VIURRSpace
The Libraries of Royal Roads University and Vancouver Island University collaboratively offer VIURRSpace to digitally preserve and showcase selected scholarly and creative works of the universities, together with special collections that represent the unique character of the region.
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Item The gardener and the well: the evolution of an educator's perspective of and reflections on inclusive educational philosophy and practice(Electronic version published by Vancouver Island University, 2025)Inclusion is an important topic both in the education system and in our society. What inclusion looks like and should look like in practice is widely debated among educators and non-educators alike. As a teacher, I have experienced the conflict between full-inclusion models and special education both internally and externally. This self-study uses an overarching gardening metaphor to discuss the implications of inclusive education in the classroom with teacher as gardener, guide, and facilitator of learning and growth. The gardener faces a challenge: they know that the well they source their water from is poisoned, and yet they must keep using and filtering that water to keep their plants alive. Using a transformative autoethnography methodology, this study explores the personal journey of understanding and developing a philosophy of inclusion as an Inclusive Education Teacher. Through critical self-reflective journaling practices and honest conversations with my critical friend, I examine my own guiding philosophies and beliefs about inclusion to critically identify biases, fears and limitations that negatively impact my philosophies and therefore my daily practice as an educator. This study examines research by scholars in both education and other related fields to honour diverse and cross-disciplinary perspectives, as inclusion is a topic that extends and interconnects far beyond the scope of education research. The findings of this study respond to the original research question by suggesting that neither full-inclusion models or special education programs are inherently conducive to truly inclusive education. It was concluded that rigid, dogmatic perspectives about the nature of inclusion may work against the goal of ensuring meaningful belonging and connection for all learners. In terms of the metaphor, the research found that the gardener must address the problem of the poisoned well and advocate for solutions, and they must also understand that the daily work of filtering is essential for the survival and health of the plants. The responsive gardener must both relentlessly reimagine the future and care for the needs present in the moment with the tools and resources they have now.Item Adult Third Culture Kid’s (ATCK’s) Concept of Belonging and Identity Creation: Can Spiritual Self-Leadership be a Solution?(2025)Adult Third Culture Kids (ATCKs), with their mobile and cross-cultural childhood, bring into adulthood both benefits and challenges which impact their personal and professional lives. This research was conducted through narrative inquiry with 25 ATCK participants ranging in age from 18 to almost 80. These participants came from various backgrounds: military kids, diplomatic kids, missionary kids, and business expat kids. The research question that guided this study was “How can spiritual self-leadership foster identity development and sense of belonging in ATCKs in order for them to elevate their potential and value contribution in the workplace?” The four objectives for this study were to: (1) identify how ATCKs’ professional lives are impacted by their cross-cultural mobile life before the age of 18; (2) explore how the Spiritual Leadership model (Fry & Nisiewicz, 2020) can foster identity development (inner life) and sense of belonging (membership) for ATCKs within the workplace; (3) examine how ATCKs’ deconstruction and/or construction of faith impacts their inner life and, by extension, spiritual self-leadership; and, (4) propose recommendations for how ATCKs can cultivate spiritual self-leadership for themselves and leverage their value within their workplaces.Four emerging threads arose from the participants’ stories. The first emerging thread was professional mobility and restlessness, which were the most commonly cited impacts on ATCKs’ professional lives. Many ATCKs feel the need to change jobs, organizations, and geographical locations frequently, mirroring their mobile lives before the age of 18. The second emerging thread was spiritual leadership in the workplace. Although only a few of the ATCKs highlighted how organizational leaders who exercise spiritual leadership had helped them mitigate their challenges, those who did, spoke of how these leaders helped to foster a sense of belonging and provided outlets for purposeful living. The third emerging thread was the core spiritual beliefs questioning process. This process varied between ATCKs where some completely deconstructed the faith they followed before the age of 18 while others only sifted through their core spiritual beliefs. Some settled on their spirituality, while others still search for their path. Regardless of where this questioning process led them, the value was in the journey, not the destination. The fourth emerging thread was spiritual self-leadership principles. These principles were gleaned from examples from the lived experiences of the ATCKs, as well as their advice for other ATCKs. The ATCKs’ narratives clearly showed how they had used spiritual self-leadership to cultivate their inner life, mitigate their challenges, and engage with their community. The spiritual self-leadership principles from the fourth emerging thread informed the creation of the Spiritual Self-Leadership model, a signature contribution of this study. The model includes six principles which are housed under two headings: Focus on Self and Taking Self into Community. The four principles under Focus on Self are know yourself, develop your spirituality, seek professional help, and commit to a lifelong, continual journey. The two principles under Taking Self into Community are build your community and live your purpose. This model was developed as a tool for ATCKs to lead themselves towards fostering identity creation and sense of belonging; however, it has implications for a much wider audience. For organizational leaders, this model provides a pathway towards greater understanding of ATCKs and their challenges, as well as awareness of the need to provide space for ATCKs to cultivate their spiritual self-leadership. As well, leaders can use this model as a guideline on how to cultivate their own inner life and spiritual self-leadership, and, using this knowledge, to encourage their followers to do the same. If organizational leaders provide space for all organizational actors to cultivate and practice spiritual self-leadership, a climate of spiritual well-being can be created and encouraged for everyone within the organization. The Spiritual Self-Leadership model has implications for both the academic and non-academic world. This model is the first of its kind to marry spiritual leadership and self-leadership into one model. This overlap can inform literature in both subject areas in the organizational leadership discipline, as well as set itself apart in its own subject area. In addition, the model can fill a gap in the mainstream leadership literature for the same reason. For the ATCK academic literature, the model contributes knowledge on how to mitigate ATCK challenges of identity and belonging in order to elevate their potential and value contribution in the workplace. Very little has been written about ATCK professional challenges and nothing on solutions. The model’s practicality can be attractive to both academic and practitioner audiences. The recommendations for practice are centered around the Spiritual Self-Leadership model and how it can be made available and usable to the greatest number of people. First, training materials should be developed for ATCKs, ATCK practitioners, and organizations with target audiences such as those who dispatch expatriates, those for whom ATCKs work, organizational leaders, HR practitioners, and academic institutions. Second, a published book should be written to widen the access for ATCKs and organizational leaders. Third, a website should be developed to further widen access and provide videos and resources for all interested in the model. Although the Spiritual Self-Leadership model was birthed from ATCKs’ narratives and was designed to help ATCKs mitigate their belonging and identity challenges, this model will also help leaders who desire to cultivate their inner life in order to become a more effective spiritual leader. Keywords: Adult Third Culture Kid, Spiritual Self-Leadership, Spiritual Leadership, Workplace Spirituality, Belonging, IdentityItem Analyzing the Role of Fast Charging Infrastructure on EV Adoption in Multi-Unit Residential Buildings: An Analysis Using Structural Equation Modelling(2025)At the request of the author, this work is not available to view until April 23, 2026 This study examines the impact of charging infrastructure on electric vehicle (EV) adoption, focusing on the utilization of Direct Current Fast Chargers (DCFCs) among residents of multi-unit residential buildings (MURBs) and non-MURBs in the City of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Using structural equation modelling, three models were tested to determine how attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control influence EV adoption and DCFC utilization. Data were gathered through an online survey of 2,599 respondents. The findings show that the use of DCFC positively impacts the intention to adopt EVs, however, attitudes toward EVs appear to have a higher influence on the intention to adopt an EV, particularly among MURB residents. For DCFC utilization, perceived behavioural control emerges as a key factor, having a dominant effect on MURB and non-MURB residents. The study emphasizes the need for targeted interventions to increase attitudes and perceived behavioural control among MURB and non-MURB residents.Item Preserving the past, cultivating the future: Responsible development in British Columbia(Electronic version published by Vancouver Island University, 2025-04)Heritage conservation and urban development are often viewed as conflicting priorities, especially in small and mid-sized communities facing resource limitations and the ongoing housing crisis. This research proposes a framework to help local governments integrate heritage conservation into urban planning, ensuring that historical assets remain functional, relevant, economically viable, and compatible with the need for more housing. The study analyzes global heritage planning practices and recommends strategies for communities in British Columbia, emphasizing regulatory flexibility, financial incentives, and community-driven planning. These strategies aim to support heritage conservation without obstructing growth. To demonstrate the framework's practical application, the research examines Fitzwilliam Street in Nanaimo. This example shows how local governments can implement targeted heritage policies that preserve cultural identity while promoting responsible development. By offering adaptable guidelines, the study effectively balances heritage preservation, urban growth, and affordable housing, enhancing both local character and economic resilience.Item Breaking the silence on violence in schools: an inquiry into the prevalence of violence in the workplace, use of restraints and seclusion, and trauma-informed practices in BC schools(Electronic version published by Vancouver Island University, 2025)There is little research on the rates of violence in schools in British Columbia (BC), Canada, specifically violence in the workplace arising from student-to-educator violence. There is also little to no research on the rates of restraint and seclusion (RaS) used in BC schools and how this may be experienced by diverse students as educator-to-student violence, especially for those who experience RaS disproportionately. The silence on violence in schools must be broken. This study sought to understand the frequencies of violence in schools as experienced by BC educational leaders, educators, and students and to identify potential solutions. Research has found that trauma-informed practices can contribute to reducing violence in schools; however, there is also little research on the rates of use of trauma-informed practices in BC schools. This study used a mixed methods approach to establish a baseline of these three under-studied areas: student-to-educator violence (violence in the workplace), educator-to-student violence (restraint and seclusion), and the implementation of trauma-informed practices. The researcher specifically sought to understand how educational leaders understand and use trauma-informed practices within British Columbia. Quantitative and qualitative findings shed light on current challenges and complexities of addressing violence in schools and the implications of ongoing gaps in the implementation of trauma-informed practices and trauma-informed education systems, and presents recommendations gathered from participants.
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