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Curriculum supplementation by teachers is an agelong tradition, and the widespread use of the internet has increased the use of online resources in the classroom. This paper aims to explore preservice teachers’ views on multicultural science resources and make a case for the representation of the changing demographics of the American classroom in online resource development.

Using a qualitative interpretive approach, this study explored the perceptions of preservice teachers on their access to and use of online science resources through the conceptual lens of the pedagogical design capacity framework (Brown, 2009) and the first two principles of critical and cultural approaches to ambitious science teaching (C²AST) (Thompson et al., 2021).

Participants in this study have not accessed culturally relevant online science resources. They adapt the resources to meet the demographic needs of their class.

This study aims to support the need for content creators of online educational repositories to develop multicultural science resources.

This work not only gives a background to why preservice early childhood science teachers could not access multicultural online resources, but it also makes a case for integrating skills needed for teachers to create culturally relevant resources into teacher training programs.

The contemporary view of museums differs markedly from the traditional perception of scattered institutions, with urbanization and globalization reshaping their definitions and functions. This chapter explores the evolving roles of museums, particularly within the context of smart city development, with a focus on China. The chapter employs a structured methodology, first examining the positive aspects of museums, including their role in safeguarding natural heritage, promoting social responsibility, and facilitating education. Conversely, it scrutinizes the negative influences on museums, such as political and colonial interventions that impact pedagogical practices. A significant aspect of the discussion is the intersection of museum education with smart and adult education, heralding a renaissance in museum learning. A case study on the Danxiashan Geo-Museum illustrates the integration of cultural and heritage institutions into smart city initiatives, serving as a prototype for future endeavors. The chapter underscores the importance of incorporating smart and adult education into museum initiatives, along with smart innovation projects involving local museums and heritage sites. The implications extend to next-generation smart cities, offering insights into their societal, economic, and developmental impacts in the Gulf Region. Museum education emerges as a crucial yet understudied component within the framework of smart cities and education, providing a lens for reimagining future educational paradigms. By embracing the resurgence of museum education and integrating socio-cultural changes, including the rise of heritage education, smart cities can enhance their educational and societal contributions nationally and globally.

This research paper aims to shed light on Amman’s stairways and explore the potential of being successful urban spaces. It tries to identify critical design factors that contribute to making these stairs livable urban spaces to help further develop this type of urban space.

Three popular stairs were identified, for which a series of exploratory visits were conducted to document the morphological characteristics and essential activities around each stairway. This was followed by administering a questionnaire to measure users’ satisfaction with four criteria, including protection, comfort, attractiveness and functionality, to identify the strengths and weaknesses of each stair.

Results confirmed the presence of essential design aspects that encourage users to come and practice certain activities that enhance urban social life. Aspects of concern include security and protection, aesthetic quality, uniqueness, variety of activities, room to walk, sit and socialize and good management of space.

Results can be taken as a departure frame for future research to conduct deeper analysis to comprehend the stairways’ physical, contextual and social characteristics. Understanding the settings of such vital urban spaces will help revive their roles and bring back their brilliance to restore the city’s liveliness and maintain a better life quality for its residents.

Research interests almost lack studies addressing urban stairways aiming to understand the qualities that enable them to attract people and activities. The manuscript presents beneficial research that tackles the vitality of urban stairways, as an example of linear public spaces. Enhancing the quality of these spaces will help stimulate pedestrian movement and activate walking as an essential sustainable means of commuting at the city level.

Population control as a state-sponsored activity came into prominence following the publication of Ehrlich’s The Population Bomb in 1968. This was taken up by the IPCC, but by 1994, this changed and any mention of population reduction as a part-solution to CO₂-induced global warming became taboo. Later, when drastic reductions in birth rates as measured by Total Fertility Rates (TFR) were observed in economically advanced countries, books were written to celebrate the fact. The population bomb, it seems, had been defused spontaneously, or so it was claimed. The new problem for many states was the decline of their native populations, and the aging workforce triggering the need for mass immigration to fill the gaps. This chapter traces the ebb-and-flow of Population Policy related to climate change and net-zero. The current ‘hands-off, the problem is solved’ policy is a grievous mistake and may hasten the Major ‘Population Correction’ (he means catastrophic near wipeout) described by William E Rees in 2023. If States and inter-governmental organisation would get behind a policy of non-coercive population reduction, then the goal of net-zero can be achieved quicker and more easily.

