Seeing life through life: Unpacking life education in intergenerational learning in China

The paper addresses how life education can more effectively reduce preventable unnatural deaths by moving beyond traditional, teacher-led knowledge transmission. It highlights limitations in formal life education (limited interaction and experiential depth) and the need for models that integrate interaction, reflection, and lived experience. In China, a novel intergenerational learning approach links primary school students with older adult learners to co-create understanding about life and death. The study asks: (1) What are the core features of life education through intergenerational learning? (2) What are its implications for older adults and elementary school students? The context includes growing policy attention in China toward minors’ life education and a societal need to innovate life education in risk-filled, uncertain environments.

Life education encompasses formal (school-based, systematic, standardized) and informal (family/community-based, experiential, non-standardized) approaches. Formal programs can increase knowledge about life/death and reduce death anxiety but often neglect students’ lived experiences and interactive learning. Informal activities (e.g., in families, botanical gardens, hospitals) can deepen experiential understanding and reduce anxiety but may lack structure, strong teacher guidance, or inter-age dialogue. Intergenerational learning has addressed ageism, digital divides, and social connection, yet has rarely been integrated with life education. For older adults, life education is emerging via psychological support, IT training, and social participation; scholarship suggests integrating life education with intergenerational programs and technology. The review identifies a gap: connecting intergenerational learning with life education to balance knowledge teaching and experiential, dialogic, reflective learning across age groups.

Setting and participants: The study took place within an intergenerational partnership between a pseudonymous urban primary school (Guang Ming Primary School) and an older adult school (Xi Yang Older Adult School) in Jiangsu, China. Their “Intergenerational Learning Lecture Hall” (est. Sept 2020) hosts monthly shared learning. For a focused life education activity (June 1, 2023, 8:30–11:30), seven primary school students (Grades 2–6) and seven older adult learners (from a painting class) participated, facilitated by the primary school principal (pseudonym Xiao Ming). Two principals and all 14 learners formed the qualitative sample. Materials and session design: The picture book “Badger’s Parting Gifts” (Susan Varley) was used to discuss life, death, meaning, and legacy. The 3-hour session had four interlinked parts emphasizing guiding, interaction, reflection, and growth: (1) collective reading; (2) one-to-one pupil–older adult sharing and discussion; (3) joint reflection translating insights from the story to each other’s lives; (4) encouragement of future positive actions/values. Data collection and analysis: Post-activity, semi-structured interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed in Chinese, and translated into English with contextualization. Translation accuracy was validated by field colleagues. Thematic analysis used combined deductive and inductive coding focused on teacher–student subjectivity, dialogic/reflective pedagogy, and the axiology/epistemology/methodology of life education. Two colleagues independently coded; discrepancies were adjusted to ensure reliability. Member checking with participants supported validity.

- Two core characteristics of the model: (1) Dual subjectivity of teachers and students: classrooms are co-created, moving beyond teachers as sole authorities and students as passive recipients; (2) Recognition of pluralistic life via interaction and reflection: cross-age dialogue fosters deep listening, empathy, and reflective understanding of diverse life experiences. - Life education outcomes for participants: (1) Life value shift from self-focused development to contributing to others and society; (2) Greater respect and tolerance for diverse life forms and life courses (across humans, animals, and nature); (3) Embracing life’s uncertainty with positive, actionable behaviors (e.g., repairing relationships, adopting prosocial and pro-environmental practices). - Evidence base: qualitative accounts from 2 principals, 7 primary students, and 7 older adult learners participating in a single 3-hour intergenerational class using a life-and-death themed picture book, with rich illustrations of attitudinal and behavioral intentions.

Findings indicate that integrating intergenerational learning into life education can balance knowledge transmission with experiential, dialogic, and reflective practices. The dual-subject teacher–student relationship fosters engagement and dismantles hierarchical barriers, while cross-age interaction broadens perspectives and nurtures empathy. Compared to traditional formal life education (knowledge-centered) and informal activities (less structured, limited inter-age exchange), the intergenerational model combines structure, guidance, interaction, and reflective depth. This supports a comprehensive approach—co-creating knowledge, skills, emotions, attitudes, and values—enhancing participants’ understanding of life’s meaning and motivating positive social and ecological behaviors. The study positions this as an innovative direction for life education with relevance for educational reform, policy development, and cross-cultural application.

The study connects intergenerational learning and life education, proposing a comprehensive model summarized as “seeing life through life.” Core contributions include: (1) establishing teacher–student dual subjectivity; (2) recognizing diverse life through interaction and reflection; and (3) demonstrating positive impacts on life values, respect for diversity, and proactive coping with uncertainty. Policy implications include embedding collaborative, dialogic, reflective pedagogies and affirming mutual teacher–student subjectivity in education systems, as well as advancing inclusive lifelong learning infrastructures. Practically, the Chinese case offers a transferable framework for designing interactive, reflective life education across cultures. Future research should expand theoretical dimensions (e.g., equity, age, richness), conduct longitudinal and cross-cultural studies, and examine both positive and negative impacts across varied contexts.

- Scope and dimensions: The theoretical framework emphasized home–school–community contexts and life course but engaged less with other critical dimensions (e.g., age, equity, richness). - Single-session design: Impact was assessed after one 3-hour activity; longitudinal, repeated sessions are needed to validate sustained effects. - Generalizability: Small, purposive sample (2 teachers, 7 primary students, 7 older adult learners) within a specific cultural setting limits generalization; future cross-cultural comparisons are recommended. - Potential biases: Self-report interview data, translation processes, and researcher involvement may introduce bias, though coder triangulation and member checks mitigated this.