Posted on March 21, 2025 by Katelyn Juarez
Dr. Rosalind Horowitz
Rosalind Horowitz, Professor of Discourse and Literacy Studies in the UTSA Department of Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching, with a joint appointment in the Department of Educational Psychology has spent over 45 years advocating for research at UTSA and internationally, and she is not done yet.
Q: What is a research project you are most proud of?
A: The completion of The Routledge International Handbook of Research on Writing in 2023 was a major project that required seven years of compiling research with eminent scholars from across the globe. As editor, I prepared a 604-page volume with 35 chapters and contributions from 77 researchers, spanning many years of collaboration. The chapter on “Transforming Speech into Writing: Constructing a voice and identity in academic world writing” reviews a history of writing research and its more recent growth. It is a summary of theoretical papers and studies that I have conducted for near 50 years, dating back to graduate school at the University of Minnesota. I note no single work makes headway and propels change alone but, as this volume demonstrates, it is a given work in relation to a field of study and other published works that advances human knowledge and ultimately leads to scientifically reliable practices. This book does just that.
Q: Why is research a passion of yours?
A: My passion is based upon the fact that universities are unique institutions. We are different from industry, businesses, corporations and other entities. How are we different? I have thought a great deal about this, our unique contributions these last few years, when the notion of the university as an ivory tower separated from the world at-large is no longer holding ground. We are unique because we are driven to knowledge-building in social-contexts that are rapidly advancing and face substantial obstacles and unimagined challenges. We seek to advance the lives of humanity across the world. Whatever race, religion, culture, language, community people are coming from, we are striving to develop new knowledge that will make life better for all. As a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) we can take the lead particularly in research that showcases and helps Hispanic communities thrive.
Q: What advice would you give to the next generation of researchers?
A: Students are often a little afraid, respond with trepidation, when you use the word Research. They think of scientists isolated in a laboratory. Research can be a small project or large, based on a theoretical concept. It can be a case study of the development of one child in an area of learning needing investigation, which could be monitored, recorded, analyzed, and provide ideas for huge data-based studies across the nation. So, for the next generation, we have to encourage students not to be afraid of research, not to avoid it, acquire new methodologies, and to take steps in practicing research design with mentor scholar-teachers. I encourage students to seek out an apprenticeship with a faculty member conducting significant research.
Q: How do you believe research education can be improved to better prepare students for real-world challenges?
A: Research needs to be taught and used at the undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral levels. We have to pay attention to studies that are paramount and provocative. Historical studies can be significant. Research pushes us to rethink, relearn, and reexamine what we have been told or seen, and the learning that comes from studies helps students identify as research-based learners and helps one see many venues for pursuing lifelong learning. We need to respect individual differences in our students and the ways they learn and develop. The College of Education and Human Development is not only about teacher training for the classroom, but also about spreading teaching and learning in different occupations as well, and helps our students become creators of new information in medicine, law, and areas like neurobiology, psychology, engineering, business and economics.
Q: As the founder of the Annual COEHD Research Colloquium, what inspired you to create this event?
A: When I first arrived at UTSA in August 1981, there was no structure for research, but now we have so much going on and it has been a joy to see the growth of what is truly a world-class institution with tremendous potential. I want to give students a practice-trial, through our Colloquium, at presenting and developing confidence, which takes many years-- before you feel comfortable and not scared ‘out of your wits’ to present in front of groups. Many of our students have never been to a research conference, so they do not know what to expect. We are hoping that the 17th COEHD Research Colloquium, on February 25, 2025, will give them some kind of grounding of what it is like and why listening to or presenting research can be a lot of fun. Truly energizing. The advantage is that when you present a study, you obtain feedback from others that can strengthen your research, and it builds confidence that will lead to other conference presentations – and publications. Finally, we at UTSA are composed of outstanding faculty scholars whom students may model themselves after for future research development.
— Katelyn Juarez
