Al-Hikmah University Journal

This study is aimed at determining the influence of mother tongue on the academic performance of students. Krejcie and morgan sample calculator was used to select 240 teachers as respondents. The respondents were selected across 24 secondary schools in Ilorin metropolis, that is, minimum of 10 teachers from each school. The mean ratings were used to answer the research questions, while the Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) was used to test the hypotheses at a 0.05 level of significance. The findings from this study among others revealed that language of interaction, vernacular speaking did not influence the academic performance of students .It was concluded that since there is no impact of mother tongue on students academic performance the curriculum planners have to structure the curricula in such a way that classroom interaction brings about positive influence on the learners. Therefore it was recommended among others that teachers should co-mix language of instruction for better understanding