Learning through loss: implementing lossography narratives in death education.

Area of Science:

• Thanatology
• Death Education
• Psychology

Background:

• Students may engage more deeply with death and loss through writing.
• Limited guidance exists for instructors on managing sensitive death-related assignments.
• Understanding student benefits from such assignments is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement and evaluate a
• lossography
• assignment in an undergraduate thanatology course.
• To assess student learning outcomes and gather feedback on the assignment's utility.
• To explore the benefits of using personal loss narratives in death education.

Main Methods:

• An undergraduate thanatology course featured a
• lossography
• assignment.
• Students anonymously wrote about personal losses and shared narratives.
• A post-assignment survey evaluated student learning and perceived benefits.

Main Results:

• The most common significant loss reported was the death of a grandparent, often occurring in childhood/adolescence.
• Key learning themes included enhanced self-awareness, understanding grief, and developing compassion.
• 44% of students found the lossography most beneficial, with 97% recommending it for future courses.

Conclusions:

• The
• lossography
• assignment is a valuable tool in thanatology education.
• It effectively promotes self-awareness, empathy, and knowledge about grief.
• The assignment is highly recommended by students for its significant learning benefits.