Gender disparities in student engagement and academic achievement in public elementary schools in Tawi-Tawi, Philippines

The study addresses the limited qualitative research on how teachers in remote Philippine island communities understand and respond to gendered patterns of student engagement and academic achievement, particularly in the Bangsamoro region where functional illiteracy and sociocultural constraints remain high. This qualitative case study explored teachers’ perceptions of how gender influences student engagement and academic achievement in public elementary schools in Tawi-Tawi and identified strategies to promote gender equity. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten participants (seven school heads who also taught and three subject teachers) from remote elementary schools. Data were analyzed thematically using ATLAS.ti version 25, guided by the Self-Determination Theory. Findings reveal that teachers in Tawi-Tawi perceive that gender significantly shapes student engagement and academic achievement, with girls viewed as more compliant, diligent, and academically consistent while boys are seen as capable yet less disciplined, often dominating hands-on activities and classroom discussions but struggling with written tasks. Cultural norms prioritizing boys’ education and assigning domestic labor to girls lead to frequent absences and withdrawals, especially during harvest seasons, and rigid attendance policies further hinder girls’ education continuity. To address these disparities, teachers and school administrators employ strategies such as gender-responsive pedagogy training to reduce unconscious bias, flexible policies (conditional enrollment and catch-up classes) that accommodate girls’ domestic responsibilities, community engagement through parent forums and partnerships with tribal leaders, student empowerment programs (balanced leadership roles, mixed-gender collaboration, and girls’ clubs), development of culturally relevant learning materials featuring diverse role models, and institutional reforms that embed gender indicators into school improvement plans. Advancing gender equity requires systemic support, gender-responsive teacher training, flexible policies, localized inclusive materials, and culturally grounded community partnerships to address interconnected sociocultural, pedagogical, and institutional barriers.