‘Are you feeling sad? Tell me about your sadness’. Existential meanings of death and life in Chilean secondary schools

Bibliographic Data

ID21688979
AuthorsGuillermo Zamora Poblete (0000-0002-9530-9144, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, corresponding author), Maili Ow González (0000-0001-8780-8819, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile), Catalina Lecaros Besa (0000-0002-2362-070X, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile), Elisa Davanzo Barros (0009-0006-4819-8388, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile)
Year2025
Pages1-17
Publication date2025-08-30
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueTeachers and Teaching (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1354-0602 • E-ISSN: 1470-1278
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13540602.2025.2553272
OpenAlexW4413844147
LanguageEN
References cited24

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

Anger · Epistemology · Existentialism · Feeling · Sadness · Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health · Philosophy · Psychology · Resilience and Mental Health · Social Psychology

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