معرفی
Mark Connolly is a Reader in Education at Cardiff University's School of Social Sciences, where he serves as Director of Undergraduate Studies. He completed both his Masters and PhD at Cardiff University, with doctoral research focusing on culture, creativity and education in urban cultural regeneration. Previously, he lectured at Cardiff Metropolitan University for five years before returning to his current institution.
His research program spans creativity in education, cultural policy, outdoor and Forest School learning, teacher education pathways, professional leadership, children's rights, and play. Much of his work examines the impact of Welsh devolution on educational structures, particularly analyzing how policy reforms reshape professional identities and leadership roles in schools.
Recent publications reveal a strong focus on headteacher recruitment challenges, the impact of political reform on educational leadership, and creativity frameworks within policy contexts. His work consistently engages with Welsh educational settings while contributing to broader theoretical discussions about professionalism and identity in education.
- Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
- Editor of the British Educational Research Journal
- Welsh representative on the council of the British Education Research Association
Connolly supervises numerous doctoral students researching educational policy, professional practice, outdoor learning, home-school relationships, and creativity. He leads significant research initiatives including the WISERD Education Multi-Cohort Study (WMCS), a longitudinal study of young people in Wales established in 2013, and the LINK-Wales project examining research capacity within Welsh local authorities.
His current research projects include completing a monograph on Creativity and Artificial Intelligence (scheduled for 2026 publication) while directing ongoing analysis of educational policy implementation in Wales through the WMCS study.
