Institutional Online Communication and Civic Participation in Education Policy: A Literature Review

This article offers a comprehensive review of scholarly literature on the relationship between online institutional communication and civic participation in education-related public policy. Drawing on 20 peer-reviewed studies published between 2010 and 2024, it identifies four thematic pillars: transparency and accountability; opportunities and inequalities in social-media participation; pedagogies for critical digital citizenship; and inclusive, arts-based or peer-led models of civic activation. Evidence from Romania, Indonesia, Spain, and South Africa shows that digital transparency improves access to information but does not guarantee meaningful engagement unless institutions adopt dialogic, value-driven communication practices. The article proposes a conceptual model linking communication styles, digital affordances, and pedagogical interventions to distinct forms of civic participation.