As students engaged in the world of academics and education, factors affect the way they deal with learning and coping with the demands of their aim to become educated, like assignments, examinations, project papers, school activities, home issues and concerns, and peer pressure. Imagine a student trying to joggle everything to make sure he will attain balance. Of the said factors mentioned, it is peer pressure that really takes the top spot in the things that students are facing.

Peer pressure is defined as social pressure by members of one’s peer group to take a certain action, adopt certain values, or otherwise conform in order to be accepted. Inside the school, it is a must for the students to be belonged to a certain group. It is really not a pre-requisite but social norm dictates that a circle of friends inside the school uplifts the student’s confidence and socialization skills. While all of this claims are true, peer pressure have gone a long way that it even interferes in the student’s primary goal.

Peer pressure at its concepts is not negative at all. There are organizations and even set of friends that will even enhance and inspire students to become achievers and become the best. This is probably the type of influence every parent will choose for their children. If all influences and pressures will ensure one’s success, parents will even agree to require this to their children.

However, on the current situation of the education in the Philippines, peer pressure must have taken a shift on the negative side. News reports, articles, and even personal claims of the involved student and relatives have proved that peer pressure provides the students with a difficult task of embracing “their” beliefs, culture and activities. According to Dr. B. J. Casey from the Weill Medical College of Cornell University, teens are very quick and accurate in making judgments and decisions on their own and in situations where they have time to think. However, when they have to make decisions in the heat of the moment or in social situations, their decisions are often influenced by external factors like peers. 

To be able to help students trapped in this circle, the school, the teachers and the parents must ensure an open communication and strong working relationships. Parents should always take time to make the students feel that they are valued. Parents must be able to celebrate their children’s small victories. In this way, a genuine sense of security and belongingness is first found in their families. Teachers on the other hand, must continuously provide life lessons about the importance of being focused on their goals; this is to ensure that students know their priorities. The school now must remain the advocate of positive learning environment in the school and while students are under their accountability. Lastly, the students, proper, and constant guidance must be employed. Students of today are very vulnerable when it comes to proposal of sense of belongingness and security from a group of friends, it is therefore important that students are guided very well how to deal with every individual in the school especially when it comes to becoming a part of the circle of those students in the school.

Peer influence is not necessarily a bad thing. We are all influenced by our peers, both negatively and positively, at any age. For teens, as school and other activities take you away from home, you may spend more time with your friends than you do with your parents and siblings. As you become more independent, your peers naturally play a greater role in your life. Sometimes, though, particularly in emotional situations, peer influence can be hard to resist—it really has become “pressure”—and you may feel compelled to do something you’re uncomfortable with.

Reference:

Peer Pressure: Its Influence on Teens and Decision Making. (2008). Retrieved March 12, 2017, from http://headsup.scholastic.com/students/peer-pressure-its-influence-on-teens-and-decision-making

By: ROSE ANGEL P. ORILLANA | TEACHER III | LIMAY NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL | LIMAY , BATAAN