Digital Governance Capacity and the Quality of Digital Public Services in Education Examining Institutional Readiness and Citizen Participation in Local Government

Bambang Arwanto (Universitas Kutai Kartanegara, Tenggarong, Indonesia)
Musmuliadi Musmuliadi (Universitas Kutai Kartanegara)

International Journal of Educational Narratives
Vol. 4 No. 5 (2026)

Background. The quality of digital public services in education is influenced by local governments’ capacity to implement digital governance, institutional readiness to adopt digital systems, and citizen participation in public service delivery. Therefore, examining these factors is relevant to understanding how digital governance can support the improvement of education services at the local government level. Purpose. This quantitative study aimed to examine the relationship between digital governance capacity and the quality of digital public services in education. Specifically, it investigated the roles of institutional readiness and citizen participation in supporting the delivery of digital public services within local government. Method. The study involved citizens, parents, education service users, and relevant stakeholders who had experience accessing digital education services provided by local government. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire using a Likert scale and analyzed using descriptive statistics and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to examine the relationships among digital governance capacity, institutional readiness, citizen participation, and digital public service quality. Results. The findings indicate that digital governance capacity is associated with the quality of digital public services in education. Institutional readiness contributes to the implementation of digital public services by supporting organizational preparedness, technological adoption, and service delivery processes. Citizen participation is also associated with the quality of digital education services through community involvement, feedback, and interaction with local government service providers. Conclusion. This study concludes that the quality of digital public services in education is related to the capacity of local government to implement digital governance, organizational readiness, and citizen participation. The findings contribute to public administration research by highlighting education as a sector in which digital governance can be examined through institutional and participatory dimensions.