Home⇛Journal of Interdisciplinary Perspectives⇛vol. 4 no. 7 (2026)

Gender and Development (GAD) Discourse in Higher Education Institutions: A Critical Analysis of Institutional Texts in Southern Leyte

Jessa Laarni Espinas | Grace Magalzo-bualat | Aaron Espinas

Discipline: social policy

 

Abstract:

This study examined how GAD discourses are translated into institutional texts in HEIs in Southern Leyte using Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). Specifically, it analyzed the contextualization, production, and linguistic features of GAD-related texts. A qualitative research design was employed, using document analysis, Key Informant Interviews (KIIs), Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), and in-depth interviews. Data sources included two GAD manuals, three learning modules, and one learning resource collected from four HEIs in Southern Leyte, complemented by interviews with GAD focal persons, administrators, faculty members, and staff participants. The researcher thematically coded and analyzed the data using NVivo 14, while word frequency analysis identified dominant linguistic patterns in institutional texts. Findings revealed that GAD implementation across HEIs remains largely compliance-driven, emphasizing policy reporting and administrative accountability over transformative institutional change. All participating institutions integrated national mandates such as the Magna Carta of Women (RA 9710) and the Safe Spaces Act (RA 11313). However, only some demonstrated localized and context-sensitive integration of GAD principles. Institutions with strong organizational support and stable GAD funding produced more participatory and systematically developed texts, whereas resourceconstrained HEIs relied on more centralized and less inclusive processes. Linguistic analysis revealed the dominance of bureaucratic terms such as project (1.76%), implementation (0.55%), budget (0.50%), and monitoring (0.44%), reflecting the administrative orientation of GAD discourse. Marginalized groups, including persons with disabilities, Indigenous Peoples, and LGBTQ+ communities, remained underrepresented. The study concludes that institutional texts primarily function as mechanisms of compliance rather than transformative instruments for gender equality



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