Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Mental Toughness, Well-Being, And Coach-Created Motivational Climate Within Collegiate Athletics, Chad Doerr

Dissertations, 2014-2019

This study examined the relationship between college student-athletes’ well-being, self-ratings of mental toughness in sport, and perceptions of the coach-created motivational climate. One hundred and two NCAA Division I female student-athletes completed measures of well-being, mental toughness, and coach-created motivational climate over the course of a university academic year. The author hypothesized that mental toughness and perceptions of the coach-created motivational climate would predict well-being. Overall, the results of the study found a predictive relationship between well-being and mental toughness, and well-being, mental toughness, and an ego-involving coach-created motivational climate.

These results provide initial evidence that cognitive, affective, personality, and …

The Influence Of Covariate Measurement Error On Treatment Effect Estimates And Numeric Balance Diagnostics Following Several Common Methods Of Propensity Score Matching: A Simulation Study, Heather D. Harris

Dissertations, 2014-2019

In applied intervention studies, researchers frequently aim to make inferences about the impact of a treatment program on participants. However, applied researchers are often faced with threats to the internal validity of their studies, or the extent to which changes in participants’ outcomes can be attributed to the intervention. When researchers are unable to randomly assign study participants to treatment conditions, changes in the intervention outcome might be confounded with systematic differences in participants’ baseline characteristics. Propensity score matching is one technique that allows researchers to account for threats to the internal validity of a study. Specifically, using propensity score …

In Search Of Equality: Developing An Equal Interval Likert Response Scale, Elisabeth M. Spratto

Dissertations, 2014-2019

Attitude scales are an important component of educational and psychological research. One consideration when seeking to make valid inferences from attitudinal data is the issue of the degree to which response options can be assumed to have equal intervals. Many response options on attitudinal measures may produce ordinal-level data rather than interval. This poses a problem for the statistical tests that may be used, as many analyses assume interval-level data. It also poses an interpretational issue if the conceptual distance between response options is not the same – for example, if a researcher believes that someone who answered Agree differs …

How Undergraduate Students' Perceptions Of Academic Librarians Can Inform Innovative Teaching, Jody C. Fagan, Hillary Ostermiller, Elizabeth Price, Lara Sapp

Libraries

Student perceptions of teachers can influence the success of instruction, and library instruction is no exception. Understanding the mindset of students can help academic librarians prepare for in-person and asynchronous classes and create instructional materials. By anticipating students’ impressions, librarians can challenge false assumptions and improve interactions. This poster highlights findings from a large study of how undergraduate students at one institution perceive academic librarians.

Global Mapping And Analysis Of Anti-Vehicle Mine Incidents In 2017, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

This report presents and analyses AVM incident data from 2017. It follows up on and compares findings with earlier reports published by the GICHD and SIPRI examining AVM incidents in 2015 and 2016.

Data in this report stem from field reports from states, mainly national mine action authorities/centres, as well as mine action and other humanitarian organisations, and from media reviews in Arabic, English, French, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Urdu and Ukrainian.

United Nations Improvised Explosive Device Disposal Standards, Unmas

Global CWD Repository

These IEDD Standards have been designed for the safe, effective and efficient disposal of IEDs. They aim at ensuring uniformity and technical specificity related to the generation of an IED disposal capability. They establish the minimum competencies required for IEDD operators and frame the methodology for the clearance of IEDs. The Standards provide guidance on how to carry out IED disposal planning, the competencies and associated training and equipment required to conduct IED disposal operations, as well as the appropriate approaches to IED clearance in rural and urban areas, IED information management and IED risk education.

The United Nations IEDD …

The State Of Play In Safe And Secure Management Of Ammunition, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

he recognition of the dual threat of poor management of conventional ammunition in terms of uncontrolled proliferation and devastating explosions has placed the safe and secure management of ammunition (SSMA) ever more firmly on the international political and normative agenda.

Operationally, international cooperation and assistance is stepping up to strengthen national efforts. This heightened attention to the topic makes it ever more judicious and timely to review the state of play in SSMA.

This GICHD report discusses if current practice addresses the challenge at hand and identifies bottlenecks requiring further action to overcome the challenge more effectively, sustainably and in …

Advanced Geophysical Classification Of Wwii-Era Unexploded Bombs Using Borehole Electromagnetics, Laurens Beran, Stephen Billings

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The legacy of World War II-era unexploded bombs (UXB) is an ongoing public safety hazard throughout Europe, and especially in Germany. Large, air-dropped bombs that are a legacy of Allied bombing campaigns are discovered on a weekly basis in Germany, requiring evacuations and disposal efforts costing hundreds of thousands of Euros in some instances.

This article presents recent work done by Black Tusk Geophysics using advanced geophysical classification (AGC) to reliably identify hazardous ordnance at urban sites in Germany. After briefly describing electromagnetic (EM) sensors and data processing required for AGC, this article will discuss survey and design considerations for …

The Journal Of Conventional Weapons Destruction Issue 22.1 (2017), Cisr Jmu

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Editorial: The Evolution of PPE in HMA

Feature: BAC in Urban Areas

in the Spotlight: Europe

Field Notes

Research and Development

Field Notes

Lessons From The Past: The Rapid Clearance Of Denmark’S Minefields In 1945, Roly Evans

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The clearance of the vast majority of Denmark’s minefields during 1945 was remarkable. In just under five months, a force ranging between 750 and 2,600 German prisoners of war (POW) under the supervision of 250–350 Danish officers and noncommissioned officers cleared 1,389,281 mines from an area of 1,103.2 sq km (425.9 sq mi). Such speed of clearance stands in stark contrast with much of modern humanitarian mine action since the 1990s. This article will explain how such speed was possible and why it could not reasonably be repeated today. The article will also identify a number of important lessons that …

Determining The Value Of Uavs In Iraq, Brad Alford, Edward Curran, Shawn Cole

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

As areas of Iraq and Syria controlled by ISIS are liberated, internally displaced persons (IDP) are returning to their homes to face widespread destruction and contamination from deadly improvised explosive devices (IED) implanted by ISIS to maim, kill, and terrorize. Janus Global Operations (Janus) currently operates throughout Iraq, clearing IEDs with a focus on bringing critical infrastructure online to allow IDPs to return safely and resume their lives.

Operating in urban environments has proven challenging due to the high volume of destroyed buildings and associated rubble. In urban environments, operators are exposed to uncertain situations when traditional detection methods can …

Why Is Water So Efficient At Suppressing The Effects Of Explosions?, Stephen Salter, John Parkes

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

When most experienced explosives engineers first observe an explosion suppressed by bags of water, they are convinced that there has been a misfire. Depending on the amount of water and the way it is contained, the overpressure can be reduced by a factor of ten, sometimes more than twenty. The number of fragments from shell cases can be one hundred times less. Their velocities can be seven times. Slugs from focal point charges are stopped. Safety distances around magazines can be cut. The number of people evacuated from a bomb disposal site can be reduced. In June 1999, engineers from …

Clearing Safe Spaces For Drought Affected Communities In Somaliland, Edward Lajoie, Megan Dwyer

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Governments and nongovernmental organizations (NGO) working in the Horn of Africa consistently identify conflict and climate change as two primary drivers of insecurity in the region. The HALO Trust’s landmine and explosive remnants of war (ERW) clearance in the Republic of Somaliland over the last 19 years has been at the intersection of these two issues.

Minefield Sketch Maps In Humanitarian Mine Action, Jesse Hamlin, Luan Jaupi

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Digital technology has the ability to bring minefield artifacts from the field to life. The HALO Trust (HALO) has been using Colortrac large format scanners in several programs around the world, to scan minefield sketch maps from the field, allowing these historical records to be viewed on desktop and laptop computers. Once the maps are scanned, they are geo-referenced in geographic information systems (GIS) to display alongside other layers, and used to allow HALO to build its database of activities through digitization of paper records alongside data that is recorded directly onto tablets.

Mitigating Adverse Environmental Impacts In Mine Action, Martin Jebens, Gianluca Maspoli

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In order to help mitigate adverse environmental impacts, this article supports the mainstreaming of environmental concerns into mine action. This is achievable by strengthening existing standards, and is motivated by two main factors.

Ppe Development And Needs In Hma, Andy Smith

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

As written in the International Mine Action Standards (IMAS) 10.30 on personal protective equipment (PPE), “the primary means of preventing explosive injury in the workplace is by the supervised use of demining tools and processes that reduce the likelihood of an unintended detonation.” The IMAS goes on to state that PPE “should be the final protective measure after all planning, training and procedural efforts to reduce risk have been taken.” To date the “final protective measure” has been to provide PPE that is practical but that does not provide full protection.

Critical Thinking Skills Across The Semester In Lecture- And Team-Based Learning Classes, Zachary Buchin

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

Team-based learning (TBL) classes utilize techniques believed to foster increases in critical and higher-order thinking skills when compared to lecture classes. This study compares increases in critical and higher-order thinking skills in a TBL class and a lecture class covering identical subject matter and taught by the same professor during a single semester. Raw score changes on the the Halpern Critical Thinking Assessment S2 (HCTA S2) were used to measure critical thinking skill changes and Bloom’s Taxonomy was used to differentiate higher-order questions on the final exam. No significant difference was found between the two classes when comparing raw score …

The Birds And The Bees: The Impact Of Parent-Child Communication On Adolescent Sexual Health, Hannah Adams

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

Having “the talk” with children can be difficult and uncomfortable. However, recent behavioral research indicates that having this conversation, and having it often, is important for raising sexually healthy adolescents. This paper provides an overview of the literature surrounding the role of parent-adolescent communication in the development of sexually healthy young adults, including benefits for LGBTQIA+ youth. The findings suggest that non-judgmental parental communication can encourage condom use, delay initiation of intercourse, and reduce mental health issues arising from a perceived lack of support for sexual choices.

The Discoverability Of Award-Winning Undergraduate Research In History: Implications For Academic Libraries, Jody C. Fagan, Malia Willey

Libraries

Making scholarly information visible to web search engines is an ongoing challenge, and undergraduate research is no exception. Using a sample of award-winning undergraduate history papers and journals, the authors searched Google, Google Scholar, Microsoft Academic, and the authors’ institutional repository to gauge the difficulty of locating these works. Given that many of these works were not easily found, results suggest that libraries and their institutions could be doing more to increase the discoverability of undergraduate research. Based on the success stories observed in this study, we offer strategies to libraries and librarians for increasing the visibility of undergraduate student …

Acknowledgments, Howard S. Carrier

International Journal on Responsibility

Serious work to bring the International Journal on Responsibility to life commenced during the summer of 2015. In the intervening period between conceptualization and publication, many organizations and individuals within James Madison University and the wider community have contributed enormously to bringing the journal to fruition.

Who Is Responsible For Ethical Legal Education, For What And To Whom? Case Of Kosovo, Sabiha Shala, Gjylbehare Muharti

International Journal on Responsibility

Legal education continues to be one of the most demanded areas of study from the younger generation in Kosovo. As result, the number of law graduates is quite high. On the other hand, the rule of law sector is quite fragile, judges and lawyers are perceived by parts of the society to be ethically dysfunctional. The trust in judicial institutions is quite low. The debate which is going on now is whose main responsibility for such a situation that is. Is the duty of the higher education institutions providing legal education, or is it a responsibility of educational institutions at …

Resolving The Paradox Of Holding People Responsible, Hal Pepinsky

International Journal on Responsibility

Regardless of justification, it is commonplace throughout the U.S. criminal justice system as in everyday life to teach our offenders and children alike that wrong actions “have consequences,” namely, those authority figures promise to impose upon them. We do so in the name of holding people responsible for their actions, or in legal parlance in civil law, holding them accountable or liable. I noticed that in Norwegian, responsibility, accountability and liability translate into one word, ansvar, which I have translated from Germanic to Latin roots as “responsiveness.” In practice, the state of being responsive to others with whom one conflicts …

Political Flip-Flopping, Political Responsibility, Current Governance, And The Disenfranchised, T.Y. Okosun

International Journal on Responsibility

No abstract provided.

What Does Responsibility Mean To Me?, Arun Gandhi

International Journal on Responsibility

No abstract provided.

Who Is Responsible To Do What For Whom? A Letter From The Editor-In-Chief, Terry Beitzel

International Journal on Responsibility

No abstract provided.

Analyzing The Minority Experience Through Poetic Inquiry, Abriel Maldonado

SCOM Undergraduate Research Conference

Poetic inquiry is the process by which the author unearths key words from the data and strategically truncates these words into poetic structures.The following poems utilize this process in order to articulate the findings of a two-year qualitative study investigating the minority experience at a predominantly white institution (PWI).This qualitative study employed eight semi-structured interviews and was conducted at a mid-sized, public University in the Chesapeake region of the United States. All participants identified as a racial minority on the predominantly white campus and their varied experiences represent the heterogeneity of the minority experience on campus.

Keywords: minorities, predominantly white …

‘I Am With You’: A Feminist Oppositional Narrative Analysis Of Emily Doe’S Recited Letter To The Defendant, Taylor Hollowood

SCOM Undergraduate Research Conference

I provide an analysis of the rhetorical techniques used by Emily Doe, as she addresses Brock Turner and the rest of the court during Turner’s sentencing hearing, in order to combat the patriarchal assumptions present in today’s society with regard to sexual assault. Furthermore, this manuscript explores issues of gender and communication through the lens of sexual assault, shedding light on the incongruities of language in modern American society.

Fed Up With The Personal Responsibility Of Obesity: A Pentadic Analysis Of Fed Up, Rebekah Peterson

SCOM Undergraduate Research Conference

This paper uses Kenneth Burke’s pentadic criticism to examine the reality Fed Up, a documentary about obesity in the United States, wants its audience to accept about the obesity epidemic and why. The first half of the documentary frames the obesity epidemic as scene-act in order to change the audience’s reality of the issue because the obesity epidemic has been framed in society as agent-act, portraying obesity as the individual’s fault. The second half shifts to an agent-scene ratio to answer why Fed Up attempts to change the audience’s reality. The implications of the pentadic ratios and shift are discussed …

United Airlines' Public Relations Crisis, Katie Crowther, Andrew Mueller, Jared Van De Crommert, Laura Arroyo, Matt Jones

SCOM Undergraduate Research Conference

This project involves an in-depth analysis of how the United Airlines Express Flight 3411 affected customer’s attitudes, intent to fly, and supportive communication intent of the Airline Company, United, among a sample population. The goal is to demonstrate whether or not the incident on flight 3411 affected the JMU student body as a whole and whether or not they would still fly with United Airlines.

"Are You Okay?" A Rhetorical Analysis Of Jon Stewart's 9/11 Monologue And His Role As Leader, India Hagen-Gates

SCOM Undergraduate Research Conference

This project uses the Narrative Paradigm presented by Walter Fisher in order to analyze Jon Stewart’s monologue after 9/11 and understand its effects on his audience. I look deeply at the surrounding context, especially the late night response to 9/11 and the expectations for Stewart’s return. Narrative Criticism allows us to better understand Stewart’s perspective on the events of 9/11. The story he presents is clear in its theme of hope. This method allows for a deep appreciation of how Stewart identifies with his audience, while separating his own voice from the crowd. I argue that he acts as a …