Mother Tongue Interference on Arabic Language Communicative Skills among Junior Secondary School Islamic Studies Students in Asa, Kwara State, Nigeria

This paper examines the influence of mother tongue interference on Arabic communicative skills among junior secondary school Islamic Studies students in Asa, Kwara State, Nigeria. The objective is to explore how mother tongue interference affects students' ability to acquire and effectively use Arabic for communication. Findings reveal that students' acquisition of effective communicative skills in the Arabic language is significantly hindered by the phonological, syntactic, and semantic interference of their native languages. This linguistic interference poses a major challenge to students' proficiency in Arabic, which is essential for their academic and religious studies. The paper recommends that adequate facilities for teaching and learning Arabic should be made available and accessible to both teachers and students. The government should employ qualified, experienced, and competent Arabic language teachers to promote effective instruction in schools. Additionally, teachers should familiarize themselves with the processes, methods, and potential challenges associated with teaching Arabic. Encouraging students to take their Arabic studies more seriously is also essential to overcoming mother tongue interference and enhancing communicative competence.