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
1958 
as giving them guidance, motivation and encouragement along their language learning 
journey. 
English is considered as one of the most difficult and challenging languages to be acquired, 
especially among the non-native speakers who utilise English as their second or third 
language. Many ESL or EFL students lack exposure to English Language and hence, they 
struggle in acquiring the language (Dasaradhi et al., 2016). It is found that many of them 
portray negative attitudes towards learning English which is believed to be due to their low 
proficiency in the language (Halik & Nusrath, 2020). Therefore, it is undoubtedly true that 
teaching English among ESL or EFL students is not an easy task for English Language teachers. 
Apart from the aforementioned issues, there are various hurdles and challenges to be taken 
into consideration in teaching English among ESL or EFL students. The challenges are even 
more formidable when it comes to teaching English in rural settings with many other 
overwhelming obstacles. The lack of facilities and amenities, students’ negative attitudes 
towards learning English and parents’ lack of awareness about the importance of learning 
English are some of the main issues related to teaching English in rural settings (Febriana et 
al., 2018). All these issues and challenges have brought about difficulties and struggles in 
teaching English to students in rural settings among English Language teachers. In order to 
gain an insight into various challenges and issues encountered by English Language teachers 
in rural settings, this systematic literature review is carried out with the aim to identify the 
following research objectives: 
• To investigate the challenges encountered by English Language teachers in teaching 
English in rural settings. 
• To examine the solutions to overcome the challenges encountered by English 
Language teachers in teaching English in rural settings.