VIURRSpace (Royal Roads University and Vancouver Island University)
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Municipally supported placemaking: Understanding challenges and factors for success in B.C. cities
No full textThe purpose of this research is to understand what factors lead to successful municipally supported placemaking initiatives. The research identifies existing barriers and current initiatives through a series of semi-structured interviews with city staff and citizen placemakers in two B.C. municipalities: Victoria and Colwood. A comparison of the two locations will uncover how placemaking programs can evolve over time. The hope is that this research will provide inspiration to communities who would like to improve their public spaces and increase civic participation through the adoption of placemaking initiatives supported through planning policy and funding opportunities. The analysis will determine if and how policy, funding models, programs and other factors enable collaborative placemaking and provide a set of considerations for planners who are interested in supporting placemaking initiatives in their community.https://viurrspace.ca/bitstream/handle/10613/25838/MontgomeryThesis.pdf?sequence=3Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Community Planning in the Department of Community Planning, Faculty of Social Sciences, Vancouver Island University
Changes in cognitive control following a novel resilience-focused nursing educational program: An exploratory study
No full textThis article was originally published as: Dames, S., Young, W., Krigolson, O., Zhang, K., Stoller, L., & Bartle, R. (2022). Changes in cognitive control following a novel resilience-focused nursing educational program: An exploratory study. Quality Advancement in Nursing Education - Avancées en formation infirmière, 8(2), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.17483/2368-6669.1330Patient care is currently challenged by various factors including stress and nurse fatigue that can negatively impact nurses' health and patient safety. Emotional exhaustion and burnout among nurses are at an all-time high. Canadian nurses are reporting clinical rates of depression, anxiety, and panic at disproportionately higher rates than other public safety personnel. Innovative educational programs are desperately needed to mitigate stress and relieve distress, which will ultimately promote a healthier and more productive workforce. Little is known about the effectiveness of research informed cognitive control education within a community of practice (COP) to help nurses and nursing students process difficult experiences in order to thrive in stressful work environments.
The purpose of this exploratory mixed methods study is to determine if a novel nursing educational program that was embedded in a COP framework leads to changes in cognitive control in a combined group of 16 nurses and nursing students. It included the delivery of 20 hours of community interaction over a 5-week period. Changes in cognitive control were evaluated through electroencephalographic (EEG) measurements before and after completing the course. Participants' perceived values and priorities for improvement were captured through a focus group.
Data demonstrated an increase in cognitive control before and after the COP intervention. The focus group identified nine themes that centered on promoting connection, self-efficacy, non-attachment, accountability, and trauma-informed support, and culture change. Addressing emotional pain through structured relational practice and resilience development provides a larger context for understanding workplace stress, overload, and degraded function. Connecting these disparate stressors clarifies the supporting relationships between cognitive control, personal value, social identity, and spiritual purpose.
Resilience development education within a COP improved cognitive control, promoted an alignment with personal values, buffered participants from workplace stress, and empowered them to carry their learnings as change agents in healthcare. The study was limited by a small sample size and a relatively homogeneous population. Further research is needed to examine the impact of evidence-informed and resilience-focused COP on patient care, safety, and costs.https://viurrspace.ca/bitstream/handle/10613/25870/DAMES2022QANE.pdf?sequence=
The issue of access: parent and educator narratives of the elementary special education experience in a small urban Alberta school district
No full textOf the 742, 930 K-12 students in Alberta, 114, 267 have been identified as having an exceptionality and require special education services to effectively access education according to data gathered in the 2019/2020 school year. Current law and educational policy consider that every student in Canada has the right to access a public education. Therefore, it is essential to study the aforementioned population of students and whether the services they receive effectively provide equitable access to a meaningful education. However, there is minimal current research on the perspectives and experiences of Albertan parents and educators of students with exceptionalities. Similar research in American and international contexts is substantial, however, inclusive education in other countries and in Canada can differ significantly. This narrative study examines the experiences and perspectives of four parents and three teachers of students with exceptionalities in a small urban Alberta school district. Semi-structured interviews were conducted over the course of two months, which formed comprehensive participant narratives from which overarching themes and sub-themes arose. The six main themes captured the independent and shared essences of participants’ perspectives and experiences. Findings indicate that parent-educator relationships and access to inclusive education specialists were significant factors that influenced the school experiences of students with exceptionalities. This study contributed to the small body of Canadian research concerning the perspectives of inclusive education stakeholders, providing detailed accounts of barriers and facilitators to the provision of inclusive education. This and future research in this field will benefit all education stakeholders in the assurance of successful implementation of inclusive education and providing equitable access to education for students with exceptionalities.https://viurrspace.ca/bitstream/handle/10613/25761/Caputo.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=
Long-term impact of COVID-19 on the first-year engineering experience at a mid-sized teaching focused university
No full textConference paper: 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition. Conference dates: June 26 - 29, 2022. Location: Minneapolis, MN.© 2022 American Society for Engineering Education. This paper was originally published as: Dick, B. (2022). Long-term impact of COVID-19 on the first-year engineering experience at a mid-sized teaching focused university [Paper presentation]. 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. https://peer.asee.org/41352This paper discusses the COVID-19 adaptions made within the first-year engineering design curriculum, and reflects on their impact fulfilling the required learning outcomes, mitigating student mental health issues, and addressing academic misconduct. It will further articulate the adaptations that are planned to be continued within the first-year experience as students return for face-to-face instruction. The impact of these changes will continue to be studied over the coming academic year.https://viurrspace.ca/bitstream/handle/10613/26179/DickASEE2022.pdf?sequence=
Animal-assisted intervention as a support for students’ social-emotional learning in the classroom
No full textThe use of animal-assisted intervention (AAI) is a burgeoning approach being used in education to support students’ social-emotional learning (SEL). The correlation between SEL, academic success, and preparing students to be well-rounded individuals’ post-graduation is critically relevant. For educators to guide this process, a variety of methods can be employed. Given the benefits identified in literature of AAI, it is a promising approach that educators can adopt in their personal practice. However, research indicates that while teachers are willing to implement AAI, they require further direction on where to find information, how to access it, and the process required to employ this strategy. To augment the utilization of AAI for SEL in the classroom, the focus of my paper and project (website) asserts the positive effects of AAI for mental health, emotional health, and social inclusion with links to previous research-based studies. Additional resources are available, including steps to take, explicit examples of implementation and an opportunity to collaborate with me. By creating an informal professional development tool, educators have autonomy in accessing the information.https://viurrspace.ca/bitstream/handle/10613/25724/Neetz.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=
[Book review] Commanding hope: The power we have to renew a world in peril
No full textBook reviewThis review originally was published in The Navigator, Vancouver Island University's independent student press on December 15, 2022.Don Alexander reviews Commanding hope: The power we have to renew a world in peril by Thomas Homer-Dixon (Toronto: Vintage Canada, 2022).https://viurrspace.ca/bitstream/handle/10613/26383/CommandingHopeReview.pdf?sequence=
Understanding perspectives: a narrative inquiry exploring friendship, social interaction, and relationship-building experiences with an Autistic child
