Shiqi Zhang
 Bridging Play and Death——children's death education though the power of play

MRes
Preferable FuturesChildrenFutures EducationInterdisciplinaryInnovationSocial Design
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    Summary

    From the Chinese cultural perspective of death and dying ——

    How to create a responsive death education method for children

    This project aims to design an innovative and culturally sensitive serious game aimed at educating Chinese children about death. It examines the traditional Chinese perspectives on death and dying with modern gaming methodologies to create a compassionate and engaging tool for death education. Drawing on theories such as Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, social practice theory, and transition design, the project navigates the complexities surrounding the topic of death in Chinese culture. The methodology involves stakeholder interviews, literature reviews, and workshops to inform the game's pedagogical design, aesthetics, and mechanics. The final product will be a serious game that fosters constructive parent-child conversations about death, and potentially offers a blueprint for future studies and projects in the domain of serious game design for complex and culturally sensitive topics.

    Keywords: Serious game, Death education, Social practice theory, Transition Design, Culture

    Additional info

    Research question

    This research question would guide a design study towards developing a death education method that is grounded in the cultural context of Chinese society, which then leads to the following research question:

    -How can an effective and approachable children’s death education method be proposed taking into account Chinese social norms?

    -What are the essential elements to consider when bridging death education and serious games, and what methods can be used to deliver such taboo topics to children?

    Playing and learning

    "Play," traditionally associated with leisure and entertainment, has been suggested by education, psychology, and anthropology that it is a powerful mediator for learning throughout a person's life. This natural instinct of play and curiosity provides us with an opportunity for discovering the new world around us.

    Serious play merges the joy of play with significant learning outcomes, creating an environment of exploration and experimentation that is risk-free. It engages learners on cognitive and emotional levels, enriching the learning experience.