ERIC Number: EJ1404119
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1350-293X
EISSN: EISSN-1752-1807
Living in Heaven and Buried in the Earth? Teaching Young Children about Death
Puskás, Tünde; Andersson, Anita; Jeppsson, Fredrik; Slaughter, Virginia
European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, v31 n6 p900-913 2023
This qualitative study focuses on preschool practitioners' teaching about death. The theoretical framework draws on ideas about dialogic teaching and the concepts that are of importance for understanding what biological death entails. The study was conducted within a qualitative, participant centered paradigm. The data consist of video recordings of four visits to cemeteries conducted by 6 practitioners and 26 children (three-five years old) from two preschools. The findings show that relying on a child centered pedagogy, when the practitioners do not plan the content of the activity but rely exclusively on the children's curiosity, does not function well as a pedagogical strategy in relation to an existential question that the practitioners themselves find sensitive. The article contributes to developing the didactics of death that enables preschool practitioners to develop the ability to reflect critically on questions and topics related to different understandings of death(s) in early childhood education.
Descriptors: Preschool Education, Preschool Children, Death, Preschool Teachers, Teacher Role, Foreign Countries, Cultural Influences, Biology, Field Trips
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Preschool Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Sweden
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A