Is education for death a taboo in Spanish–speaking educational research?

Abstract

Many authors consider death as something taboo in present-day society, but we do not know if this perception has been carried over to research on death from the educational point of view. To clarify this question, a review of publications in the last decade in the Dialnet and Scopus databases is presented. The results were analyzed from a quantitative and qualitative point of view in relation to the parameters of publication year, database, publication modality, journal title, audience, approach to Education for Death, resources proposed, and type and direction of the research. The results point to the publication of studies regarding the subject matter maintained over the period investigated, but with an unequal presence depending on whether it is the Dialnet database of greater informative character, or the Scopus database whose intention is related to quality standards. Among the conclusions, it is highlighted that Education for Death not only is not fashionable, but also maintains the interest throughout the years. However, the importance of this theme in the databases is reduced. It is proposed to incorporate reflective and critical perspectives in addition to practical techniques, as well as active initiatives to disseminate this knowledge.