The aim of this research was to find out whether English teachers teaching in rural areas in Indonesia
are incorporating the Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) approach in their reading classes. The
mixed research design included questionnaires, observations and interviews. A questionnaire was admin�istered to 144 teachers in 68 rural high schools in Padang, West Sumatra. Out of these teachers, eight
were chosen to be interviewed, and observations were conducted in their classes. Findings of the ques�tionnaire showed that English teachers’ perceptions and attitudes are generally positive towards CLT in
teaching reading. However, the results from observations and interviews with the teachers indicated that
a majority of teachers still implemented the traditional (teacher-centred) approach in teaching reading
compared to the student-centred approach as suggested by CLT. The preferred choice of teaching meth�ods in teaching reading was influenced by several factors; namely, the students’ low proficiency level,
their low degree of self-confidence and motivation, large class sizes, limited teaching schedule, and the
teachers’ insufficient knowledge on CLT implementation. Finally, this research suggests that if Indonesia
expects its policy of learning reform to be successful, intensive and consistent teacher development must
be well-organized, and sufficient resources must be allocated so that all schools, especially those in rural
areas, can meet the objectives.
Keywords: communicative language teaching, English as a foreign language, reading, teachers’ voices,
rural areas.