Dr Aisling Culshaw

Profile

Dr Aisling Culshaw is a Senior Lecturer and researcher in Education at Liverpool John Moores University, with a specialist focus on trauma-informed practice, emotional wellbeing, and inclusive pedagogies. She holds a PhD from the University of Chester, where her doctoral research explored school staff perspectives on trauma-informed approaches and their impact on behaviour management systems.

Aisling has extensive experience in leading and teaching undergraduate and postgraduate modules across Early Childhood Studies and Education, including areas such as pedagogical approaches, sustainability, health literacies, and social justice.

Her research is widely published in peer-reviewed journals and edited volumes, with recent work examining behaviour management in schools, trauma-informed education in higher education, the power-threat-meaning framework in UK schooling, and curriculum design for emotional regulation and wellbeing.

Research

Publications

Doctoral Thesis:

• Culshaw, A. A. (2025). Examining perspectives of school staff on trauma informed practice and its influence on ‘behaviour management’ – a case study analysis. [doctoral thesis]. University of Chester.

Journal articles:

• Culshaw, A.; Hadfield, E.; Bodfield, K.; Siddiqui, M.; and Yearsley, S. (2025). Academic Formulation – Changing Behaviour Paradigms in Education to Better Support Children and Young People. Pastoral Care in Education.
• Culshaw, A. (2025). Discursive Spaces in Education Perpetuated by Behaviour Management Systems. Pedagogy, Culture and Society.
• Bodfield, K., Culshaw, A. & Hadfield, E. (2025). Curriculum for Wellbeing – Embedding Emotional Regulation Strategies into Teaching in Higher Education: Trial Study. Pastoral Care in Education.
• Bodfield, K. and Culshaw, A. (2025). “It would be very strange to make an artificial cut off point at 18 that trauma suddenly isn’t relevant” – Perspectives of Trauma-Informed Practice in Higher Education". Journal of Adult & Continuing Education. https://doi.org/10.1177/14779714241308505
• Culshaw A., Bodfield, K. (2024). Trauma-informed education: a case for compassion-focused teaching? Pastoral Care in Education: An International Journal of Personal, Social and Emotional Development, :1-12 DOI Publisher Url Public Url
• Brett A, Bodfield K, Culshaw A, Johnson, B. (2024). Exploring LGBTQ+ teacher professional identity through the power threat meaning framework. British Educational Research Journal, :1-17 DOI Publisher
  Url Public Url
• Bodfield K, Culshaw A. (2024). The place for diagnosis in the UK education system? Journal of Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties, DOI Publisher Url Public Url
• Bodfield K, Culshaw, A. (2024). Applying the power threat meaning framework to the UK education system. Pastoral Care in Education: An International Journal of Personal, Social and Emotional Development, DOI Publisher Url Public Url

Chapters:

• Culshaw, A. and Yearsley, S. (2026). The First 1001 Days and Child Development. Taylor, E. and Hughes, B. Key Issues in Childhood and Youth Studies. (2nd). Routledge
• Hirst N. and Culshaw, A. (2024). Understanding the World. Palaiologou I. The Early Years Foundation Stage Theory and Practice :268-268 Sage Publications Limited. London 9781529630336 Publisher Url
• Hirst, N. Culshaw, A. Ray, H.J, Garden, A. (2025). Sustainability, Well-Being and Praxis with children and students, Dovigo, F. Promoting transformative practices for sustainability in Early Childhood Education and Care. Cultivating critical, participatory and emancipatory educational approaches.

Conference publication and presentations:

• “Examining perspectives of school staff on trauma informed practice and its influence on behaviour management – a case study analysis”. (2025) Liverpool Institute of Educational Research (LIFE) annual conference. Liverpool.
• “Discursive spaces in education perpetuated by behaviour management systems”. (2025). 19th European Congress of Psychology. Cyprus. https://dx.doi.org/10.1024/2673-8627/a000085
• Bodfield K, Culshaw A. Curriculum for wellbeing - embedding emotional regulation strategies into undergraduate programmes DOI Author Url
• “Examining perspectives of school staff on trauma informed practice and its influence on behaviour management – a case study analysis”., 33rd International Congress of Psychology, Prague, Oral presentation, https://icp2024.com/. 2024
• Curriculum for wellbeing: year 2, growth, findings and reflections., Students at the Heart Conference, Liverpool John Moores University, Oral presentation. 2024

Expertise