This study investigates the awareness and perceptions of teachers in the Schools Division of Bataan, specifically

within the Dinalupihan West District Elementary Schools, concerning Gender and Development (GAD). To

address the lack of appropriate survey instruments, the researcher created and validated a new scale aimed at

effectively measuring these aspects. The questionnaire comprises two sections: one with 67 items dedicated to

awareness and another with 60 items focusing on perceptions. The validation process included a comprehensive

GAD tools, laws, mandates, and issues related to gender bias and marginalization. Furthermore, there is a

pressing need to bolster the initiatives of the Department of Education in the Dinalupihan West District, ensuring

that both administrators and staff gain a deeper grasp of critical gender-related topics. This effort seeks to create

a more inclusive and informed educational landscape for all stakeholders involved.

Keywords: Awareness, Gender bias, Marginalization, Perception, Critical gender-related topics

The primary objective that global society has set for itself by 2030 is education (UNESCO, 2019). In the United

Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the world pledged to leave no one behind. The

international community pledged to fulfill SDG 4 – “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and

education to attain more gender equality in society, rather than just providing access to education for everyone,

is why this strategy is essential. Gender-transformative educational programming involves a variety of

components, including curriculum development and teacher training in pedagogies that empower students to

challenge harmful gender stereotypes and advance gender equality in the classroom, with their families, and in

their communities. Learning settings where girls and boys may prepare for a financially independent existence

and contribute to a more stable and equitable society can be created through gender-sensitive educational

methods and institutions. (UNESCO 2023).

In the Philippines, on June 29, 2017, the Department of Education (DepEd) issued DepEd Order No. 32, s. 2017

otherwise known as Gender-Responsive Basic Education Policy. The issuance is in line with its Gender and

on the Rights of the Child (CRC) among others. As stated in the order, DepEd commits to integrate the principles

of gender equality, gender equity, gender sensitivity, non-discrimination and human rights, in the provision and

governance of basic education which is in line with the DepEd’s mandate to ensure access to basic equality

education for all. Among its provision is the continuous improvement of its support systems at all levels of

governance. (DepEd, 2023).

So, through the General Appropriations Act (GAA) in 1995, that directs all government departments and

agencies to allocate a minimum of five percent (5%) of their total annual budgets for gender programs, projects

and activities, (Philippine Commission on Women, 2023), DepEd has been capacitating its learners, teachers,

and non-teaching personnel and other stakeholders in the promotion of gender equality and non-discrimination.

So, with almost three decades of conducting GAD training by the various agencies and institutions, the

researchers now want to explore the level of awareness and perception of people in the government agencies

particularly of the teachers of DepEd Bataan, Dinalupihan West District Elementary Schools. But with the lack

of specific survey instruments to measure the level of awareness and perception, hence the need to also develop

and validate a scale to measure the level of awareness and perception on Gender and Development.

The results of this study would help provide a more dependable data collection and generate more valid and

reliable evidence on the awareness and perceptions about Gender and Development, thus providing a strong

basis in crafting extension programs.

1. To describe the respondents as to the following profile:

1.1. sex;

1.2. age;

1.3.civil status;

1.4. religious affiliation;

1.5. highest educational attainment;

1.6. years in service;

1.7. position/ designation, and

2. To determine awareness of the respondents in terms of the following:

2.1 Basic GAD Concepts;

3.2 Gender Role Socialization;

3.3 Gender Bias and Marginalization;

3.4 Gender Analysis and GAD Tools; and

3.5 GAD Laws and Mandates.

4. To determine the significant difference in the awareness and perception of the respondents considering their

profile.

5. To obtain input for extension initiatives based on the study's findings.

This study used the Descriptive Survey Research design which included the elementary school teachers, school

heads and principals of Dinalupihan West District who have undergone GAD training and seminars.

Standpoint theory concerns the various levels of people’s perceptions. The most influential factor that regulates

a perception is through experience. Tradition and culture also shape up a person’s perception to a certain degree.

One of the basic factors for altering perceptions is the socio-economic status in society. The geographical

locations, the socio-economic position in society, the kind of job a person is at, the basic gender differences all

cater to the difference in perspectives. (https://www.communicationtheory.org/, 2023)

Henri Tajfel defines Social Identity as a person’s sense of who they are based on their group membership(s).

Tajfel (1979) proposed that the groups (e.g. social class, family, football team etc.) which people belonged to

were an important source of pride and self-esteem. Groups give us a sense of social identity: a sense of belonging

to the social world. He proposed that stereotyping (i.e. putting people into groups and categories) is based on a

normal cognitive process: the tendency to group things together. (Mcleod, PhD, 2023)

Symbolic Interactionism by George Herbert Mead is based specifically on communication. Although not

awareness and perceptions on certain concepts and issues are developed.

Figure 1. Questionnaire design and development, validation, and implementation

The research framework shows the sequence of the study where it began with the designing and development of

questionnaire followed by the preliminary questionnaire testing subsequently by validation of questionnaire to

test the reliability and validity of the questionnaire and the last is the implementation where the developed survey

questionnaire was used to measure the level of awareness and perceptions on Gender and Development.

Data gathered through the Survey Questionnaire were used in crafting GAD Extension Programs for DepEd

Dinalupihan West Elementary Schools.

choose which would be convenient for them to access.

For Part 1 of the study, experts were invited to validate the questionnaire and the elementary school teachers of

circulars. The other 60 items cover the perception on gender concepts; sex and gender roles; gender bias and

marginalization; gender analysis and GAD Tools; and GAD laws and mandates.

without considering the gender-religion intersection.(Le Roux & Khalf-Elledge)

The result of the analysis indicates that the respondents’ overall level of awareness in terms of Gender and

Development (Mean=2.77, SD=0.21) is moderate, and among the GAD factors, the highest mean is on Gender

Bias and Marginalization (Mean=2.90, SD=0.28) which is described as moderate level of awareness, followed

by Sex Roles and Gender Roles (Mean=2.84, SD=0.19), Basic GAD Concepts (Mean=2.83, SD=0.17), GAD

Laws, Mandates and Circulars (Mean=2.74, SD=0.36), and lastly, the Gender Analysis and GAD Tools

(Mean=2.55, SD=0.57).

The findings show that there is a need to strengthen GAD awareness programs, in Gender Analysis and GAD

tools, GAD Laws, Mandates and Circulars, and Basic GAD Concepts, Sex Roles and Gender Roles, and Gender

(European Institute for Gender Equality, 2023).

On the perception of the respondents, the result of the analysis suggests that respondents have a moderate

Analysis and GAD Tools (Mean=2.21, SD=0.32).

suggests the need to reinforce programs and activities of the Department of Education, specifically the

Dinalupihan West District of the Schools Division of Bataan on the areas of Sex Roles and Gender Roles, Gender

Bias and Marginalization, and Gender Analysis and GAD Tools.

Gender roles and sex roles are sometimes used synonymously to refer to a set of attitudes, behaviors, feelings,

and perceptions that are typically associated more with one sex than the other (Levesque, 2014). Gender Bias

and Marginalization on the other hand, is one of the reason why an individual or a group of individual to be

excluded from full participation to a specific social, economic, and political spheres that are otherwise available

overall responses of the respondents (U=2522.00, p=0.49) when they are grouped according to sex, since the p-

values are greater than the alpha of .05, thus, failing to reject the null hypothesis.

Similarly, the result of the analysis reveals that there is not enough evidence to claim that there exists a significant

difference in the level of perception of the respondents in terms of sex. This is further confirmed by the overall

responses of the respondents (U=2688.50, p=0.73).

Further, considering the age group of the respondents, data reveal that there exists a significant difference in the

awareness of the respondents in terms of Gender Bias and Marginalization (F=2.57, p=0.04) considering the age

group of the respondents, since the p-value is statistically lesser than the alpha of .05, thus rejecting the null

hypothesis. Further investigation by conducting a Post Hoc analysis using the Tukey test, resulted in finding the

differences when the responses of the age group 46 to 51 years old (Mean=2.97, SD=0.09), which is considered

Concepts (F=6.16, p=0.001), and Gender Bias and Marginalization (F=2.48, p=0.04). This is further confirmed

by the overall responses of the respondents (F=2.06, p=0.02). The post comparison test, resulted in finding the

differences when the responses of the age group 58 years old and above (Mean=2.79, SD=0.39), which is

considered higher than the responses of the other age groups.

Considering the civil status of the respondents, the results of the analysis indicates that there is a significant

difference in the level of awareness of the respondents in terms of Gender Bias and Marginalization (F=3.05,

p=0.02). However, there is not enough evidence to conclude that there exist a significant difference in the as

confirmed by the overall responses of the respondents (F=0.46, p=0.76).

Moreover, there is not enough evidence to conclude that there exist a significant difference in the level of

perception of the respondents in terms of overall responses of the respondents (F=1.19, p=0.32).

groups.However, there is not enough evidence to conclude that there exist a significant difference in all other

variables which was further confirmed by the overall responses of the respondents (F=1.42, p=0.20).

The findings of the analysis indicates that there exist a significant difference in the level of perceptions of the

respondents in terms of Gender Analysis and GAD Tools (F=2.30, p=0.03), as can be gleaned from the p-value

which is lesser than the alpha of .05. The Post Hoc analysis reveals that the awareness of the group Jehova’s

Further, significant difference is not found in the level of awareness of the respondents as provided by F-value

Similarly, the overall responses of the respondents (F=2.96, p=0.02) indicate significant difference as provided

by the p-value, which is less than the alpha of .05, thus rejecting the null hypothesis. The post Hoc Analysis

(Mean=2.85, SD=0.13) is higher than the rest of the groups. However, it was found that there is not enough

evidence to conclude that there exist a significant difference in the level of perceptions of the respondents in

terms of the other variables

When grouped according years in service, a significant difference is found in the perceptions of the respondents

in terms of GAD Concepts (F=3.00, p=0.02), as provided by the p-value which is lesser than the alpha of .05,

thus rejecting the null hypothesis. The post Hoc Analysis indicates that the difference is found when the group

of respondents with at most 5 years of experience (Mean=2.42, SD=0.51) is lower than the rest of the groups.

However, that there is not enough evidence to conclude that there exist a significant difference in the level of

perceptions of the respondents in terms of Sex Roles and Gender Roles (F=0.59, p=0.67), Gender Bias and

Marginalization (F=0.97, p=0.42), Gender Analysis and GAD Tools (F=1.01, p=0.40), and GAD Laws,

Marginalization (F=1.03, p=0.46), Gender Analysis and GAD Tools (F=1.63, p=0.17), and GAD Laws,

Mandates, and Circular (F=1.54, p=0.19).

The result of the analysis indicates that there is not enough evidence to conclude that there exist a significant

difference in the level of perceptions of the respondents as confirmed by the overall responses of the respondents

with the F-value of 0.50, significant at 0.73 considering the position and designation of the

respondents.Similarly, there is not enough evidence to claim that there exists a significant difference in the level

of awareness of the respondents when they are grouped according to position/designation.

The result of the analysis using Mann Whitney U-test indicates that there is not enough evidence to claim a

significant difference in the level of perception of the respondents when they are grouped according to