The underrepresentation of African Americans in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields in the United States is well documented. Statistics show that while African Americans make up 12.4% of the U.S. population, only 37% of African American 18–24-year-olds are enrolled in college, 45.9% complete their degrees within six years, and they earn only 7% of STEM bachelor's degrees. To address this issue from an upstream approach, Tennessee State University (TSU) houses the Tennessee Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) Aerospace Academy, a program that aims to inspire underrepresented high school students to pursue STEM degrees and careers. The program provides experiential learning, culturally relevant STEM curricula, engagement with STEM professionals, and family empowerment sessions. The study used a quantitative survey design to investigate the program's impact. Research questions examined how many students the program exposes to National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) STEM careers, the amount of culturally relevant STEM education provided, and the program's impact on students' STEM interest, identity, skills, and knowledge, as well as parents' awareness of STEM opportunities. Preliminary results indicate the program positively impacted students' attitudes and interest in STEM post-secondary subjects and careers. Keywords: Early Exposure, STEM Careers, Underrepresented High School Students, Tennessee Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP), STEM Degrees0

Idiomatics, the scientific study of idiomatic and figurative language, is examined in this article to define the boundaries as a distinct academic discipline. The investigation highlights the significant implications of idiomatics for understanding human behavior, language development, and technological advancements. A six-part approach to language study is outlined, providing a comprehensive exploration of language dynamics and application. The importance of interdisciplinary approaches, methodological frameworks, and global collaboration is emphasized as crucial for solidifying idiomatics as an autonomous academic field. Focused research enables the development of novel methodologies and tools, ultimately improving language instruction, research, and policy-making. The advancement of idiomatics as a distinct field necessitates a concerted effort from scholars, educators, policymakers, and linguists to collaborate on advancing our understanding of language and its role in shaping human culture and society. This endeavor has the potential to unlock the full potential of idiomatics and yield its dividends for future generations. Keywords: Idiomatics, idiomaticity, idiomatic and figurative language, human communication, persuasion

This paper discusses the need to develop higher education students as global citizens and presents examples of how this need is met at SJSU through institutional goal setting, as well as course and curriculum design that ensure students’ development of global understanding and intercultural competencies. Inclusive and culturally sensitive pedagogies are also discussed as key elements of this course and curriculum design. The paper also presents a host of extracurricular activities and programs, with highlights among them the Global Technology Initiative for STEM majors and the Ed.D. Leadership Program Global Field Experience, two of the most successful programs at SJSU, in hopes that the ideas presented are adaptable to other fields of study at institutions around the world. Keywords: internationalization, globalization, course and curriculum design, teaching and learning in a global context, extracurricular activities, pedagogy

The Norwegian Police University College (NPUC) is introducing sustainability leadership as a part of its police leadership studies. At present, the NPUC has no curriculum that contains any literature on sustainable leadership in the police. Thus, our two research questions were: 1. What has been written in the research literature about sustainable leadership in the police? 2. How is the concept of sustainable leadership in the police used in learning and education of police students? We decided to conduct a systematic literature review using the search terms sustainable leadership and police. We searched the databases Academic Search Premier, Criminal Justice Abstract with Full Text, PsycInfo and Scopus as they seemed to be the most relevant databases in order to answer our research questions. The results from this search were only eight unique studies that dealt with our topic of interest. The identification of studies via databases and registers was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. We draw the conclusion that there is an almost complete lack of research and curriculum literature on sustainable leadership in the police that probably will lead to unforeseen challenges for education and learning for NPUC´s students. Keywords: sustainable leadership, police, learning, education, systematic review

Over the past decade, education literature has extensively discussed collaborative, student-led, and interdisciplinary methodologies. Despite numerous studies on these aspects of education, concrete examples integrating all three elements are scarce. Chemistry and Art, a course developed at Brown University, addresses this gap by integrating all three methodologies into one practical educational setting. Utilizing the Karen T. Romer Undergraduate Teaching and Research Award (UTRA) Program, this student-centered course involves students as co-creators, enhancing the curriculum through their unique perspectives. Students also lead original research, the outcomes of which directly translate into teaching materials for the course. The course employs a case study method, traditionally used in professional schools, to engage students with real-life cases, fostering critical thinking and problem-solving skills. This method includes hands-on laboratory activities linked to lecture content, enriching the learning experience through active, student-led discovery and facilitated research. Taught by faculty from diverse disciplines, the Chemistry and Art course and its development demonstrate the positive impact of combining methodologies on student engagement and educational outcomes. Despite its success, methods used to create this course face challenges such as scalability in larger classes and resource limitations for student-led research. Future directions include developing comprehensive assessment tools, scaling activities for larger groups, and expanding interdisciplinary outreach. This adaptable model can be implemented in various undergraduate institutions, promoting student-led outcomes, collaboration, interdisciplinary learning, and effective integration of case studies into courses. Keywords: Collaborative Education, Student-led Learning, Interdisciplinary Methodologies, Case Study Approach, Higher Education

