Teaching about near-death experiences: the effectiveness of using The Day I Died.
Janice Miner Holden, Kathy Oden, Kelly Kozlowski, Bert Hayslip
OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying 2011 DOI: 10.2190/om.63.4.e (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Quasi-experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 105 |
| Population | Advanced undergraduates at a southwestern university (66 in the experimental group; 39 in the waitlist control group) |
| Interventions | the Brain and Near-Death Experiences |
| Measures | 20-item questionnaire on knowledge about near-death experiences |
| Topics | Near-death experience |
| Keywords | Humans Attitude to death Counseling Students Education, professional Motion pictures Teaching materials Female Young adult |
| Key findings | Viewing the documentary significantly increased accurate knowledge about near-death experiences in the experimental group, with a large effect size (eta2 = .56), while waitlist control scores remained similar to pretest. The authors report two exceptions to the documentary's effectiveness and offer recommendations for educators and future research. |
Abstract
In this article, we reviewed results of research on near-death experiences (NDEs) over the past 3 decades and examined the effect of viewing the hour-long 2002 BBC documentary The Day I Died: The Mind, the Brain, and Near-Death Experiences on accurate knowledge about near-death experiences among advanced undergraduates at a southwestern university. In a quasi-experimental research design, the experimental group completed a 20-item questionnaire before and after viewing the documentary (n = 66; 45 females, 21 males), and the waitlist control group completed the questionnaire as pre- and posttest before viewing the documentary (n = 39; 36 female, 3 male). The two groups' scores at pretest were not significantly different (p > .05). Group by occasion repeated measures ANOVA revealed the experimental group's posttest scores moved significantly in the direction of correctness with a large effect size (p < .001; eta2 = .56), whereas waitlist control group posttest scores remained similar to pretest scores. We discuss two exceptions to the effectiveness of the documentary and recommendations for educators using it as well as for future research.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on near-death experience, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brain activity in near-death experiencers during a meditative state Near-death experiencers | 2009 | Within-subjects experimental design with Meditation and Control conditions | |
| Meditation-Induced Near-Death Experiences: a 3-Year Longitudinal Study Advanced Buddhist meditators | 2018 | Longitudinal within-subjects comparison with control conditions and embedded qualitative analysis | n = 12 |
| EEG signature of near-death-like experiences during syncope-induced periods of unresponsiveness. Healthy volunteers | 2024 | Experimental study | n = 22 |
| Designing a "Near-Death Experience" Reality Testing System. | 2021 | Experimental design | |
| COMPARING THE DIFFERENCE IN NURSES' KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDES TOWARD NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES (NDES) BEFORE AND AFTER RECEIVING NDE EDUCATION Registered nurses employed in Kaiser Permanente Northern California facilities | 2026 | Quasi-experimental study | n = 41 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
Cites 8
- Near-death experience in survivors of cardiac arrest: a prospective study in the Netherlands The Lancet December 1, 2001
- Near-death experiences. American Psychological Association eBooks October 27, 2004
- The Handbook of Near-Death Experiences 2009
- Mindsight: Near-Death and Out-of-Body Experiences in the Blind. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease November 1, 2000
- A prospectively studied near-death experience with corroborated out-of-body perceptions and unexplained healing. Journal of Near-Death Studies 2006
and 3 more in the library