Youngsun Lee is a graduate assistant in the Department of Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership. Her current research centers on exclusionary discipline and its association with truancy, absenteeism, and school engagement. She is also passionate about exploring the experiences of Asian youths in American K-12 schools, particularly those from low socioeconomic backgrounds.
Youngsun previously worked at the Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training (KRIVET), where she coordinated two projects for secondary career education funded by the Korea Ministry of Education. She also taught middle and high school students English (as a foreign language), math, and academic writing in the social sciences.
2022 - 2025 Graduate School Special Dean's Fellowship, University of Maryland-College Park
2014 - 2016 Departmental Scholarship for Superior Academic Performance, Kyungpook National University
2019 Best Paper Award, Graduate Student Research Competition [Education Panel], Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training
2018 Best Paper Award, Graduate Student Research Competition [Corporate Panel], Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training
An, Y., Lee, Y., Oh, S. Y., & Lee, J. Y. (2024). How can young adults be civically engaged? The role of academic achievement standards in enhancing civic and social engagement in the case of South Korea. International Journal of Educational Development, 110, 103115.
Lee, Y., Lee, G., Kim, J., & Lee, M. (2021). Equity in career development of high school students in South Korea: The role of
school career education. Education Sciences, 11(1), 1-20.
Moon, C., Moon, H., Lee, Y., & Jeong, D. W. (2021). The effects of the educational capacity enhancement policy in general
high schools: Evidence from the high schools in Seoul, South Korea. Korean Journal of Educational Administration, 39(1),
117-141. [In Korean]
Lee, Y. (2020). The relationship between high school students’ career maturity and career maturity of their classmates: Does
classmate peer effect on career maturity exist?. Journal of Vocational Education & Training, 23(1), 69-104. [In Korean]
Moon, C., Jeong, S., Lee, Y., & Jeong, D. W. (2020). The analysis of the relationship between the implementation of the free
semester and academic achievement in middle schools. Korean Journal of Educational Administration, 36(5), 219-245. [In Korean]
Moon, C., Lee, Y., Lee, J., & Jeong, D. W. (2019). The impact of adolescent-parent career congruence on student learning
experiences and career development. Asian Journal of Education, 20(3), 617-645. [In Korean]
Moon, C., Nam, I., Lee, Y., Lee, J., Han, S., & Jeong, D. W. (2019). The effects of diversity of workers’ educational
backgrounds on corporate financial and non-financial performances. Journal of Vocational Education & Training, 22(2),
91-127. [In Korean]
Research project to understand and reduce racial/ethnic disproportionalities in school discipline by targeting educators' use of office discipline referrals (PI: Dr. Jing Liu & Dr. Emily Penner)
Co-Instructor: Economics of Education (TLPL670/PLCY688), Spring 2025
Teaching Assistant: Historical and Philosophical Perspectives on Education (TLPL 250), Spring 2023
Teaching Assistant: Historical and Philosophical Perspectives on Education (TLPL 250), Fall 2022