Beyond belief: Advancing death education through children’s experiences of non-corporeal continuation

Abstract

Proponents of death education in schools acknowledge that children understand the biological aspects of death, and many hold co-existing beliefs in non-corporeal continuation. This paper offers originality by highlighting a gap in the death education literature, arguing that to increase curriculum relevance, we need to move beyond considering children’s “beliefs about” life after death/before life to also acknowledge their “experiences of” it. Using thanatological principles, it draws from different disciplines to document children and young people’s encounters with other lives, including: communicating with the deceased in waking and dream life; having near death experiences (NDEs); and remembering past lives. The implications of including non-corporeal continuation in the curriculum are explored. While challenges are acknowledged, the paper argues that the topic contributes to a meaningful curriculum by foregrounding a child-centered approach which privileges their voice(s) and agency. Simultaneously, it can potentially alleviate some of the fears about discussing death in schools.