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You are once again welcome to course three, week four.

And a theme that we'll be considering this week is the power of the peer group.

And lecture one will focus on this thing, the power of the peer group.

Try to have some introductory bit.

What do you consider to be a peer group in your school?

Well, some people have given their thoughts about what

constitutes a peer group.

To some, a peer group refers to a group of persons with equal or

nearly equal formal status, who work together in an organization or

institution and are subordinate to the same power agent.

As the saying goes, monkeys play by sizes,

so do people play by common interests and physical strength.

In this light, one writer in Ghana, Abudu,

2005 says peers or

members of each club, tribe or any other specific group of humans

that share certain common features or objectives tend to exert more

influence on each other than people from outside the specific units.

So peer groups have a common vision, a common interest.

And they are supported links to the same power agents.

Do we even need peer groups in schools?

In our classrooms?

What is your opinion?

Or what are your opinions on this?

The literature has underscored the significance of peer groups.

They influence the personality, the development of any peoples.

And they are very critical

during the developmental years of childhood and adolescence.

And these are the categories of children we deal with as teachers.

Richardson 2010 says something that is very interesting.

I quote him, he says, none of us is as smart as all of us.

A safe, confidential, and trusting peer group can be a powerful process for

innovation helping with opportunities, problems, challenges,

and issues of all shapes, sizes, and descriptions.

Reflect on the introductory statement.

None of us is as smart as all of us.

The importance of peer groups.

Thinking about peer groups, Walden has tried

to help us identify four categories of peer groups.

The first category Walden describes as the consensual peer group.

In this peer group commitment is by consensus.

And members demonstrate a strong attitudinal commitment towards the group's

agenda.

Then the second one is the diffuse peer group.

This group is characterized by extensive informal interactions among members.

Relationship and

interactions among students is therefore primarily experienced out-of-school.

In other words, their appreciates a more effort outside these,

the organization outside of the school.

And the socialization processes start with social acceptance as a primary value and

is followed by conformity and expedient response.

The third group is job-specific peer group.

And the underlying word here is the job-specific.

Yeah, the job-specific peer group has the job at the center of their relationship.

So in the school situation,

you'll find interaction more within the school than outside the school.

Stability of the job-specific peer group is less likely and

identification occurs only as a mutual recognition of

a shared formal status, not as a sense of unity.

So it is the job, it is the primary task,

that brings them together in the school.

Now we're talking about the power the of peer groups.

Walden again identifies four type of power that are likely

to influence activities of peer groups.

The first one is coercive power.

This type of power is likely to be exercised when performance standards

are or appear to be more relevant than human relations.

It also occurs when a leader of a group is regarded as a superior and

not as a colleague in the group.

And so he commands and everybody must act

because he has that charisma and easily wins obedience.

Now the other one is reward power.

In this group,

members conform in order that they will gain acceptance in the group.

Activities and orientations depends on the group member who wields the power.

And people will obey because of certain benefits that they stand to gain from.

The other one is expert power.

This type of power is derived from the extent of knowledge or

perceived knowledge, possessed by a group or individual within the group.

So if you have a group, a peer group where the individual, the leader,

has won so many awards, then definitely that person is regarded as an expert,

and he will exert some sort of power on the group.

Then we have the legitimate power.

This power is characterised by a situation where the exercise of legitimate power

is not based on coercion but based on rules and regulations laid down,

constitutions or policies within the school level.

These are the four forms of power identified by Walden which could

influence peer activities in our students.

Now is there any reason for people to even think about forming peer groups?

Is there any reason why peer groups are getting so

much power in our institutions, in our society?

Yes, there are.

One of the reasons is transitional needs.

As children transit from childhood to adolescence,

involvement with peers and interaction of peer identification increases because

they develop special needs, most of which can be addressed by their peers.

The other one is generational conflict.

Peer cultures have very different values and norms.

As children get involved in peer activities therefore,

they begin to question adult standards and the need for adult guidance.

Why should my teacher prevent me from associating with people A or people B?

Why should my teacher prevent me from engaging in

a particular activity, the original conflict?

Then safe feelings.

Teenagers feel much safer when their own friends experience the same feelings and

same problems and therefore, share their problems with them.

They begin to trust, and seek guidance from friends who they consider

to be undergoing the same experiences.

After all, it is the one who have the same experiences I have who can understand me.

And so to safe feelings.

Then the dependence culture.

Emerging power of peer groups is most powerful in teenage years

because teenagers have not fully developed enough to stand up on their own.

They need encouragement or examples from others in order to feel right.

That we realize that these days,

because of overwhelming job demands,

most parents are not available to provide these needs,

and therefore they turn to their peers.

Linked to this is what has been termed distance parenthood.

Experiences resulting from parents' job demands, as I said, divorce,

and other experiences tend to create physical and

psychological distance between parents and their children.

The distance leads to decreases in emotional closeness and warmth,

increases in parent-adolescent conflict and disagreement,

and denies children the emotional support they need from parents.

And here I can reflect on a question that my ten year old child asked me.

One day, when I traveled, came back and was a traveler again,

and he asked me Dad, why do you travel so much?

Don't you think of us?

Well, I am out there and they need help, and their mother is not there.

The only place they can turn to is their peers.

And so distance parenthood is one of the things.

There's skill development.

Peer groups offer children and adults alike,

the opportunity to develop various skills.

Such as leadership, sharing, or

teamwork, because once they're with their peers, they do things together.

And definitely one of them, you may just have a leader, and so

it becomes a training ground for certain skills in the school.

Now these are some forms.

What do you think about these reasons for

peer groups and their power?

Do they mean anything to you?

Reflect in your context and then find out if they mean anything to you.

What are some of the factors that you think influence peer groups

within your context?

One of them may be home factors.

Can you think of certain factors within the home

that will influence peer grouping?

What about school?

Can you think of some factors within the school that will promote peer grouping?

For instance, when a school creates a threatening learning environment,

the students feel unsafe and the teacher does not guide activities of peer groups.

Then, later, will seek solace among kids and emulate negative behaviors.

Then, we have the media.

Both the print and the audio-visual media influence the behavior of peer groups.

There are a number of children who get access to computers, TVs, and learn a lot.

Within this context, would you say the teacher should

encourage the formation of peer groups?

I think yes, we need to encourage the formation of peer groups

because we can make the best out of peer power if we provide the necessary support.

If we understand the psychological underpinnings of individual and

group behavior.

If the teacher demonstrate concern for individual students and

shows more sensitivity to individual differences,

then we can make the best out of peer power.

When the teacher engages students in challenging tasks

that will attract attention of the group.

The peer group activities can be directed towards positive learning activities.

And this will not only benefit individual members of the group, but

benefit the teacher as well.

If the teacher creates an opportunity for

their good to contribute to this decision making in the school, particularly

the decisions that do not fall within the group's zone of indifference.

Then the group will feel belonging and respected and their activities

will be in the interest of the school of the learner and of the teacher.

What is your opinion about peer power?

What can you do to ensure that, as a teacher,

peer groups contribute meaningfully to the learning process?

Share your thoughts about a type of peer group you prefer in your school, and why.

What additional challenges do you associate

with activities of peer groups in the school?

And what do you think should be done in order that the challenges are addressed?

Remember that a teacher cannot do it all.

The teacher needs the people.

The teacher needs groups of people and a peer group,

peer power offers that opportunity.

Be thinking about this and thank you.

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Lecture 4.1: Understanding peer groups

Foundations of Teaching for Learning: Learners and Learning

Meet the Instructors