This is a pilot study to explore the classroom implementation of the Lions Quest
Program in Turkey. Teachers of first through eighth grades at two elementary schools
who applied the program were interviewed about the program and their classroom
practices while they were also observed and their classrooms were also observed.
Considerable program implementation differences were found within and between the
schools. Three main issues were raised in the interviews, namely that the teachers were
not clear about whether social emotional learning (SEL) skills should be taught to
students as a separate lesson or not; they seemed to doubt whether school personnel
should be responsible for SEL implementation; and although they had positive views of
the implementation, they underlined that students’ social and emotional wellbeing is
dependent on family background and the developing maturity of the child. In conclusion,
the teachers expressed positive views about the Lions Quest Program, yet lacked strong
opinions about when, where, and by whom the program needed to be included in the
curriculum. Limitations, implementation challenges, and implications for SEL in the
Turkish context were also identified.peer-reviewe