The purpose of this study is to investigate teachers’ viewpoints and conceptualizations of resilience and to explore their experiences of resilience. This is a qualitative study that uses a focus group and individual interviews. Participants were teachers who work at a primary school that has multiple risk factors, such as being at a low socioeconomic status, being in a challenging area, having disadvantaged students, and having insufficient physical facilities. A semi-structured interview form was employed in the data collection process and inductive content analysis was used in the analysis of data. According to the findings, participants defined resilience as an individual, operational, and conceptual personality trait. They described themselves as resilient and stated their resilience levels have changed over time. It was also concluded that they encountered various risk factors and had some protective factors. Their suggestions were for the educational system, teachers, administrators, and parents to foster teacher resilience. Implications for future practice and research were discussed. Keywords: Primary school teachers, risk and protective factors, teacher experiences, teacher resilience

Higher education is considered a field in which students, teachers, and researchers develop a broader view of concepts in a detailed and profound manner. Education in Africa has been seen as a field of continuous progress due to the historical and cultural entity of the continent. Efforts to keep educational content innovative and modern have been documented by many researchers in the field of digital narratives in education. Digital narratives are a new method of reporting various content in education. This research aims to unveil the promoted skills and domains in which digital narratives are incorporated in African higher education. To achieve the said aim, a qualitative document analysis was performed on several selected studies performed in African contexts. The findings suggest that digital narratives aid in improving motivation, self-confidence, cultural exposure, expression, and analytical skills among students. Keywords: digital narratives, higher education, African education, skills, motivation, skills.

In this study, it was aimed to examine the relationship between secondary school teachers' curriculum fidelity and their views on central exams. The study was designed with relational survey model. The population of the study consists of Turkish language, mathematics, science, English language and social studies teachers working in secondary schools affiliated to Diyarbakır Provincial Directorate of National Education during the 2021-2022 academic year. The sample of the study consists of 517 secondary school teachers randomly selected from these field of studies. "Curriculum Fidelity Scale", "Scale of Views on Central Examination" and "Open-ended Questionnaire Form" were used as data collection tools. The data of the study were collected online between 28.06.2021 -14.03.2022. As a result of the study, it was determined that there was no significant relationship between secondary school teachers' curriculum fidelity and their views towards central exams. However, no significant relationship was found between the curriculum fidelity of secondary school teachers working in Supporting and Training Courses and their negative views towards central exams. On the other hand, a positive and significant relationship was found between the curriculum fidelity of secondary school teachers working in the Supporting and Training Courses and their views towards the central exams. Keywords: Curriculum, Curriculum fidelity, high-stakes tests, secondary school teachers,

This study aims to investigate whether the Visual Thinking (VT) methodology and multimodal resources can enhance emotional challenges, such as stage fright, in an English as a Second Language (ESL) classroom in primary education. This research addresses a pressing issue in contemporary society - performance anxiety - characterised by heavy reliance on technology and diminished verbal communication skills. The study employs a mixed methodology: students completed questionnaires before and after participating in activities based on VT in English four classes to provide information about their backgrounds, interests and fears along with changes in their point of view about doing oral presentations. In addition, emotional metres, inspired by Brackett’s (2020) version, were filled by students to track their levels of energy and pleasantness during the activities. The analysis of the questionnaires and metres facilitated understanding the emotions experienced by students when speaking English in public, specifically delivering oral presentations in the ESL classroom. Results reveal that visual texts indeed facilitate students’ comfort in public speaking experiences, consequently leading to enhanced practice and proficiency in communicative skills. In conclusion, the participation in the lessons framed in VT contributed to students’ improvement in their emotional well-being at the same time that they improved their oral skills. Keywords: Visual Thinking (VT), stage fright, emotional competences, English as a Second Language (ESL), primary education.

This paper first establishes the need for comprehensive internationalization of institutions of higher education, using frameworks provided by organizations, such as the American Council of Education (ACE) and the International Association of Universities (IAU), as well as by internationalization experts, such as Knight and De Wit. It proceeds with a comprehensive systems analysis of San Jose State University, highlighting the challenges encountered (system traps), while attempting to change course in the oldest public institution of higher education on the West US Coast. Lastly, the paper presents a plan for systemic change, including the leadership elements necessary to challenge the status quo and move the current bureaucratic system towards comprehensive internationalization. Keywords: internationalization, globalization, systems thinking