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Peer Group Influence and Students’ Academic Engagement in Public Senior Secondary Schools in North-West Nigeria

Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This study examined peer group influence and students’ academic engagement in public senior secondary schools in North-West Nigeria. Specifically, the study determined the relationship between peer group influence and academic engagement, examined the difference in students’ perceptions of peer group influence based on gender, and determined the difference in students’ academic engagement based on school location. A correlational survey design was adopted. A sample of 384 senior secondary school students was selected through a multistage sampling procedure from public senior secondary schools in North-West Nigeria. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire, which was validated by experts and yielded a Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient of 0.86. Pearson Product-Moment Correlation and independent-samples t-test were used to analyse the data at the 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed a significant positive relationship between peer group influence and students’ academic engagement, r(382) = .641, p < .05. There was no significant difference in students’ perceptions of peer group influence based on gender, t(382) = 1.42, p = .157. However, a significant difference existed in students’ academic engagement based on school location, t(382) = 2.07, p = .039, with students in urban schools recording a higher mean score than those in rural schools. The study concluded that peer group influence and school location were important factors associated with students’ academic engagement. It recommended strengthening positive peer relationships and improving learning conditions, particularly in rural schools.
DOI: 10.58355/engagement.v5i3.221
Language: English
Field: Psychology
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7225035701
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