The effectiveness of the Lions Quest Program: Skills for Growing on school climate, students’ behaviors, perceptions of school, and conflict resolution skills

ABSTRACT

This study examines the effectiveness of the Lions Quest Program: Skills for Growing by employing a quasi-experimental design with a control group. The experimental and control group each comprises two primary schools – one public, one private. One classroom at each grade level, 1 through 4, in each school was selected by random sampling for a total of 16 classrooms in the study. Pre-test data were collected in September 2013 and post-test data in May 2014, after the schools in the experimental group had implemented the program for eight months. Observations, interviews, and questionnaires were used for data collection. To examine the effects of the program on school climate, students’ behaviors, students’ perceptions of school, and students’ conflict resolution skills, data were collected from both students and teachers. The findings show that the Lions Quest Program had a positive effect on school climate, students’ behaviors, and conflict resolution skills, but did not have any significant effect on students’ perceptions of school.

KEYWORDS:

• Lions Quest Program: Skills for Growing
• social emotional learning (SEL)
• school climate
• student behavior
• student perception
• conflict resolution skills

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Professor Jaipaul L. Roopnarine, Pearl Falk Professor of Child and Family Studies in the Department of Child and Family Studies at Syracuse University who have read the earlier version of the manuscript and provided insightful thoughts and comments.

Additional information

Funding

The author disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research: This study was supported by two grants from the Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) [GA 14087/MD118] and the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) 2219 Post Doctorate Research Scholarship [1059B191400531], however, the opinions and positions are those of the authors, and no endorsement by LQIF and/or TUBITAK should be inferred.