Lions Quest research update

11 June 2019 - by Ariel Dickson

This is an update on some recent scientific research on Lions Quest. Attached you can find the complete documents for your perusal and below is a shorter summary of each. Please read over this and feel free to reference these publications in your communications with Lions, schools, governments and partners. If you have any questions, you are more than welcome to reach out to our department.

 “Lions Quest Skills for Adolescence Program as a School Intervention to Prevent Substance Use—a Pilot Study Across Three South East European Countries”, published in Prevention Science, May 2019 (https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-019-01012-6)

• This article was submitted jointly by UNODC and LCIF and discusses the implementation of Lions QuestSkills for Adolescence in South East Europe. It summarizes the results of the pilot project that showed positive outcomes on preventing current use of alcohol, cigarettes and marijuana and on students’ intention to use the same substances in the next three months.

• It recognizes that there is limited research on prevention programs in low and middle income countries and aspires to add to that gap.

• It argues for the promotion of evidence-based interventions as part of plans articulating drug prevention strategy, specifically regarding national policymakers.

“A Quasi-Experimental Evaluation of Lions Quest Skills for Adolescence in Two Middle Schools”, final report and executive summary of 2-year study conducted by the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE), January 2019.

• LQ students reported statistically significant improvement in their perception of school climate, especiallytheir perceptions of physical and emotional safety and their peers’ social and problem-solving skills. In other words, LQ students felt safer in school. Perception of safety is a key indicator for a number of things, including academic achievement and anti-bullying efforts. (In other words: if you feel safer in school, you are more likely to learn math or science or language more effectively.)

• The LQ school maintained these results into year 2. Many SEL programs see a spike in certain indicators in year 1, because everything is new and exciting and different, only to see a drop-off effect. The fact that they were able to maintain results speak to the program’s staying power.

• LQ students were significantly more likely to report that they were listened to, cared about, and helped by the teachers and other adults in the school. This implies that LQ’s strategies are effective at positively changing the way adults interact with students, and subsequently the way students perceive their relationships with adults in the school.

• Staff at the LQ school reported statistically significant improvements in all five domains surveyed, including support offered to students and SEL instruction.

• LQ classrooms showed significant gains in emotional support, classroom organization, and student engagement.