The Pedagogy of Death in Early Childhood and Primary Education: a Systematic Review of Teacher Education, Pedagogical Practices and Curriculum Integration

Abstract

Background: Death, dying, and bereavement are universal human experiences, yet they remain taboo in many educational contexts. This silence can leave children and school communities without the language, emotional tools, and support needed to understand loss, cope with grief, and develop compassionate attitudes toward end-of-life issues. In recent decades, “death education” has emerged as a field that seeks to normalize pedagogical approaches to mortality, integrating socio-emotional learning, ethics, and citizenship education. However, the extent and characteristics of research focused on Early Childhood Education and Primary Education remain unclear.

Purpose: This study systematically reviews the international scientific literature on the pedagogy of death in Early Childhood and Primary Education, identifying publication trends, methodological approaches, focal topics, and gaps that limit the consolidation of evidence to inform teacher education and school practice.

Methods: A systematic review was conducted following PRISMA 2020 guidance. Searches were performed in Web of Science Core Collection using the terms “death education”, “pedagogy of death”, and “didactic of death”. Records published between 2014 and 2024 were screened in two stages (title/abstract and full-text) against predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria focused on educational settings and on interventions, programmes, curricular proposals, or pedagogical approaches relevant to Early Childhood and/or Primary Education. After duplicate removal and eligibility assessment, 19 articles were included for qualitative synthesis. Data were extracted on bibliographic characteristics (year, country, authorship), study design, participants and settings, and thematic focus.

Results: The evidence base is limited in size and unevenly distributed. Publications are concentrated among a small number of authors and countries, suggesting a field that is still emergent rather than widely consolidated. Methodologically, the literature is dominated by narrative and systematic reviews and by qualitative or descriptive designs; rigorous empirical evaluations of educational programmes are scarce, and outcome measurement is rarely standardized. Thematically, studies frequently address conceptual foundations of death education, classroom strategies for discussing death and grief, and the role of schools in supporting bereaved children. However, there is comparatively less research on teacher preparation, institutional policies, ethical guidance, and systematic curriculum integration. Where implementation is discussed, it tends to depend on isolated initiatives, individual teacher commitment, or context-specific projects rather than stable, whole-school frameworks. Overall, the findings point to a mismatch between the recognized educational need to address death and bereavement and the limited availability of evaluated, scalable pedagogical models for these schooling stages.

Conclusions and implications: Research on death education in Early Childhood and Primary Education remains fragmented, with insufficient empirical evidence to guide practice at scale. Future studies should strengthen theoretical articulation (linking death education to socio-emotional learning, inclusive education, and community care), develop and evaluate age-appropriate interventions with clear outcomes, and expand attention to teacher education and professional development. Policy and curriculum work is also needed to legitimize and normalize pedagogical engagement with death and grief in schools, including guidance for collaboration with families and community services. Building a more robust evidence base may support educators and school leaders in creating caring learning environments that promote emotional literacy, resilience, and compassionate citizenship when children encounter loss.