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Additionally, inadequate facilities and infrastructure such as internet access, ICT facilities and 
gadgets have also caused challenges in carrying out effective teaching and learning in rural 
schools (Martiana, 2019). This is in agreement with the findings by Omodan (2020) who has 
identified the lack of internet access as one of the issues encountered in teaching and learning 
in rural schools in Malaysia which leads to disruption of learning process among rural students. 
Without the internet access, English Language teachers claimed that they could not use 
interesting online teaching and learning materials such as videos and pictures in their 
classrooms (Martiana, 2019). In other words, limited internet access has amounted to issues 
in accessing to various teaching aids and materials for English Language lessons. It is 
acknowledged that most of the rural schools are equipped with basic ICT facilities required for 
teaching and learning. However, it is found that the ICT facilities in rural schools are either 
insufficient, poorly maintained or damaged, based on a study done by (Endriyati et al., 2019). 
Thus, English Language teachers and students in rural schools rarely have the chance to enjoy 
the benefits of these ICT facilities which slackens teachers’ motivation to teach and students’ 
motivation to learn.
Owing to the shortage of teachers in rural schools, many rural-area teachers are obligated to 
teach subjects which they have never been trained for, resulting in poor academic 
performance among rural students. In the case of English Language education, the lack of 
English Language teachers remains the biggest problem in rural schools in many countries.
Due to the shortage of English Language teachers, many teachers from non-English 
educational background are forced to teach English despite their limited pedagogical 
knowledge, competence and skills in teaching the subject. This is supported by Izquierdo, 
Zuñiga & García (2021) by stating that the lack of L2 teachers in rural schools in Mexico has 
forced the generalist teachers to teach English despite their lack of English Language 
proficiency, professional trainings and teaching skills. It is also stated by Endriyati et al (2019) 
that one of the most common problems encountered in rural schools in Indonesia is the lack 
of qualified English teachers to incorporate various teaching methods and strategies in 
teaching English to their students.
Other than that, it is found that the failure rate in English Language among students from rural 
settings is relatively high as compared to students from urban settings (Ler, 2012) which 
proves that rural students have limited competence in English Language and they struggle to 
learn the language. In rural schools, students perceive English as a difficult and challenging 
subject because they are dominated by their own local language and rarely have the chance 
to use English. This is in line with the findings by Dasaradhi, Kumari & Rajeswari (2016) which 
stated that students in rural areas use their mother tongue most of the time and they tend to 
view English as a foreign language. It is also further explained that rural students have limited 
opportunities to use or practise English which substantially affects their confidence in using 
the language inside or outside the classrooms. 
Zulkefly & Razali (2019) stated that rural students are aware of the importance of English 
Language but they do not see the immediate need of using the language to communicate with 
others, resulting in negative attitudes and ignorance toward the acquisition of the language. 
This is also supported by Mat & Yunus (2014) who found out that students in rural schools 
respond positively towards learning English which portrays their cognizance towards the 
importance of English Language. However, they are found to be quite anxious and fearful in 
learning the language due to the lack of motivation and efforts in acquiring the language as 
well as their negative perceptions towards learning the language. Therefore, it is significant 
for English Language teachers to understand the reasons which give rise to students’ negative 

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International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences