We perform an asymptotic static analysis on a simple two degrees of freedom structure, made up of a highly stiff bar and two springs, which shows two different linear behaviours and different finite stiffness depending on the magnitude of an applied static force. Both regimes as well as the non-linear transition between them occur in the framework…

The use of structural equation models for causal inference from panel data is critiqued in the causal inference literature for unnecessarily relying on a large number of parametric assumptions, and alternative methods originating from the potential outcomes framework have been recommended, such as inverse probability weighting (IPW) estimation of…

In exploring how ritualized activities can help to nurture children's spiritual growth, this article encourages a re-thinking of what ritual involves. The link between ritual and routine is explored. Distinctions are drawn between personal and collective and between 'everyday' and 'special occasion' rituals, with neither the sole preserve of…

Previous research explicates ordinal and disordinal interactions through the concept of the "crossover point." This point is determined via simple regression models of a focal predictor at specific moderator values and signifies the intersection of these models. An interaction effect is labeled as disordinal (or ordinal) when the…

Pearson's correlation is widely used to test for an association between two variables and also forms the basis of several multivariate statistical procedures including many latent variable models. Spearman's [rho] is a popular alternative. These procedures are compared with ranking the data and then applying the inverse normal transformation, or…

This article links the connection between music and leadership, exploring ways to connect musical icons to teaching leadership theory and concepts. The authors utilize the relationship leadership model (RLM) and the leadership identity development (LID) model through case studies of Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and Taylor Swift. We provide questions to…

A multigenerational caregiving crisis is emerging at the interface of family and work, and human resource development (HRD) should pay attention. This perspective considers the impact of multigenerational caregiving-induced responsibilities on human capital frameworks, and their implications for HRD. We believe traditional models often neglect the…

Researchers tasked with understanding the effects of educational technology innovations face the challenge of providing evidence of causality. Given the complexities of studying learning in authentic contexts interwoven with technological affordances, conducting tightly-controlled randomized experiments is not always feasible nor desirable. Today,…

Generalized structured component analysis (GSCA) is a multivariate method for specifying and examining interrelationships between observed variables and components. Despite its data-analytic flexibility honed over the decade, GSCA always defines every component as a linear function of observed variables, which can be less optimal when observed…

The present work focuses on the performance of two types of shrinkage priors--the horseshoe prior and the recently developed regularized horseshoe prior--in the context of inducing sparsity in path analysis and growth curve models. Prior research has shown that these horseshoe priors induce sparsity by at least as much as the "gold…

This research explores the process of a Participatory Research (PR) project that brought together university researchers with museum practitioners to create reflective tools that can be used to better understand real practical challenges. This project followed Bourke's (2009) definition of PR, viewing the process as a collaborative endeavour…

The author introduces the playful-tension model, a new theoretical concept, to harmonize the gap in play design between general play theory and its actual use in designing playthings. By synthesizing a broad selection of general play theory into a single theoretical concept, the playful-tension model accentuates the delicate interplay of what he…

There are many important and interesting academic competitions that attract an increasing number of students. However, traditional student team building methods usually have strong randomness or involve only some first-class students. To choose more suitable students to compose a team and improve students' abilities overall, a competition-oriented…

Data pooling is a powerful strategy in empirical research. However, combining multiple datasets often results in a large amount of missing data, as variables that are not present in some datasets effectively contain missing values for all participants in those datasets. Furthermore, data pooling typically leads to a mix of continuous and…

Contemporary sciences, including the didactics of science, employ computational simulations as tools in their academic endeavors. The construction and application of these simulations are of interest to didactics as they contribute to shaping new perspectives on scientific activity. Consequently, they warrant special attention in…