Emma Wheeler

Emma Wheeler is a Senior Lecturer and Acting Course Leader for the Integrated Foundation Years programme at the University of South Wales, within the Faculty of Business and Creative Industries. Her expertise spans Childhood and Youth Studies, Therapeutic Studies, and Academic Study Skills. She also contributes to teaching at the undergraduate and master’s levels in the Faculty of Life Sciences and Education.

Previously, her career included primary education (focusing on Creative Arts), child welfare work in refuge settings, and community group facilitation with third-sector partners. Since 2001, she has specialized in Further and Higher Education. Outside academia, she practices Art Psychotherapy in community settings, emphasizing outdoor therapy and arts-based well-being initiatives.

Her doctoral research explores learning differences and the transformative role of the arts in education, employing storytelling and critical education theory. Notable projects include the A Thousand Voices oral history project and collaborative exhibitions like Follow The Thread, which address dyslexia through art.

• Key Projects: Case2Study Collective (supporting dyslexic learners), Community Renewal Fund Arts Therapies Project (Merthyr Tydfil)
• Research Themes: Inclusive pedagogy, arts-based methodologies, educational equity