Pictures and visual symbols have long played a central role in political communication, influenced ideas and shaped public perceptions of political matters. Their impact has become even more pronounced with the proliferation of traditional visual media alongside the rise of digital technologies, social media platforms and increasingly automated data-driven infrastructures for learning and decision-making, to which visualisations are central. These technologies enable the rapid dissemination of visual content and real-time engagement with it, shaping not only preferred interpretations of policy initiatives but also policy subjects and objects, attitudes and conduct. Nonetheless, the relation between the visual and education policy and governance remains largely overlooked and under-theorised. This configurative review examines 27 research pieces to identify key themes, theoretical approaches and areas for further inquiry. It shows that the pictorial turn is yet to occur in the study of education policy and governance. This is evident in the relatively small number of studies that engage directly with visual materials, as well as the limited range of theoretical trajectories – primarily semiotics and STS – currently dominating the field. The article calls for a broader and more systematic engagement with visuality as an important dimension of educational policy and governance.
Tatiana Mikhaylova (Mon,) studied this question.