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Inference generation is a process that is key to successful reading (e.g., Bowyer- Crane and Snowling, 2005; Oakhill and Cain, 2012) and that begins to develop early in the reading acquisition process, through listening comprehension (e.g., Kendeou et al., 2009). Despite being able to generate inferences, such as cause and effect, as early as four years old (Lynch and van den Broek, 2007) inference generation is a skill not explicitly taught to many emergent readers. This study looked at wordless picturebooks and how they could be used with linguistic prompting to develop inferential thinking in young readers, building on the work of Grolig et al. (2020). The study involved a a quasi-experimental, 2-between subjects (wordless/worded picturebooks) and 2-within subjects (pre/post-assessment) design examining the impact of a reading intervention on emergent readers' inferential narrative comprehension. One group's intervention utilized wordless picturebooks, while the second group used a worded picturebook. The gains from pre- to post-assessment suggested that wordless picturebooks, alongside the planned prompts, did have an impact on the inferential narrative comprehension of the students (t (35) = 4.99, d = 1.63, p

This study examines how undergraduate students use hand gestures to offload cognitive demands on their working memory (WM) when they are engaged in three major proving activities: reading, presenting, and constructing proofs of mathematical conjectures. Existing research literature on the role of gesturing in cognitive offloading has been limited to the context of elementary mathematics but has shown promise for extension to the college level. My framework weaves together theoretical constructs from mathematics education and cognitive psychology: gestures, WM, and mathematical proofs. Piagetian and embodied perspectives allow for the integration of these constructs through positioning bodily activity at the core of human cognition. This framework is operationalized through the methodology for measuring cognitive demands of proofs, which is used to identify the set of mental schemes that are activated simultaneously, as well as the places of potential cognitive overload. The data examined in this dissertation includes individual clinical interviews with six undergraduate students enrolled in different sections of the Introduction to Proofs course in Fall 2021 and Spring 2022. Each student participated in seven interviews: two WM assessments, three proofs-based interviews, a stimulated recall interview (SRI), and post-interview assessments. In total, 42 interviews were conducted. The participants' hand gesturing and mathematical reasoning were qualitatively analyzed. Ultimately, students' reflections during SRIs helped me triangulate the initial data findings. The findings suggest that, in absence of other forms of offloading, hand gesturing may become a convenient, powerful, although not an exclusive offloading mechanism: several participants employed alternative mental strategies in overcoming the cognitive overload they experienced. To better understand what constitutes the essence of cognitive offloading via hand gesturing, I propose a typology of offloading gestures. This typology differs from the existing classification schemes by capturing the cognitive nuances of hand gestures rather than reflecting their mechanical characteristics or the underlying mathematical content. Employing the emerged typology, I then show that cognitive offloading takes different forms when students read or construct proofs, and when they present proofs to the interviewer. Finally, I report on some WM-related issues in presenting and constructing proofs that can be attributed to the potential side effects of mathematical chunking. The dissertation concludes with a discussion of the limitations and practical implications of this project, as well as foreshadowing the avenues for future research. Doctor of Philosophy In this study, I examined how undergraduate students can rely on their hand gesturing to reduce the cognitive complexity of mathematical proofs. Specifically, I studied gestures produced by students when they are engaged in various kinds of proving activities: reading for comprehension, reading for validation, presenting, and constructing proofs of mathematical conjectures. During the experiments, the participants were not given pencils/paper, calculators, or any other and other figurative materials. Therefore, they had to rely on their imagination, working memory, and hand gestures to make progress on the tasks. Results suggest that students' hand gestures have a beneficial effect in navigating cognitive challenges associated with mathematical proofs. Moreover, I show that this effect takes different forms depending on the proving activity in which the student engages. Finally, I report on some memory-related issues in presenting and constructing proofs. The dissertation concludes with a discussion of the limitations and practical implications of this project, as well as foreshadowing the avenues for future research.

A school community is often more than meets the eye. With more research highlighting the benefits of school-community partnerships, the notion of what constitutes community in an elementary school setting leaves much room to be further examined. In this study, community is considered through two lenses: a geographically-defined community and a sense of community defined by mutual sensibilities, goals, and practices (Weathers, 2011; Wenger, 1998). The purpose of this study was to understand faculty and staff perceptions of community in a challenged urban elementary school. A qualitative research methodology with a phenomenological approach was used in this case study. Participants included the faculty, staff, and the leadership team currently employed at an elementary school. Data collection methods included semi-structured interviews, participant conversations, observations, artifacts, and document analysis. These methods were used to capture the phenomenon and experiences of people working in and with the school. Three themes emerged from the data, describing who and what contribute to community in a challenged urban elementary school: (a) members of the community, (b) the prioritization of students at the school, and (c) the intractable problems that exist within the school, both on micro and macro levels. Based on these findings, the main conclusion was that teachers played the biggest role in prioritizing students, as they were the community members most immersed with students on a daily basis. Additional conclusions were: (a) the level of student need is high, (b) intractable problems challenge the development of community, and (c) principal and teacher turnover challenge the development of community. Doctor of Philosophy A school community is often more than meets the eye. With more research highlighting the benefits of school-community partnerships, the notion of what constitutes community in an elementary school setting leaves much room to be further examined. In this study, community is considered through two lenses: a geographically-defined community and a sense of community defined by mutual interests, goals, and practices. The purpose of this study was to understand faculty and staff perceptions of community in a challenged urban elementary school. I conducted my research at an elementary school in the Southeastern part of the United States. I focused on the faculty, staff, and the leadership team at the elementary school. I interviewed faculty and staff, had conversations, observed within the school, took photos, and examined documents that helped me better understand the school and its community. In my findings, I described who and what contribute to community: (a) members of the community, (b) the prioritization of students at the school, and (c) the intractable problems that exist within the school. The main conclusion in this study was that teachers played the biggest role in prioritizing students, as they were the community members most immersed with students on a daily basis. Additional conclusions were: (a) the level of student need is high, (b) intractable problems challenge the development of community, and (c) principal and teacher turnover challenge the development of community.

The first purpose of this research was to understand the factors that contribute to the underrepresentation of women of color in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) career fields, with a specific focus on understanding the issues faced by Black women. The second purpose was to analyze the gender and racial differences in the interrelationship of high school students' class perceptions, math identification, and their decisions to select a STEM major in college. These relationships are important because the growth outlook for careers in STEM is higher than other career fields and providing underrepresented women in STEM equal access to these careers is vital. Additionally, it is important to increase the gender and racial diversity of the STEM workforce. The first manuscript (Chapter 2) was based on a literature review that provided an overview of the social factors that affect the underrepresentation of women of color in STEM by highlighting the experiences of girls of color in their youth. The literature review explored the stereotypes and discrimination girls of color experienced in the K-12 school system that affect their participation in math and science, and how the intersection of race and gender contributed to the experiences of Black females when it comes to their experiences with STEM. Using the MUSIC model of motivation theory and domain identification theory, the study in Chapter 3 explored the relationship between students' math class perceptions, math identification, and decision to major in a math-intensive (i.e., math and statistics, engineering, computer science, and physical sciences) STEM major. The study in Chapter 3 used multigroup structural equation modeling (SEM) to analyze gender and racial differences among four groups Black females, Black males, White females, and White males. The results indicate that students' math class perceptions of success and interest were positively related to their math identification. Furthermore, students' math identification was positively related to their decisions to select a STEM major as they entered college. The interrelationship between math class perceptions, math identification, and the decision to select a STEM major was not statistically different for Black females as compared to Black males, White females, or White males. Implications for schools and educators for increasing the participation of Black female students in STEM are discussed. Doctor of Philosophy The purposes of this research were to understand the factors that contribute to the underrepresentation of women of color in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and to analyze the gender and racial differences in the interrelationship of students' class perceptions, math identification, and decisions to select a STEM major. Because Black women are one of the least represented groups in careers associated with STEM, one of the aims of this research was to investigate some of the factors contributing to Black women's underrepresentation in STEM careers. The research was conducted in two parts. The first manuscript (Chapter 2) was based on a literature review that provided an overview of the social factors that affect the underrepresentation of women of color in STEM careers by highlighting their experiences in their youth. The literature review explored discrimination against girls of color in the K-12 school system, especially as it relates to math and science participation, and how the intersection of race and gender contributed to the experiences of Black females in STEM. The second manuscript (Chapter 3) used the MUSIC model of motivation theory and domain identification theory to analyze the relationship between students' math class perceptions, how well students see math as part of their identity (math identification), and decision to major in a math-intensive (math and statistics, engineering, computer science, and physical sciences) STEM major. I used a statistical method, structural equation modeling (SEM), to analyze gender and racial differences among four groups; Black females, Black males, White females, and White males. The math class perceptions of success and interest were found to be positively related to math identification. Students' math identification was found to be positively related to their decisions to select a STEM major. Black females did not show a difference from the other groups in the relationship between their math class perceptions, math identification, and decision to select a STEM major. Implications for schools and educators for increasing the participation of Black female students in STEM are discussed.

The purpose of this dissertation is first to provide an overview of professional competency development and teaching in veterinary education, and then to address the dearth of research in this area by examining students' motivational perceptions of their courses, how these perceptions compare and contrast across courses, and how their perceptions relate to their effort levels and course ratings. Professional competencies encompass cognitive, social, and personal resource skills such as interpersonal communication skills, collaboration, management, promotion of public health, lifelong learning, ethics, diversity competence, and adaptability to changing environments. The inclusion of professional competencies as a requisite portion of the veterinary curriculum has evolved substantially over the past 20 years. In this dissertation, two manuscripts are presented. The first (Chapter 2) is a literature review exploring the past 20 years of professional competency teaching and its development within, and inclusion into, the veterinary curriculum. The first manuscript concludes by describing recommendations from the literature for effective methods of inclusion of professional competencies into the veterinary curriculum. The second manuscript (Chapter 3) details a study conducted in a veterinary college with the aim of determining the extent to which students' motivational perceptions of their courses affect their effort and course ratings in veterinary courses. A second purpose of this study was to identify teaching strategies that can be used to improve the quality of teaching in professional competency courses. Results indicated that perceptions of empowerment, usefulness, and interest have the strongest relationship with effort and course ratings. Based on student responses to open-ended items, suggestions were made that instructors can use to improve student perceptions in their courses as a means to potentially increase student effort levels and overall course ratings. Together, these manuscripts contribute to current motivational theories and offer instructional design ideas to curriculum designers and educators who wish to improve students' motivation and engagement in professional competency development. Doctor of Philosophy The overall purpose of this dissertation was to explore student motivation within veterinary education with the goal of identifying ways to improve veterinary courses as well as students' willingness to put effort into their coursework. This study focused primarily on the teaching of professional competencies, which refers to skills in communication, collaboration, management, promotion of public health, lifelong learning, ethics, diversity competence, and adaptability to changing environments. The importance of mastering these skillsets has steadily increased in importance over the past two decades and continues to be an underdeveloped area of many veterinary curricula. There are two manuscripts included in this dissertation. Manuscript 1 (Chapter 2) is a literature review exploring the development of professional competency teaching over the past 20 years and its inclusion into the curriculum at most veterinary colleges. The first manuscript concludes by describing recommendations from the literature for effective methods of inclusion of professional competencies into the veterinary curriculum. Manuscript 2 (Chapter 3) details a study conducted in a veterinary college in which students were surveyed and asked about multiple aspects of their veterinary courses. The purpose of this study was to identify teaching strategies that can be used to improve the quality of teaching in professional competency courses, with the hope of improving students' motivation and effort levels as well. Together, these manuscripts contribute to current motivational theories and offer instructional design ideas to curriculum designers and educators who wish to improve students' motivation and engagement in professional competency development.

This study sought to understand how high school social studies teachers identify and evaluate uses of digital technologies to implement in their classrooms. The research was a case study of three teachers guided by the question: What factors and relations shape social studies teachers' uses of digital technologies within a unit of instruction? The research question was intentionally broad to help grasp the factors and relations perceived by the teachers and not ones predetermined by the researcher. For more than thirty years the literature on digital technology use in social studies classrooms has been filled with promises of potential, calls for change in instructional practices with technology, and expressions of frustration when that change does not come. It is still fairly unclear how teachers experience uses of digital technologies and internalize their experiences to form perceptions of best practice with technology. This dissertation looked at how three high school social studies teachers experienced and defined effective technology use and the factors impacting their perceptions. The findings indicate the teachers' pedagogical approach to social studies instruction, their perceptions of their students engagement, technical knowledge, and behavior, and their experiences with the reliability and accessibility of the technology tools available to them were the biggest factors and relations impacting digital technology use in a unit of instruction. Teachers acted as gatekeepers of technology integration through a reliance on defensive teaching tactics limiting student access to digital technology beyond watching presentations and videos. These actions were, in part, due to actions that aligned with implicit racial biases found in other research around how teachers perceive students of color uses of technology. Despite stated beliefs about the desire to engage students with technology, each teacher knowingly chose to focus on using technology for knowledge transmission to meet their ultimate goal of higher SOL test scores. Doctor of Philosophy This study sought to understand how high school social studies teachers identify and evaluate uses of digital technologies to implement in their classrooms. The research was a case study of three teachers guided by the question: What factors and relations shape social studies teachers' uses of digital technologies within a unit of instruction? This dissertation looked at how three high school social studies teachers experienced and defined effective technology use and the factors impacting them. The findings indicate the teachers' instructional approach to social studies, their perceptions of their students engagement, technical knowledge, and behavior, and their experiences with the reliability and accessibility of the technology tools available to them were the biggest factors and relations impacting digital technology use in a unit of instruction. Teachers acted as gatekeepers of technology integration through a reliance on limiting student access to digital technology beyond watching presentations and videos. These actions were, in part, due to what aligns with an implicit racial biases found by research around how teachers perceive students of color's uses of technology. Despite stated beliefs about the desire to engage students with technology, each teacher knowingly chose to focus on using technology for knowledge transmission to meet their ultimate goal of higher SOL test scores.

The demographic landscape of the elementary classroom continues to grow more diverse. Due to this increasing diversity, it is important that all educators, no matter the level of experience, are prepared to support all students, especially those from unique or under represented backgrounds. One way to assist educators in meeting these needs is to provide them with educational resources and effective teaching strategies that are culturally and linguistically responsive. A possible resource and teaching strategy is the literacy tool, Reader's Theatre. Considering this, the two studies contained in this dissertation provide readers with a glimpse of how Reader's Theatre may be used as a valuable resource to foster culturally and linguistically responsive classrooms. A content analysis (Berelson, 1952; Northrop et al., 2019; White and Marsh, 2006) of 141 Reader's Theatre scripts contained in the Best Class Collection (Young, 2019) was conducted to assess the cultural and linguistic authenticity of those resources. A thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2006) was carried out accessing preservice teachers' perceptions and understandings of Reader's Theatre as a culturally and linguistically responsive teaching strategy gauging the value of combining the two teaching strategies. Overall, the findings from these two studies may serve as starting points for future research in respect to the value of implementing Reader's Theatre as a culturally and linguistically responsive teaching strategy as discussions about culturally and linguistically responsive teaching remain prevalent in today's elementary school classrooms. Doctor of Education Students in today's elementary classrooms come from a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and cultures. Due to this increasing diversity, teachers must be prepared to support these students in a variety of ways. One of the best ways to support these unique students is to use teaching strategies that are engaging and allow students to connect with what is being taught in the classroom. Reader's Theatre, normally used as a literacy strategy, could be used as a tool to address the different cultures and languages of students. In this dissertation, two research studies were conducted about the connection of Reader's Theatre and culturally and linguistically responsive teaching. The first study looked at a group of Reader's Theatre scripts to see if they were appropriate to use in the classroom to support students from multicultural backgrounds. In the second study, preservice teachers, or student teachers, were interviewed to get their thoughts as to any possible value using Reader's Theatre as a culturally and linguistically responsive teaching strategy. The preservice teachers expressed that there is value in combining the two strategies, but only when teachers plan carefully and use Reader's Theatre in a meaningful way. As elementary classroom populations continue to grow in the number of students from diverse backgrounds, the information from these two studies can provide teachers with an idea of what may be possible to support all students in being successful.

One of the core aims of education is to prepare students who have the ability to leverage their learning beyond the classroom. This is particularly important during the transition between school and work, a period where recent graduates are expected to apply what they have learned in an educational context to address real-world problems. In engineering programs, capstone courses are typically designed to facilitate this process. By asking students to synthesize and apply both technical knowledge and professional skills in a practical application, these courses have come to play a pivotal role in preparing students for work. However, for capstone courses to be effective at accomplishing what they were designed to do, students must be able to transfer what they have learned in capstone into the workplace. Existing scholarship on transfer tends to focus on identifying the mechanisms by which transfer occurs, typically through experimental studies. Yet, few studies have thoroughly examined the transition between capstone and work, and even fewer have begun to ask what knowledge, skills, and attributes (KSAs) are transferring between the two contexts. The purpose of this qualitative multi-case study was to understand the nature of transfer between capstone and work among recent engineering graduates entering the workforce. Using Actor-Oriented Transfer as a theoretical lens, this study prioritized participants' interpretations of what transfers between the two contexts instead of the researchers' perception of what should be transferring. The perspectives of eight recent graduates from mechanical engineering and engineering science programs at four institutions were analyzed in the study. Using weekly reflective journals and interviews that took place three, six, and twelve months after beginning employment, data was analyzed to (1) identify instances of successful transfer and (2) determine what factors enable or inhibit transfer between capstone and work. Four types of KSAs emerged from the analysis: interpersonal skills, analytical skills, strategizing skills, and disposition. Additionally, the cross-case analysis revealed that four main factors influence transfer: access to support and resources, project structure, contextual differences, and attitudes. This study highlights the nature of transfer between capstone and work and draws attention to the primary types of transfer and factors that affect transfer between these two contexts. In addition, it emphasizes the importance of shifting the narrative away from experimental studies of transfer by prioritizing participant perceptions through a qualitative multi-case methodology. The results of this study have implications for researchers, instructors, and employers with an interest in the success of engineers during their critical transition from school to work. Doctor of Philosophy One of the core aims of education is to prepare students who have the ability to leverage their learning beyond the classroom. This is particularly important during the transition between school and work, a period where recent graduates are expected to apply what they have learned in an educational context to address real-world problems. In engineering programs, capstone courses are typically designed to facilitate this process. By asking students to synthesize and apply both technical knowledge and professional skills in a practical application, these courses have come to play a pivotal role in preparing students for work. However, for capstone courses to be effective at accomplishing what they were designed to do, students must be able to transfer what they have learned in capstone into the workplace. Though many studies on transfer exist in current literature, few studies have thoroughly examined the transition between capstone and work, and even fewer have begun to ask what knowledge, skills and attributes (KSAs) are transferring between the two contexts. The purpose of this study was to understand the nature of transfer between capstone and work among recent engineering graduates entering the workforce. Using a multi-case study design, this study prioritized participants' interpretations of what transfers between the two contexts instead of the researchers' perception of what should be transferring. The perspectives of eight recent graduates from mechanical engineering and engineering science programs at four institutions were analyzed in the study. Using weekly reflective journals and interviews that took place three, six, and twelve months after beginning employment, data was analyzed to (1) identify instances of successful transfer and (2) determine what factors enable or inhibit transfer between capstone and work. Four types of KSAs emerged from the analysis: interpersonal skills, analytical skills, strategizing skills, and disposition. Additionally, the analysis revealed that four main factors influence transfer: access to support and resources, project structure, contextual differences, and attitudes. This study highlights the nature of transfer between capstone and work and draws attention to the primary types of transfer and factors that affect transfer between these two contexts. In addition, it emphasizes the importance of using interviews and other qualitative methods to study transfer. The results of this study have implications for researchers, instructors, and employers with an interest in the success of engineers during their critical transition from school to work.

This dissertation entitled, Exploring Design Thinking for Instructional Practice, is situated in the cognitive rigor of design thinking instructional practice and engineering design-based capstone courses. The content of the instructional practice connects with educators employing a wide range of intellectual activities or cognitive tasks in formulating their curriculum. Key attributes of design thinking were identified through a focused literature review with an emphasis on theoretical propositions applicable to instructional practice. This dissertation contains two manuscripts: (a) an exploration of the theoretical literature related to design thinking explicating implications for instructional practice, and (b) a case study involving a small, purposive, sample of undergraduate faculty members teaching engineering design-based courses with findings broadly applicable to design processes in college curricula. The faculty participants in the case study were educators at a large, public, research-intensive university in the southeastern region of the United States. The data analyses involved triangulation of semi-structured interviews conducted with faculty participants and their design-based course materials, including syllabi and lesson plan materials. The study's thematic findings were not tied to engineering but rather course design, design process, and course management. The findings show the utility of artifact creation for learning with understanding for everyone, not just engineers and other traditional designers. Overall, the dissertation contributes to pedagogy that promotes student-centered engagement for learning with understanding. It recommends design thinking instructional practice for inclusion in designing and making artifacts of constructed knowledge for learning with understanding engagements across the academy. Doctor of Philosophy This dissertation entitled, Exploring Design Thinking for Instructional Practice, integrates a wide range of intellectual activities also referred to as cognitive tasks of student-centered design thinking activities. In this dissertation, these tasks are useful for tackling problems that are not well-defined, such as, open-ended, real-world problems. Examples of this pedagogy are useful for educators considering and/or implementing design thinking in their curricula. This dissertation contains two manuscripts: (a) an exploration of the theoretical literature related to design thinking from theory to artifact making, and (b) a case study involving undergraduate faculty members teaching design thinking in design-based courses. The study's faculty participants were educators teaching engineering capstone courses at a large, public, research university in the southeastern region of the United States. Their students design and make solutions for open-ended, real-world problems that are not in textbooks and do not have "right" answers. The study's data collection phase involved interviews with the faculty participants and course materials (syllabi, lesson plan materials, handouts, and course websites). Data analysis produced three robust themes: course design, design process, and course management. These themes suggest that a design thinking instructional practice belies perceptions that design thinking is tied exclusively to engineering and other traditional design disciplines. The findings suggest that design thinking pedagogy engages students in creation of artifacts, learning with understanding, hands-on experiential learning in iterations, use of productivity tools, teamwork, and new starting points when outcomes do not meet expectations. Overall, the findings suggest design thinking pedagogy promotes student-centered design thinking activities.

Youth intention to pursue a career in agriculture and entrepreneurship is influenced by the knowledge they acquire through formal, informal, and nonformal settings. Changing youth perception of agriculture is essential for agriculture and youth development. The purpose of the study was to examine current youth perceptions of agriculture, solicit Tanzanian leaders' views of agriculture, and youth entrepreneurship. Understand youth intention and aspirations to choose a career in agriculture and agricultural-related fields, and the influence of the education system in shaping youth career decisions and entrepreneurship in agriculture. This study utilized a multi-method approach to examine youth and leaders perception of agriculture and the role of education systems on youth decisions on a career. The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and the Social Cognitive Career Choice (SCCC) were used as the theories involve the human intention and motivation to create knowledge, which may result in changing behavior. Self-efficacy, environment, culture, and critical reflection are essential when constructing knowledge, contribute to youth decision making process and meaning-making. The Theory of Planned Behavior Constructs was used to develop a survey to understand youth intentions to choose a career in agriculture and career the influence of education pathways in youth development. Through the lens of the Theory of Planned Behavior and Social Cognitive Career Choice, unstructured interviews were used to understand (i) the influence of previous background, and the need to teach agriculture to youth at a younger age for agriculture development and (ii) the community perception (leaders, teachers, youth, etc.), on youth career in agriculture and agricultural-related fields, teaching agriculture in schools, perception of agriculture and agricultural entrepreneurship. From the stepwise linear regression analysis, the model predicts 48% of the variance in student intention to choose an agricultural career. The results show that the three predictors' attitudes, perceived behavior control, and subjective norms have an influence on youth pursuing a career in agriculture. From the interviews, participants tabled their concerns about the existence of community negative perception of agriculture, very few have the idea of the agricultural curriculum in schools. Many believed that the education system does not prepare youth in decision making or facing the world challenges when they graduate. For the country's development, Tanzania needs more youth to engage in all kinds of agricultural practices for food security and poverty reduction, such as a career in agriculture and entrepreneurship. Youth can easily adopt new and improved agricultural knowledge due to their aggressiveness, eagerness, creativity, and ability to learn innovations. Motivation, creativity, critical thinking, and taking risks is essential in changing youth perception of agriculture. People they trust will influence their perception, intention, and attitude towards agriculture. Through youth programs, formal education, educators' knowledge, experience, effectiveness, preparation, encouragement, and interaction training youth on new or improved agriculture innovations can influence youth high level of achievement and success in agricultural practices. Doctor of Philosophy Very few primary and secondary schools teach agriculture subjects; therefore, many youths lack agricultural knowledge at a younger age. The formal education system in Tanzania allows students to choose Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) after the completion of their primary and secondary education. However, in most cases, students who are selected to attend TVET, especially agricultural training institutions, are those primary and ordinary level-secondary school students who did not get good grades to go for further studies. Such as advanced level- secondary school or university. Hence it makes agriculture viewed as the last option for students and works well for those who failed. Non Formal education has the potential to contribute to youth intention to career decisions and aspirations in agriculture. Youth programs and apprenticeship can provide skills needed for youth development and entrepreneurship in agriculture. It is essential for agriculture to be treated as a respectable profession and not for failures, retirees, or as a last result. It is my desire, in collaboration with others, to keep working with communities such as schools, youth programs, extension agents, and others in Tanzania to change people's perceptions about agriculture. The sustainability of social change requires leaders to involve diverse stakeholders that can contribute to the success of a common goal. Kuenkel (2016) Posit that "stakeholder collaboration is a form of co-creation" (p. 2). Engage youth in development programs to learn more about agriculture, youth engage in decision-making and participate in trade unions. Also, to attract more youth to become entrepreneurs and invest in agriculture. I desire to see more youth engage in agriculture and pursue a career in agriculture and agricultural-related fields. To see more youth are employed in the agricultural sector and well paid like other professionals. To see a change in policies and programs that will attract youth, especially girls, to study STEM at a younger age. To see leaders pioneer in building a positive perception of agriculture to the community, but also the education policy to change and give prestige agriculture profession by putting requirements like Medicine, Pharmacy, Engineering professions.