No full textAlthough children who are autistic have unique experiences that can inform social skill strategies, their perspectives are often not exclusively focused on in research studies. This qualitative study explores insights into effective relationship/friendship-building methods by listening to the stories of a twelve-year-old child who has autism. This narrative inquiry seeks to understand the perspectives and expectations that an autistic child may have when it comes to their social interactions, friendships, and teacher relationships. Stories include experiences in both mainstream and special education school programs. Data collection involved two semi-structured interviews, and data analysis used coding via inductive reasoning to develop themes. Four themes emerged from the data: exploring relationship-building, peer interactions, teacher modelling, and how perceptions can lead to emotional and behavioural responses. This study offers an example of research that can be conducted with a child who has autism, and suggests ideas for further exploration with attention to teaching practice related to fostering friendships for autistic students.https://viurrspace.ca/bitstream/handle/10613/25760/Dobler.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=
Sensory supports for inclusive environments
No full textStudies have shown that Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) is affecting individuals and how they interact with their environment. If these individuals are constantly trying to regulate themselves, it causes difficulties in trying to meet academic and behavioural demands that are present in the classroom and in public situations. Some sensory interventions have shown to be affective for individuals that struggle with SPDs. The purpose of this project is to support educators and caregivers with interventions grounded through research and analysis of literature. The implementation of a website is to bring knowledge and understanding of the senses and give ideas of helpful interventions to try in a classroom or public settings for all caregivers. This website can help to guide both professionals, paraprofessionals and caregivers answer the following question: What resources could support individuals to create a more inclusive, supportive environment when it comes to sensory seeking/avoidance behaviour? Specifically, tools/resources that can help with self-regulation, behaviour and academic support.https://viurrspace.ca/bitstream/handle/10613/25752/KKoop.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=
How local social service delivery pandemic lessons might shape post-COVID realities
No full textThis articles was originally published as: Schmid, J. & Bradley, H. (2022). How local social service delivery pandemic lessons might shape post-COVID realities. Canadian Social Work Review, 39(2), 93-100. https://doi.org/10.7202/1096802arThis contribution considers the ways in which COVID-19
impacted social service delivery in the central Vancouver Island region
over 18 months after the declaration of the pandemic. Significant shifts
in the external and internal environment were made to accommodate
requirements of public health orders, ensure safety in service, and
respond to the heightened needs of certain sectors of the population. The
impact had a different character for each of six-month tranches studied.
Lessons for a post – COVID-19 future include: make micro- to macro-level
shifts that allow room for rapid adaptation; facilitate inclusion, especially
of those most marginalized; and ensure ongoing reflection. This involves
keeping in mind the needs of service users, service providers, and the
community.https://viurrspace.ca/bitstream/handle/10613/26921/SchmidBradley2022.pdf?sequence=
Applying the motivation-opportunity-ability (MOA) model to reveal factors that influence community participation in tourism-related development: a case study of Macau Light Rapid Transit
No full textThis research study examines the contributing factors that influence three-level community participation in light rail transit (LRT) development planning and how development is improved with enhanced community participation. The Motivation-Opportunity-Ability (MOA) model was adopted in this study to reveal the factors that influence participation, while the three-level participation typology of Tosun (1999) was applied to indicate the participation result. This research presents a new approach to the study of transportation in the context of tourism and employs an integrated model that combines the MOA model and participation level to generate a better understanding of community participation in Macau, China. A total of 310 responses were collected through online and on-site surveys with residents of Macau, China who were over 18 years old. In the survey conducted in Macau, China, three levels of participation were examined by way of three components: motivation, opportunity, and ability. The findings demonstrated that motivation, opportunity, and ability significantly influenced participation levels regarding LRT in Macau, China. The component, opportunity, had the most decisive influence on the three levels of participation, emphasizing the importance of opportunity in driving local residents to participate in development planning. The component of motivation mainly described residents’ perspectives towards LRT: positive perspectives contributed to high-level participation while negative perspectives led to low-level participation. The third component, ability, refers to residents’ awareness and knowledge. The survey results demonstrated that knowledge positively influenced the three levels of participation when awareness visibly influences lower-level participation, caused by the negative information about LRT perceived by residents. As a result, this research emphasizes optimizing residents’ perspectives, providing sufficient participation channels, and conducting efficient information delivery. These findings can assist the Macau government in generating better LRT planning and can also be applied to other tourism development programs.https://viurrspace.ca/bitstream/handle/10613/25878/Fang.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=