<![CDATA[Background. Public perceptions of educational institutions are increasingly shaped through digital communication and social media interactions. Although previous studies have examined institutional reputation, educational branding, and public perceptions of madrasahs, limited attention has been given to understanding how these perceptions emerge through naturally occurring digital public discourse. Purpose. This study aimed to investigate public perceptions of madrasahs in Indonesia by examining how YouTube users construct and negotiate perceptions of Islamic educational institutions through online discussions. It also sought to develop an analytical framework for understanding the multidimensional nature of public perceptions in digital environments. Method. A qualitative research design employing qualitative content analysis and reflexive thematic analysis was adopted. The dataset comprised 1,471 publicly available YouTube comments collected from nine videos representing four discourse contexts: institutional image and reputation, teacher welfare and educational policy, school choice and educational decision-making, and educational achievement and innovation. Results. The findings revealed that public perceptions of madrasahs are multidimensional and organized into four interconnected domains: institutional reputation and academic excellence, educational choice and future aspirations, teacher welfare and educational justice, and digital transformation and global aspirations. The analysis further demonstrated that YouTube comments function as participatory spaces where institutional legitimacy, educational aspirations, policy debates, and collective expectations are continuously co-constructed through user-generated interactions rather than institutional communication alone. Conclusion. This study contributes to the literature by introducing YouTube comments as a valuable source of naturally occurring public discourse for investigating public perceptions of Islamic educational institutions. It also proposes a four-domain analytical framework that extends existing research on public perceptions and demonstrates how social media contributes to the co-construction of institutional reputation and public trust in the digital era. These findings provide theoretical, methodological, and practical insights into the evolving relationship between digital communication and Islamic education in contemporary Indonesia.]]>
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