‘Are you feeling sad? Tell me about your sadness’. Existential meanings of death and life in Chilean secondary schools
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Date
2025
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Informa UK Limited,
Abstract
Statistics indicate that in Western countries, around 4% of school-aged children lose one of their parents before turning 18 years old. Additionally, the likelihood of an adolescent experiencing the death of a family member or friend during those years is 78%. Although thinking and talking about death is painful, it can spur deep reflections about life and its meaning, especially if schools support students through this process. Considering this topic, a study examining eight cases of Chilean students who experienced the death of a classmate or teacher during secondary school is presented. The overarching objective is to analyse the perspectives on life’s meaning that these students developed, alongside their perceptions of how their schools provided support. Each participant wrote a letter narrating their experience, followed by two interviews. The key findings show that this experience allowed them to become more aware of life’s fragility and finitude, recognising grief as a source of learning. They especially valued when schools facilitated mourning, expressing sorrow, and discussing death across various subjects.
Description
Keywords
Education about death, Secondary education students, Grief at school, Case study, Meanings of life