Sonya Armstrong

Sonya L. Armstrong is a professor in the graduate program in developmental education at the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Texas State University, where she also serves as the director of the doctoral program in developmental education. Prior to coming to Texas State, she worked at Northern Illinois University for nine years, serving in multiple capacities: associate professor of postsecondary literacy, founder and coordinator of the certificate of graduate study in postsecondary developmental literacy and language instruction, and director of the college learning enhancement program (the university’s developmental reading program). Armstrong earned her doctorate in literacy education from the University of Cincinnati. Prior to that, she trained in English and earned two MA degrees in literature and editing and publishing.

Armstrong is a practitioner-researcher, and her scholarly endeavors are guided by over 20 years of designing and teaching developmental reading, composition, and learning strategies courses in community colleges and universities. Her research focuses on improving postsecondary literacy and learning pedagogy and practice to more effectively facilitate students’ college literacy transitions, thereby increasing access and potential for success for all within higher education. With colleagues she is currently undertaking an investigation of the alignment of reading expectations and texts in developmental reading and career-technical education courses. She is also coeditor of Teaching Developmental Reading: Historical, Theoretical, and Practical Background Readings (2nd ed., 2014); incoming president-elect of the College Reading and Learning Association; and a Council of Learning Assistance and Developmental Education Associations fellow.