Ms Ameena Asad

Research

Research Interests

My research explores how racially minoritised girls in Wales understand their identities, express their voices and navigate belonging in school. I am interested in how power operates through educational structures, and how creative, culturally grounded methods can redistribute that power by recognising young people as experts in their own lives. My work sits at the intersection of decolonising methodologies, participatory research, arts‑based inquiry, and youth voice, with a strong commitment to ethics of care.

Current Projects

PhD Research: Redistributing Power in Welsh Education

My doctoral project examines how ethnic minority girls represent themselves within Welsh schooling using multimodal, arts‑based and co‑produced methods. Through creative workshops, participants generate artefacts: drawings, objects, collages, materials, that express what matters to them beyond spoken or written accounts.

Creative Methods for Community Learning

I design and deliver interactive sessions for adult learners, including psychology workshops and creative taster sessions for mums with limited English. These sessions use storytelling, craft and experiential learning to support confidence, wellbeing and community connection.

Race, Rights and Representation in Wales

I contribute to public engagement and teaching on racialised experiences in Welsh education, drawing on UNCRC rights, hidden racism and culturally responsive practice.

Why This Research Matters

Racially minoritised girls’ experiences are often overlooked or misrepresented in educational research. By centring their voices and using creative, participant‑led methods, my work challenges extractive research norms and contributes to more equitable, culturally grounded approaches in Welsh schooling. This research supports conceptual impact (reframing voice and belonging), instrumental impact (informing practice and policy conversations), and capacity‑building impact (developing expressive agency and creative confidence).

Collaborations & Funding

• ESRC-funded PhD researcher, Cardiff University
• Collaborations with community organisations and youth groups
• Contributor to DARPL (Diversity and Anti‑Racism Professional Learning) conversations

Further Reading

• Hidden in Plain Sight: Racism Is Not Always Seen – DARPL

Teaching

Subjects I Teach

Social Psychology

I teach introductory and applied social psychology in community settings, focusing on identity, belonging, behaviour and interpersonal processes.

Health Psychology

I design and deliver interactive sessions on wellbeing, behaviour change and applied health psychology for adult learners.

Psychology of Play

I run creative, hands‑on workshops exploring early development, play and parent–child interaction, particularly for mums with limited English.

Race, Rights and Representation in Education

I deliver guest lectures and public engagement sessions on racialised experiences in Welsh schooling, hidden racism, and culturally responsive practice.

Teaching Approach

My teaching is grounded in participatory, creative and experiential methods. I aim to create inclusive learning environments where learners feel safe, respected and able to express themselves. I draw on multimodal practices: storytelling, craft, material exploration to support confidence, curiosity and meaningful engagement.

Academic Affiliations & Training

• Community Tutor, Cardiff University
• LEARN (Lifelong Learning) Educator
• ESRC-funded researcher with advanced training in qualitative, creative and participatory methods
• Former school staff member and parent governor with experience in community education

Biography

I am a social science researcher whose work focuses on race, identity, voice and belonging in Welsh education. I came into academia after more than a decade working in schools, community education and governance, where I saw first‑hand how structural inequalities shape young people’s everyday experiences. These experiences led me back into higher education, where I completed a first‑class degree in Human and Social Sciences, followed by a Masters in Research Methods. I am now a second‑year PhD researcher at Cardiff University, exploring how racially minoritised girls understand and express their identities within school spaces.

My academic journey has been shaped by a commitment to equity, youth voice and culturally grounded research practices. I teach social psychology and health psychology in community settings, and I design creative, participatory workshops for learners with diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Across my work, I aim to redistribute power within research and education by recognising young people as experts in their own lives and creating spaces where their voices can be heard, valued and acted upon.

Honours and awards

• ESRC Studentship Award, Cardiff University (2024)
• First‑Class Honours, Human and Social Sciences (2023)

Academic positions

• Community Tutor, Social Psychology & Health Psychology, Cardiff University (2024–present)
• Guest Lecturer, Race, Rights and Representation in Welsh Education, Cardiff University (2024)
• Community Educator, Lifelong Learning (LEARN), Cardiff University (2024–present)

Speaking engagements

• Guest Lecture, Cardiff University- June 2026 “Race, Rights and Representation in Welsh Education” Delivered a short lecture examining how race, rights and representation intersect within Welsh schooling, framed through the UNCRC. Drawing on lived experiences and examples, I highlighted how hidden forms of racism shape everyday school life. I introduced my decolonial, participatory and creative research approach, showing how arts‑based methods can redistribute power and create meaningful space for racially minoritised girls to express what matters. Students were encouraged to notice, question and challenge whose voices are amplified in education, and whose are missing.

• School of Journalism, Media and Culture, Cardiff University- May 2026 “Redistributing Power: Creative, Co‑Produced Methods with Ethnic Minority Girls in Welsh Schools” Presented emerging doctoral research on decolonising, creative and participatory methods with racially minoritised girls in Welsh education. The talk explored how multimodal, arts‑based practices can redistribute power, centre lived experience, and challenge extractive research norms. I discussed how co‑production enables young people to shape their own narratives and how these approaches can support more equitable, culturally responsive educational environments.

• Community Teaching Session- September 2024 “Psychology of Play: Creative Learning for Mums with Limited English” Delivered an interactive session using creative and experiential methods to explore the psychology of play with ESOL learners, supporting confidence, expression and community learning.

• Amsterdam Conference- October 2023 “At the Intersection: Policy and Racism” Examined barriers to enacting anti‑racism in education by analysing how historical and cultural norms shape majoritarian narratives, how prejudices and unconscious biases, including those related to religion obstruct anti‑racist practice, and how fit‑for‑purpose policies can support institutional actors. I concluded by outlining my own research and highlighting Wales’ commitment to becoming an anti‑racist nation by 2030.