In the wake of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the increased and vital attention on Black life mattering, university student protests for ceasefires, increased gun violence, and school shootings, this project seeks to understand an education living in and with the specter of death. Many have begun to focus on this necropolitical landscape's impact…

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to obtain new facts and details about the lived experiences of Ohio funeral directors during their first five years of licensure after graduating from mortuary college. The study aimed to understand these lived experiences as told by the funeral directors to understand better the factors…

When a college student dies, student affairs professionals are often responsible for ensuring specific administrative processes are completed, providing emotional support for the campus community, and sponsoring memorials that facilitate formal mourning. This last responsibility has received little attention in the student affairs literature.…

Background: Parents of children who are approaching end of life (EOL) state that interactions with health care providers are the most important factor in their overall appraisal of the child's health care experience. Interprofessional simulation experiences (Sim-IPE) have been shown to enhance health care professionals' knowledge, confidence, and…

Human-driven threats are changing biodiversity and impacting ecosystem services (i.e., nature's contributions to society, henceforth 'services'). The consequences of biodiversity change for ecosystems and people are hard to predict because the loss of one species can trigger secondary extinctions of additional species when species interact (e.g.,…

The goal of the research was to learn about the opinions of Texas college students on the death penalty and to determine the impact that prior interaction with the criminal justice system through incarceration or employment had on their opinions. A sequential, explanatory mixed methodology was implemented during the data collection, analysis, and…

Grief and loss is a universal experience that impacts individuals in a multitude of ways and emotes various emotions while working through the grief journey. It is reported that by the age of 16, one in 20 children will experience the death of one or both of their parents (Parsons, 2011). School counselors working with grieving students have the…

Women students are entering mortuary science programs, being retained, and graduating at much higher rates than ever before. This is despite research that shows women in science-related programs often face discrimination and other barriers to degree completion (Bailey & DiPrete 2016; Jesse 2006; Shauman 2016; Steele et al., 2002; Title IX at…

Incidence of reported near-death experiences (NDEs) has increased over decades; however, they continue to be inappropriately pathologized or dismissed. These types of responses to disclosures of NDEs by patients can potentially lead to them having problems integrating the experience into their lives. The purpose of this study was to assess…

The responsibility for educating U.S. nursing students on end-of-life (EOL) care concepts lies with prelicensure nursing programs; however, the majority of all prelicensure nursing programs offer only a few lectures, and only a small percentage offer EOL and palliative care courses. The lack of education on EOL care results in greater stress for…

Globally, nationally, regionally, and locally, we are facing a population shift. The number of individuals aged 65 and older will increase exponentially in the coming years, particularly for racially, ethnically, and culturally diverse groups. People are living longer but not necessarily healthier lives. This increase in longevity, coupled with a…

The purpose of this qualitative, descriptive case study is to study how teachers utilize cemeteries as a teaching space, specifically for instruction in Black history and for enacting social studies curriculum by examining the curricular and instructional strategies two educators use with historically Black cemeteries as a place of learning for…

This qualitative case study examined the impact of student death on teachers who educate students with life-limiting and/or life-threatening conditions. To date, research is extremely scarce regarding this small, specialized group of educators. Data was gathered utilizing four open-ended journal entries, three personal artifact videos and one…

Few thanatological studies focus on the impact of the death of a parent on college students between the ages of 17 and 23; a knowledge limitation that may be doing more harm than good through ignorance, avoidance, and inflexible policies. This phenomenological study used narrative inquiry to explore how students from a variety of backgrounds…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to develop an understanding of how the lived experiences of white educators following the murder of George Floyd in the spring of 2020 impacted their understanding of racism and how this understanding, if at all, helped them work to disrupt racism in schools. Literature analyzed revealed how white…