A qualitative study of teachers' perceptions of barriers to effective education in rural areas

Education and learning have a special place as an important part of the development and identity of each person. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to this category and the obstacles to its realization in different situations with a special educational structure such as villages. The purpose of this study was to qualitatively study teachers' perceptions of barriers to effective education in rural areas. The present study applied qualitative and content analysis and used Brown and Clark's (2006) theme analysis technique. The statistical population of teachers in Qom province was in 1400 who had a history of serving in the village. Using the purposive sampling method, 24 teachers were selected. The data collection tool was semi-structured interviews that included questions about barriers to effective education in rural areas. The results showed that the barriers to effective education in rural areas can be examined from the perspective of teachers in 6 areas: 1) infrastructure problems and barriers 2) family barriers 3) intra-personal barriers 4) teacher barriers 5) situational barriers 6) economic barriers. Teachers have also come up with solutions to these problems, which are referred to as preventative components of problems and remedial factors. It can be concluded that the barriers to effective education in rural areas can be discussed and planned from the perspective of teachers from the various angles mentioned in the results. From this point of view, more attention to the issue of education and learning in rural areas is very important.