Life, Death, and the Teacher
Negotiating the Personal and Professional in Holistic Teacher Education’s Shadow of a Taboo
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22046080 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Hui Qiu (0000-0001-9283-515X, Beijing Normal-Hong Kong Baptist University), Xuan Ning (Beijing Normal-Hong Kong Baptist University, corresponding author), Ning Xuan (0000-0003-1459-2847, Beijing Normal-Hong Kong Baptist University, corresponding author), Weila Li (0000-0001-6503-164X, Beijing Normal-Hong Kong Baptist University), INDIKA LIYANAGE (0000-0001-6459-4977, Beijing Normal-Hong Kong Baptist University) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 264 |
| Publication date | 2026-02-08 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Education Sciences (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2227-7102 • E-ISSN: 2227-7102 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/educsci16020264 |
| OpenAlex | W7128308433 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 21 |
Holistic teacher education calls for nurturing the ‘whole teacher’, yet often omits the foundational themes of life and death, particularly within cultural contexts where they are potent taboos. This Grounded Theory study investigates how Chinese university educators’ perceptions of their preparation in life and death education can inform more holistic teacher training. Data from eight educators reveal a core phenomenon of constantly Negotiating the Personal & Professional in the Shadow of a Taboo. Our resulting theoretical model illustrates this negotiation: educators’ practices are shaped by personal realms of experientially formed understanding, constrained by professional realms of perceived risk and rigid role definitions, which in turn generate a systemic gap in support. This analysis moves beyond identifying a training deficit to propose a tripartite solution. Educators envision a holistic teacher education that is awareness-based, creating space to explore personal journeys, one that is boundary-conscious, equipping them with practical skills for triage and referral rather than counseling, and one that is systemically minded, integrating teacher development within a robust institutional well-being ecosystem. We conclude that by addressing all three realms of the model, personal, professional, and systemic, teacher education can begin to fill the existential void at its heart, fostering the resilience and compassion essential for educating the whole person
Compassion · Empathy · Existentialism · Grounded theory · Negotiation · Professional development · Psychological resilience · Qualitative research · Teacher education · Critical and Liberation Pedagogy · Educational Philosophies and Pedagogies · Teacher Education and Leadership Studies
International Handbook of Education for Spirituality, Care and Wellbeing
Using life and death education to guide the teaching and research of mindfulness
Quality Insights of University Teachers on Dying, Death, and Death Education
The Impact of Death and Dying Education for Undergraduate Students During the Covid-19 Pandemic
Coping With Death and Loss
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |