Morte e luto no currículo da educação infantil: narrativas de crianças brasileiras e professoras brasileiras e italianas

Abstract

This research addresses death and grief in Early Childhood Education curriculum based on narratives from Brazilian children and Brazilian and Italian teachers. The general objective was to analyze how the themes of death and grief impact the Early Childhood Education (ECE) curriculum in a Brazilian school and an Italian one. Therefore, the following research problem was delineated: what are the repercussions of death and grief themes in the ECE curriculum in a Brazilian Early Childhood Education school and an Italian one? The methodological approach in this qualitative research involved semi-structured interviews with Brazilian and Italian teachers, as well as observations, field diary, and researcher-mediated activities with Brazilian children aged 5-6 years, using devices such as children's literature, drawings, and play. The qualitative research was conducted at a Municipal Early Childhood Education Center in Salvador-BA and at a private school in Rome, Italy. The results revealed that the themes of death and grief are present in the daily life of early childhood schools, especially brought up by the children. Interviews with Brazilian and Italian teachers showed a significant gap in teacher training to deal with the research theme. An important contextual difference was observed: while Brazilian teachers reported frequent experiences with death and grief themes due to the social context marked by violence, Italian teachers demonstrated less direct contact with these situations. Listening to Brazilian children revealed that they elaborate sophisticated reflections on death and grief, using different languages to express their understanding. The research concludes that there is an urgency to include these themes in teacher training and in the ECE curriculum, not only as a response to specific situations but as an integral part of pedagogical work. Furthermore, the silencing about death and grief in Early Childhood Education institutions does not protect children but deprives them of an important space for processing and understanding their experiences involving losses, especially those by death.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​