Abstract:

Social needs such as belonging, acceptance and attachment, which intensify during adolescence, may cause young people to be completely under the control of the peer group. This study aims to examine whether the peer training program developed for resisting peer pressure in adolescents develops the ability to resist peer pressure. In this study, 285 high school students (147 females and 138 males; avarage age: 16) receiving education in one of the cities in Turkey participated in the experimental group, and 204 (103 females and 101 males; avarage age: 16) participated in the control group. The experimental and control groups were created considering adolescents’ age, gender, socioeconomic level, academic achievement, and pretest scores from the Peer Pressure Scale for Adolescents by developed Kiran (2002). Adolescents are equal in terms of these traits. They were then randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups.Peer training; Peer tutoring consists of topics such as ethical rules, responsibilities, effective communication skills, peer pressure, positive and negative effects on adolescents, and methods of resisting peer pressure. In the analysis of the data, descriptive statistics and t-test were used because the data showed normally distribution. The effects on the peer pressure experienced by the students who benefit from the education were evaluated. As a result, the study found that the peer training program reduced the peer pressure levels of adolescents, and the peer pressure levels of adolescents who participated in the peer training program was lower than those who did not participate. According to these findings, peer education studies are suggested to be used in areas such as improving social skills and strengthening family communication.

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