, it can beconcluded that some of NEU’s students experience peer pressure provoked bytheir parents Meanwhile, the majority of students remain neutral about parents’opinion as the main triggering factor of peer pressure is obviously their peers - theother students Moreover, most parents actually support and encourage students

to pursue their own paths In conclusion, parents’ expectation have minorrelevance in terms of being a contributing factor to peer pressure

3.1.2 Social media as a tool making peer pressure more widespread (Huyen Linh)

With the technological evolution in the 21st century, the Internet has become

a crucial part of our daily life As a result, social media are popular and have

a great impact on people, especially the young

Figure 3.3: The average time that NEU students spend on social media

As shown in Figure 3.3, the most noticeable feature is that nearly 60%respondents frequently stay online from two to five hours a day Following isthe five-to-eight-hour group which covers more than a quarter This indicatesthat social media highly influence students on many aspects of life Therefore,social media could be a source of peer pressure among NEU students

In the under-two-hour group, a half of participants disagree and strongly disagreewith all given statements Only 13.6% students who are surveyed agree that theirreputation on social media is important and 22.7% of them notice others’

achievements and compare themselves with others’ online profiles Moreover, while 41% respondents always update popular trends on social media, merely 27% of them want to follow those trends This implies that many NEU students who spend less than two hours going online are not concerned about reputation and achievements on those platforms They mainly use social sites as another tool to update news and share information Therefore, social media hardly affect them in general and in terms of peer pressure