Dr Michael Wigelsworth

Biography

Biography

 I am a senior lecturer within the Manchester Institute of Education.  I arrived at the University in 2007 where I completed an M.Ed in Psychology of Education and subsequent PhD Education in 2010. I was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2015.

I am currently the programme director for the BSc Educational Psychology.  I also currently hold an external appointment as a topic expert in Social & Emotional wellbeing for the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.

Research Interests

My work explores child mental health and wellbeing.  This is predominantly with a focus on strength-based frameworks, namely Social & Emotional Learning. This includes:

 - Evaluations of school-based interventions designed to address child mental health and wellbeing

 - Examining how wellbeing is conceptualised & subsequently measured

 - Factors affecting the success of interventions including individual differences, school based factors and the wider ecology (e.g. cultural transferability). 

Projects

 I have led a number of milestone projects, including:

Programmes to Practices: Identifying effective, evidence-based social and emotional learning strategies for teachers and schools

SPECTRUM Review: The Development of Guidance and database of over 300 social, personal, emotional and character-based measures

The FRIENDS Programme: An evaluation of an intervention designed to address and prevention anxiety and depression.

Professional advisory, consultancy and other work 

I have provided consultancy and guidance for a number of organisations including:

 - National Institute of Clinical Excellence

 - Department of Education

 - Cross-parliamentary briefings (POST)

 - Manchester City Council