EDCI Graduate Programs

Graduate Profile

DIANA NICHOLSON

PhD Student

I came to CCFI in September 2004 after working as a researcher in the School of Child and Youth Care at UVic for the past 8 years. My recent academic work has focused primarily around issues of youth violence, but also includes work on participatory inquiry in learning communities, the development of a needs assessment tool for at-risk youth, and the development of gender-sensitive curricula for staff development in a youth custody centre.

Over the past several years I have also worked as an editorial assistant on an academic journal, and worked on a multi-year program evaluation project for a post-secondary diploma program delivered on-reserve in several communities in Western Canada. My move to doctoral studies at UBC was prompted by an interest in exploring the importance of 'not knowing' in learning communities. I have been delighted to discover - during my first several months in the Centre for Cross-Faculty Inquiry - so many profound opportunities to explore my own 'not knowing.' I am amazed by the diversity, caring sensitivity, and creative intelligence of the community which I am now a part of at UBC. I am mother to a 12 year-old son, and aunt to a 16 year-old nephew and an 18 year-old niece. I attended seven schools in my K-12 years and maintain an enduring passion for investigating how well formal education contributes to learning and development.