Profile

Sherron Killingsworth Roberts serves as the Heintzelman Literature Scholar at UCF. Her research examines literacy as social practice, innovative pedagogy, and literary content analyses. Roberts received her doctorate from University of Arkansas where she was one of five, campus-wide Dissertation Fellows, after teaching mostly sixth grade in a middle school setting. Prior to coming to University of Central Florida in 1998, Sherron taught reading and language arts methods at Columbia College and at Iowa State University where she was an assistant professor. Dr. Roberts is a published poet with poems about schooling and teachers published in academic journals such as The Reading Teacher and in Language Arts. Her research agenda includes exploring impacts of children’s books through content analyses, examining writing instruction for young children, and analyzing and reporting innovative teaching practices to model for preservice teachers, such as the use of technology or literature circles within methods courses. Additionally, she continues to explore the uses of poetry for therapy and for creating a peaceful classroom. After Roberts served as an Editor for Literacy Research and Instruction for a decade, she currently serves as Associate Editor of Early Childhood Education Journal. Roberts has published in the Reading Teacher, Journal of Teacher Education, Journal of Research in Childhood Education, Teaching and Teacher Education, Reading Horizons, Journal of Peace Education, Reading Horizons, and Journal of Reading Education among others..

• Children's Literature
• Writing Instruction
• Literacy

Doctor of Education, University of Arkansas, May 1987
Major: Elementary Education, Summa Cum Laude

Master of Education, University of Arkansas, August 1982
Major: Elementary Education, Summa Cum Laude

Bachelor of Science in Education, Texas A & M University, May 1979
Major: Elementary Education Curriculum & Instruction, Summa Cum Laude

• Literacy as a Social Practice
• Innovative Pedagogy
• Content Analysis

• Named Robert N. Heintzelman Literature Scholar, 2018-2021
• One of the 31 honorees from UCF Faculty Excellence for Women’s History Month, March 2021
• University of Central Florida Teaching Incentive Award, 2020; 2015; 2009; 2005; Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Incentive Award, 2014; Research Incentive Award, 2018
• One of two inaugural Champion of Undergraduate Research, given by OUR during Research Week, April 2019
• Awarded UCF Research Incentive Award, March 2018
• Inaugural Burnett Honors College Faculty Fellow, 2017-2018
• College of Education and Human Performance Excellence in Service Award, 2016
• UCF Scholarship of Teaching and Learning-SOTL Award, 2014
• University of Central Florida’s Nominee for U.S. Professor of the Year, 2013; 2014; 2015
• UCF Women Faculty Excellence Award in Academic Partnerships (Inaugural award), for Arbor Ridge Knights Write! Partnership, Spring 2014

• International Reading Association, now International Literacy Association, 1979-present
• The Reading Teacher Editorial Review Board, 1999-present
• Journal of Adult and Adolescent Literacy Review Board 1999-2013
• National Council of Teachers of English, 1979 to present
• Association of Childhood Education International, 2004 to present
• Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers, 2011 to present
• Editorial Team of Literacy Research and Instruction (2011/2012-2016)
• American Reading Forum, 2012 to present