Featured Scholar: David Hoa Nguyen, PhD
Associate Professor & Program Coordinator
Department of Urban Education Counseling, Leadership, and Policy Studies Urban Education Leadership & Policy Program
IU School of Education
Translating Legal Knowledge into Practice: Strengthening Community Capacity Through Legal Literacy
David Nguyen’s research on legal literacy among communities has involved both generating new knowledge and applying evidence to create actionable solutions. First, his research has focused on translating legal knowledge and research into practice, especially for non-lawyers and diverse communities. Community-level understanding of legal rights and obligations empowers access to justice and informed decision-making. His research highlights the relationship between legal literacy and social empowerment. This includes developing culturally responsive educational materials, interactive workshops, and resources that simplify complex legal concepts for everyday use. By integrating research insights into these interventions, the practice directly addresses real-world problems such as navigating public services, resolving disputes, and advocating for rights. This approach demonstrates how evidence-based strategies can bridge the gap between legal systems and community needs, fostering equity and resilience in daily life.
David's translation of research shows the value of creating approaches that bridge the gap between legal systems and community needs and is another excellent example of how IU Indianapolis's faculty members are TRANSLATING their RESEARCH INTO PRACTICE.
Selected Publications in IU Indianapolis ScholarWorks
With over 35 scholarly works contributed to IU Indianapolis's free, open access repository, David has made translational research knowledge available to researchers, students and readers around the world.
Iftikar, J. S., & Nguyen, D. H. K. (2024). SFFA v. Harvard: Understanding and Contextualizing the Decision and Its Impact. Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, 56(1), 4–11. Available from: https://hdl.handle.net/1805/54789
Soetan, T. O., & Nguyen, D. H. K. (2023). Addressing Gender Disparity Through International Higher Education: Use of Contextually Appropriate Global Policy Framework. Journal of Underrepresented & Minority Progress, 7(2). Available from: https://hdl.handle.net/1805/40267
Iftikar, J. S., Nguyn, D. H. K., & Byers, T. (2022). The Attack on Critical Race Theory and Higher Education: A Legal Analysis of the Impact of State Action on Faculty Free Speech. Philosophy and Theory in Higher Education, 4(3), 105–123. Available from: https://hdl.handle.net/1805/33880
Nguyen, D. H. K., Price, J. F., & Alwan, D. H. (2021). The Influence of Christian Nationalism on U.S. Public Educators’ Speech: Implications from Meriwether vs. Hartop. Laws, 10(4), 91. Available from: https://hdl.handle.net/1805/27094
Chaudhary, A., Irwin, K., & Nguyen, D. H. K. (2020). Open Access Legislation and Regulation in the United States: Implications for Higher Education. Journal of Copyright in Education & Librarianship, 4(1). Available from: https://hdl.handle.net/1805/26923
Hoy, Z. R. M., & Nguyen, D. H. K. (2020). Compassion Fatigue in Student Affairs Practitioners Working with Undocumented College Students. College Student Affairs Journal, 38(2), 126–142. Available from: https://hdl.handle.net/1805/26917
Nguyễn, D., & Iftikar, J. S. (2020). Legal Issues. In M. E. David & M. J. Amey (Eds.), The SAGE Encyclopedia of Higher Education. SAGE Publications, Inc. Available from: https://hdl.handle.net/1805/23232
Nguyễn, D. (2019). Nativism in Immigration: The Racial Politics of Educational Sanctuaries. University of Maryland Law Journal of Race, Religion, Gender and Class, 19(1), 102.
Nguyễn, D. H. K. (2019). Sanctuary Schools in the P-20 Pipeline: Policies to Consider. Ed. Law Rep, 583. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/24036
Nguyễn, D. H. K. , Ward, L.W.M. (2019). Innocent Until Proven Guilty: A Critical Interrogation of the Legal Aspects of Job Fit in Higher Education. In Reece, B. J., Tran, V. T., DeVore, E. N., & Porcaro, G. (Eds.). Debunking the Myth of Job Fit in Higher Education and Student Affairs. Stylus Publishing, LLC. Available from: https://hdl.handle.net/1805/20978
Find more free articles by David Hoa Nguyen in IU Indianapolis ScholarWorks.