[[alternative]]A Qualitative Study on the Death Concept and Emotion Response of Kindergarten's Students

Abstract

[[abstract]]本研究旨在探討幼兒的死亡概念、影響幼兒死亡概念的可能因素、以及幼兒面對死亡的情緒反應。以作為幼稚園老師、家長實施幼兒生死教育與輔導之參考。 本研究採用質性研究，以嘉義市某幼稚園十六位四歲至六歲幼兒為研究對象，搜集資料的方式包括繪畫、訪談、家長問卷，經現象學資料分析後，獲得以下的研究結果： 一、幼兒的死亡概念 幼兒的死亡概念內涵可歸類為：所有生物都會死（人、動物、植物）、不能復活、死亡原因（自然因素致死、外力因素致死、其他：自殺）、身體功能停止（動也不動、沒呼吸沒心跳）、死後世界（靈魂和鬼神、天堂與地獄）、與死後處理（死亡判斷、屍體處理、死亡符號）等六項次概念。 二、影響幼兒死亡概念的可能因素 對幼兒死亡概念產生影響的可能因素包括：年齡、性別、家庭宗教信仰、接觸死亡的經驗、以及各種不同的訊息來源（學校老師、家人談論、宗教人員、傳播媒體、童書）。其中性別因素只侷限於幼兒繪畫上的差異，而本研究中幼兒的死亡概念則未受家庭宗教信仰之不同而有不同的影響。 三、幼兒面對死亡的情緒 接觸不同的死亡經驗，會引發幼兒不同面向與程度的情緒反應。其一，幼兒面對親人死亡時可能會有：好奇、害怕、沒感覺、傷心與難過等情緒反應出現；其二，寵物死亡時幼兒可能產生的反應為：沒感覺、可憐、害怕、傷心與難過等情緒；其三，對與自己無關他人、動物死亡的情緒有：沒感覺、可憐、恐怖與害怕、生氣、傷心與難過等反應；其四，面對將來自己和親人的死亡所觸動的情緒是：擔心自己會死、害怕自己死後會下地獄、害怕分離，擔心父母死後自己會失去依靠，沒人照顧。但這些情緒並不必然有時間的先後順序關係，也未必是具有相關死亡經驗的幼兒都一定會完全出現的反應。 最後研究者根據研究結果，分別就對實施幼兒生死教育與輔導、以及未來研究兩方面提出具體建議。[[abstract]]The purposes of this thesis are to investigate kindergarten’s students concept of death, to discuss the possible factors which influence children’s concepts of death; and furthermore, to explore their emotion response and coping tactics toward death. All the research data is collected from 16 young children aged 4-6 in the kindergarten. Based on the framework of qualitative research and the methodology of phenomenalism, the research design includes interviewing these kids in person, analyzing their drawings, and visiting their parents with structured questionnaire. The research results are as follows: 1. The death concepts of kindergarten’s students include: universality（all beings have to die, including human beings, animals and plants）; irrevocability; causality (interior, exterior, suicide, etc); dysfunctionality (not move anymore , or no-breathing, no-heartbeating); a world after death (soul and ghost, Heaven and Hades); management after death (judgment of death, funeral affairs & symbols of death). 2. The factors which may affect young children’s concept of death include age, sex, family religion, previous experiences with death, and various resources of message (school, family, media, Children books). However, there are no significant effects between different religious families in this study, and sex difference exists only in drawing. 3. Different experiences with death will lead to different facets and levels of emotion response. On the one hand, when their intimate families or pets die, the young children may be curious, afraid, sad and even feelingless; on the other hand, the young children may be feelingless, feel pity, afraid and sad when they encounter death experiences which are not so close to them. Nevertheless, when they have to face the death of their intimate families in the future, they feel afraid and anxious: they worry about death of themselves, and the possibility of going to hell after death; and also they are afraid of parting, and losing care and dependence if their parents die. This research did not find any chronological relationship between these emotion reactions, and the relationship between death experiences and emotion reactions is not significant. Finally, based on the findings of this study, suggestions of life-and-death education to educational organizations, parents and related academic institutions are provided