The effects of a death education course were determined for two different classes of students, comparing them with students of sex education and introductory psychology. All students completed a variety of attitudinal, motivational and demographic background measures before and at the end of their courses. The results indicated that initially the death education students did not differ greatly from the students in the other two courses in their beliefs, attitudes and backgrounds. The death education course did affect students' views such that at the end of the course they viewed death as more approachable and wished to experience death in a more interpersonal as compared to a technological context.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
WhiteD. K., An Undergraduate Course in Death, Omega, 1, pp. 167–174, 1970.
2.
LevitonD., Education for Death, Omega, 6, pp. 183–191, 1975.
3.
LevitonD. and KastenbaumR. J., From the Editors, Omega, 6, pp. 179–181, 1975.
4.
CollettL. J. and LesterD., The Fear of Death and the Fear of Dying, Journal of Psychology, 72, pp. 179–181, 1969.
5.
ShneidmanE. S., You and Death, Psychology Today, pp. 67–72, August 1970.
6.
FretzB., Assessing Attitudes Toward Sexual Behaviors, The Counseling Psychologist, 5, pp. 100–106, 1975.
7.
FretzB. and LevitonD., Life and Death Attitudes of Parents of Mildly Dysfunctional Children, Omega, 6, pp. 161–170, 1975.
8.
ZungW., A Self-Rating Depression Scale, Archives of General Psychiatry, 12, pp. 63–70, 1965.
9.
SchaieK. W., A General Model for the Study of Developmental Problems, Psychological Bulletin, 64, pp. 92–107, 1965.
10.
SolomonR. L., An Extension of Control Group Design, Psychological Bulletin, 46, pp. 137–150, 1949.
11.
ShiblesW., Death, Language Press, Whitewater, Wisconsin, 1974.
12.
KnottJ. and PrullR., Death Education: Accountable to Whom? For What?, Omega, 7, pp. 177–182, 1976.
13.
LevitonD., The Scope of Death Education, Death Education, 1, pp. 41–56, 1977.
