Dr. Edward Wright is a full-time lecturer at the University of Malta. Until December of 2022, he was a teacher for 25 years and Head of Department for 13 of these years with the Secretariat for Catholic Education. The subject areas he coordinated were those of Personal, Social, and Career Development (PSCD) and Media Literacy Education (MLE), and he also supported the Religious Education department. Recently, he was also a senior lecturer at the Institute for Education (IfE).

He recently completed his doctoral degree at Bournemouth University, where he had graduated at a Masters level in Media and Communications. He is also in possession of an honours degree in psychology, a postgraduate certificate in education with a specialization in PSCD and another in the Learning Outcomes Approach, and degrees in theology, including a Masters.

As a teacher, he taught PSCD, Social and Environmental Studies, Religious Education, and Media Literacy Education. He also lectures in philosophy and psychology with the Directorate for Research, Lifelong Learning, and Employability (DRLLE). Edward is particularly interested in narrative and critical pedagogies and the psychology and philosophy of education and wellbeing in the holistic formation of teachers, especially those of the humanities.

Throughout his doctoral journey, he investigated how digital technologies, especially photography and filmmaking, can contribute to meaning-making and identity formation in adolescence through narrative pedagogies. His academic research led him to an interest in how aspects of spirituality as meaning-making can be addressed narratively and through a cross-curricular approach, making them sources of strength transpiring from the positive potential of human vulnerability. Edward is also a teacher, trainer, and mentor.

Bibliography

Wright, E. & Padovani, L. (2023). Transforming Vulnerability from the ‘Beast’ into the
‘Beauty’ Through the Filming of Metaphor in the Quest for Adolescent Meaning-making
(manuscript submitted for publication). In The Journal of Media Literacy Education (JMLE),
National Association of Media Literacy Education.

Wright, E. (2023). Exploring the Affordances and Propensities of Multimodality in Narrative
Pedagogies through Multimodal Ethnography. (manuscript submitted for publication). In The
Malta Journal of Education.

Wright, E. (2021). Adolescent exploration of identities in ‘third space’: Addressing holistic
education and well-being through blended learning embedded in reflexivity. In C. Fenech
(ed.). Technology Enhanced and Remote Teaching and Learning. In Malta Journal of Education,
2(1): 197-214 (IfE, Malta).

Wright, E. (2021). Voicing the Longing of the “Adolescent Heart” through Photography and
Film: Connecting Transcendence and Revelation in Catholic Religious Education. In The Person
and the Challenges, 11(1): 123-168.

Wright, E. (2020). Facing the Challenge of Preparing Maltese Schools and Students for a
Multicultural Society: An Opportunity to Redefine Identity in the Light of “Otherness.” In
Malta Journal of Education (MJE), 1(1): 316-346.

Wright, E. (2019). Using Digital Technologies to Interpret Life: Media Literacy and Catholic
Religious Education in Dialogue. In A. Gellel & M. Buchanan (eds.). Global Perspectives on
Catholic Religious Education in Schools, ch.30. (Vol. I) (Springer).

Wright, E. (2019). Facilitating the exploration of adolescent transcendence for holistic
identity formation through the use of digital media: A dialogue between Media Literacy and
Catholic Religious Education in perspective. In A. Cloete (ed.). Film, Religion and Youth.
(Vol. I) (African Sun Media).

Wright, E. (2018). Nurturing identity formation in adolescence through narrative learning: a
dialogue between the pedagogies of media literacy and religious education. British Journal of
Religious Education, DOI: 10.1080/01416200.2018.1484696.

Wright, E., Borg, J. & Lauri, M.A. (2015). Media Education as a tool to promote critical
thinking among students. Media Education, 2, 62-72.