Vol. , No. 6, 2022, e-issn: 2 -6990 2022 hrmars 1956 Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at

Vol. 1 2 , No. 6, 2022, E-ISSN: 2 2 2 2 -6990 © 2022 HRMARS
1957 
 
A Systematic Review of Teaching English in Rural 
Settings: Challenges and Solutions 
 
Law Woon Shan & Azlina Abdul Aziz 
Faculty of Education, University Kebangsaan Malaysia 
Email: [e-mail], [e-mail] 
 
Abstract 
Teaching English Language is deemed challenging and arduous for English Language teachers, 
particularly when it is done in rural settings where students have minimal English Language 
exposure. The paper presents a systematic review of the challenges encountered by English 
Language teachers in teaching English in rural settings and the solutions to overcome the 
challenges. The findings reveal a myriad of issues and challenges in teaching English in rural 
settings which have thwarted the development of English Language education in rural 
settings. The lack of qualified English Language teachers, inadequate facilities, infrastructure 
and teaching materials, students’ limited competence in English and their negative attitudes 
towards learning English as well as the lack of parental support are the identified challenges 
confronted by English Language teachers in teaching English in rural settings. Several 
pragmatic solutions are suggested to overcome the aforementioned challenges such as to 
provide proper trainings for English Language teachers, foster positive attitudes towards 
teaching English among English Language teachers, improve and upgrade the facilities, 
infrastructure and teaching aids as well as to promote effective communication between 
parents and teachers. The limitations of the past studies and the recommendations for the 
future research are also discussed. 
Keywords: English Language, English Teachers, Students, Rural, Challenges, Solutions 
Introduction 
In today’s society, English has become the international language which is being widely used 
all over the world as it serves the language of business, language of diplomacy, language of 
science and technology and language of finance and commerce in this era of globalisation. In 
view of the growing importance of English, learning English is definitely essential in order to 
explore knowledge globally and to improve one’s competencies in the globalising world. 
English is perceived to be very crucial not only for future study and employment, but also to 
boost one’s confidence and widen their social circle through communication with the global 
citizens (Zefran, 2020). Therefore, it is utmost important for learners or students to be aware 
of the significance of learning and mastering the language of international communication to 
expose themselves to more opportunities, upgrade their social mobility and increase their 
competitiveness in facing the globalizing world. In order to increase English Language 
competence among students, it is imperative to note that English Language teachers play a 
crucial role in increasing students’ awareness about the significance of learning English as well 

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International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences