Hannah Oluwabunmi ADEBAYO

The study determined the role of English in the academic performance of senior secondary school students in Ovia North-East local government area of Edo state. Following objectives include, to examine the level of English Language proficiency of students and their academic performance, to understand the performance of students in taking English Language as a subject, to investigate the teachers’ level of preparedness in their use of English in teaching English Language in schools and to highlight the challenges faced by students in learning English Language as a subject in schools. The study covers English Language proficiency skills such as reading skills, comprehension skills, and writing skills and students’ academic performance among senior secondary schools in Ovia North-East Local Government Area of Edo State, Nigeria. It covers four Senior Secondary Schools in Ovia North-East Local Government Area. The sample of the study comprised 120 secondary school students was selected. The study relied on primary data, obtained through administered questionnaire, to generate data from respondents. The data collected were analyzed by the use of descriptive statistics. Furthermore, from the hypothesis tested, it was found that there is a significant difference in the effect of English Language on Senior Secondary School Students‘ academic performance. There is no significant difference on the effects of English Language on gender performance The study recommends that teachers should emphasize the use of different teaching methods as it boosts students academic performance. English teachers should use the strategies that can be used to enhance students‘ proficiency of English as a language of instruction in word problem class.