Research 2006
Leveling the Playing Field:
Reading Skills & Boys
Laura Sokal
Associate Professor, Education
“Just think of how different your life would be if you couldn’t read,” says Associate Professor Laura Sokal.
Reading is such an important skill that Sokal is trying to solve an early-years education mystery that was first documented almost 150 years ago and is currently observed in at least 42 countries: Why are little boys behind little girls in reading?
This disparity is especially troublesome because until Grade 4, children are learning to read but after Grade 4, they’re reading to learn. Children with poor reading skills are at a disadvantage as they enter higher grades.
“If boys are behind in reading, it doesn’t matter if it’s an old or a new problem,” says Sokal. “We have to try to figure out what’s causing it.”
Sokal and her 14 student research assistants are collaborating with 11 schools in the Winnipeg School Division to study how to improve reading in boys in Grades 3 and 4. Through 20 weekly sessions of between one half and one hour, Sokal’s students have helped boys with reading difficulties increase their reading levels by an average of over one grade level.
“Some boys are very good readers already, but for others who have difficulty there isn’t just one solution,” says Sokal. “Some boys are not reading well because they have a poor attitude towards reading. Some have learning disabilities. Some have no exposure to books. Some think it’s a girl’s thing, and they’re teased when they do it.”
In addition, Sokal has found that reading the right book is important. The research team chooses from a selection of 50 books that boys like. At the end of each study, the classes keep the books. Sokal has given over $16,000 worth of books to Winnipeg schools.
Sokal’s research has been featured in national newspapers and radio, exposure that has introduced parents to her name and her work. Now in her travels around Winnipeg, Sokal carries copies of her boys’ books reading list to give to moms and dads with young boys.
“The most exciting thing about this research is that it’s real. It’s helping real kids and my students and I get to share that,” says Sokal. “Sure, we publish in the lofty journals, but that’s not it—it’s that the research assistants see they can make a difference in the lives of kids.”
To learn more about her research about boys and reading, contact University of Winnipeg faculty member Laura Sokal through UWinnipeg's Communications Office.