This study aims to evaluate whether key factors related to homelessness and the utilisation of support services by homeless youth are associated with their employment outcomes.

Data from 402 young people living in 21 housing accommodation buildings across three urban cities in England are used to evaluate the study’s research aims.

The results revealed that non-native and non-heterosexual homeless youth were overrepresented in housing accommodation and experienced lower employment rates than native and heterosexual homeless youth. The estimates indicated that employment levels among homeless youth were negatively associated with several factors related to homelessness, such as parental neglect, substance misuse and inadequate social care during childhood. Conversely, the estimates showed that both employment levels and the duration of employment among homeless youth were positively associated with the use of well-being, educational, mentoring and employment support services. A critical insight, however, indicated that discrimination in the labour market reduced their employment prospects.

A policy approach should recognise the multifaceted nature of the challenges identified and advocate for a comprehensive strategy that integrates preventative measures, support services and targeted interventions to address the root causes of homelessness while providing holistic support to vulnerable youth populations. If inadequate living conditions are a significant factor in homelessness and are also associated with reduced employment among young people, interventions can be tailored to achieve sustainable outcomes for at-risk youth, thereby breaking the cycle of homelessness and unemployment. Moreover, ensuring that homeless youth have easy access to housing accommodation is crucial in preventing their exclusion from available support services, as this study has shown such access yields positive outcomes.

This study contributes to the literature by expanding the application of capability theory in the multidimensional study of youth homelessness. Furthermore, it develops and validates two new scales to capture both factors of youth homelessness and the utilisation of support services by homeless youth, facilitating evidence-based recommendations for policymakers.

The ability of a business to outperform its rivals is known as its competitive edge, and it presents special difficulties in the context of the “digital revolution,” or the fourth industrial revolution. To obtain a competitive edge in the startup operations 4.0 era, this study aims to examine the organizational, technological and competence-related challenges presented by Industry 4.0. It does this by concentrating on the tools, competencies, methods, approaches, tools and strategies that are crucial. Using the Total Interpretive Structural Modeling (TISM) technique, the goal is to find, analyze and classify enablers for startup operations 4.0.

A closed-ended questionnaire and planned interviews were used in the data collection process. In startup operations 4.0, the cross-impact matrix multiplication applied to classification method is used to rank and categorize competitive advantage factors, whereas the TISM technique is used to analyze how components interact.

The study highlights the critical significance of the “Internet of Things (IoT),” “information technologies,” “technological platforms,” “employee empowerment,” “augmented reality (AR)” and “operational technologies” in its identification of 12 enablers for startup operations 4.0.

The main focus of the study is on the variables that affect startup operations 4.0’s competitive advantage.

Academics and important stakeholders can better understand the factors influencing competitive advantage in startup operations 4.0 with the help of this research.

Large businesses have been profoundly impacted by Industry 4.0 principles; however, startup operations 4.0’s competitive advantage has not received as much attention. This paper offers a fresh take on the concept of competitive advantage in startup operations 4.0 research.

The purpose of this study is to explore how intercultural competencies impact the employment of young people, and to showcase virtuous examples of practices by the University of Turin and the company Global Mindset Development.

Drawing upon a comprehensive review of relevant literature, this paper highlights the theoretical foundations of intercultural competencies and their relevance to labor market integration. It examines their multidimensional nature, encompassing knowledge, skills, attitudes and awareness necessary for individuals to effectively navigate and engage with diverse cultural contexts. The paper then presents several good and promising practices realized by the University of Turin and the training and consultancy company Global Mindset Development. Furthermore, it addresses potential challenges associated with developing and implementing intercultural competencies in practice.

The study enriches the body of literature on the importance of intercultural competencies for young workers acquired through experiences such as international mobility for labor market integration.

The study presents some innovative approaches to training through experiential and mobility training programs. These new examples of practices can inspire further research and implementation.