Dr. Hyung Joon Yoon
Dr. Hyung Joon Yoon
Associate Professor of Education (WFED)
Email:[email protected]
Phone: 814-865-1876
310A Keller Building
University Park, PA 16802
Department(s)
- Learning and Performance Systems
Program(s)
- Workforce Education and Development
Current Research: Dr. Yoon’s research centers on human agency and hope in career development and HRD, grounded in Albert Bandura’s human agency theory. Current projects include: (1) Money Drills: Financial Agency Education, a Robinhood-funded program (2026–2029) delivering credit-bearing financial planning and career agency education to Division I student-athletes; (2) customer discovery for an AI-based career planning and life design platform as an NSF I-Corps Regional Scholar; (3) refining the Employee Career Development Integration (ECDI) model and Hope-Action Theory-based interventions for organizations; (4) cross-cultural validation of the Hope-Action Inventory (HAI) and Assessment of Human Agency; and (5) motivational mechanisms of retention among vocational rehabilitation personnel.
Education
- Ph.D., Workforce Education and Development (HRD/OD emphasis), The Pennsylvania State University, 2011
- M.A., Sociology of Education and Adult Continuing Education, Korea University, 2004
- B.Econ., Food and Resource Economics, Korea University, 2000
Biography
Hyung Joon Yoon, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Workforce Education and Development in the Department (WFED) in the Department of Learning and Performance Systems at the Pennsylvania State University. He is also the Professor-in-Charge of the WFED program. Prior to joining Penn State, he was an Assistant Professor of Human Resource Development (HRD) and Program Coordinator of the HRD Program at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco, as well as Assistant Professor of Human and Organizational Learning at the George Washington University.
Dr. Yoon has experience in leadership development, career development, organization development, needs assessment, and evaluation of HRD/OD interventions. He worked for organizations, such as LG Display, Korea Leadership Center, the Korean Army, Penn State Management Development Programs and Services, and Penn State Career Services. While he held these positions, he served as an HRD practitioner, a career coach, and/or an OD consultant. He also facilitated Franklin Covey’s time management program, named “Focus,” in South Korea, China, Japan, and the U.S., achieving the Individual Greatness Award from Franklin Covey for the program’s measurable effectiveness.
Dr. Yoon’s scholarly work is focused on empowering individuals and organizations with human agency and hope. He developed the Human Agency-Based Individual Transformation (HABIT) model (Yoon, 2019) and an associated assessment tool, the Assessment of Human Agency (AHA; Yoon, 2011). He co-developed Hope-Action Theory and the Hope-Action Inventory (HAI). They are used in different countries as a framework and a tool to help individuals live fulfilling lives. The HAI has been translated into German, Korean, Hebrew, Greek, Turkish, Brazilian Portuguese, and Italian.
Dr. Yoon was awarded an NCDA Fellow status for contributing to the career development field through research, leadership, teaching, service, and policy development efforts by the National Career Development Association (NCDA). He served as an Associate Editor of Human Resource Development Review, a leading theory-building journal in the field of HRD (2020-2023; 2022 Impact Factor: 6.4).
Dr. Yoon earned his Ph.D. in Workforce Education and Development from the Pennsylvania State University. He is certified as a Lifelong Educator (2nd Grade in South Korea), Certified Career Services Provider (CCSP), Career Development Facilitator Instructor, Career Development Facilitator Master Trainer, and Six Sigma Green Belt. He held the Global Career Development Facilitator (GCDF) and the Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) certifications for over 10 years. He served as a board member (Trust-at-Large) for the NCDA (2013-2016; 2016-2019).
Areas of Expertise
Age Levels
Curriculum Areas
Individual Difference
Methodological Research
Human Resources and Work
Organizational Management
Most Recent Papers
Yoon, H. J. (in press). Extending the cognitive information processing approach: A values-based developmental model for adult career counseling. Journal of Employment Counseling. https://doi.org/10.1002/joec.70026
Herbert, J. T., Yoon, H. J., & O'Shea, A. (in press). Motivational mechanisms of employee retention in vocational rehabilitation settings: An agency-based framework. Rehabilitation Research, Policy, and Education. https://doi.org/10.1891/RE-26-02
Ahn, S., & Yoon, H. J. (2026). Psychometric validation of the Korean Hope-Action Inventory among university students. Frontiers in Psychology, 17, Article 1794159. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1794159
Yoon, H. J., Chang, Y.-L., Van Hoof, H., & Bast, R. A. (2026). Fostering hopeful career state in the workplace: The roles of organizational and supervisory support. Career Development Quarterly, 74(2), 111–124. https://doi.org/10.1002/cdq.70019
Yoon, H. J., Oh, E. G., & Mitchell, W. (2026). The effect of a career development program for individuals with ASD: A Hope-Action Theory perspective. New Horizons in Adult Education and Human Resource Development, 38(2), 161–175. https://doi.org/10.1177/19394225251409523
Al Balushi, I., Yoon, H. J., & Risch, T. (2025). The role of human agency in nurses' hopeful career state. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 36(2), 193–224. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrdq.21545
Yoon, H. J. (2025). LifeCraft: Finding answers in "work" for the second half of life [in Korean]. PlanB Design.
Most Cited Papers
Niles, S. G., Yoon, H. J., Balin, E., & Amundson, N. (2010). Using a hope-centered model of career development in challenging times. Turkish Psychological Counseling and Guidance Journal, 34, 101–109.
Yoon, H. J., Bailey, N., Amundson, N. E., & Niles, S. G. (2019). The effect of a career development programme based on the Hope-Action Theory: Hope to Work for refugees in British Columbia. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 47(1), 6–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/03069885.2018.1544827
Yoon, H. J., Song, J. H., Donahue, W. E., & Woodley, K. K. (2010). Leadership competency inventory: A systematic process of developing and validating a leadership competency scale. Journal of Leadership Studies, 4(3), 39–50. https://doi.org/10.1002/jls.20176
Yoon, H. J. (2019). Toward agentic HRD: A translational model of Albert Bandura's human agency theory. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 21(3), 335–351. https://doi.org/10.1177/1523422319851437
Amundson, N., Goddard, T., Yoon, H. J., & Niles, S. (2018). Hope-centred interventions with unemployed clients. Canadian Journal of Career Development, 17(2), 87–98.
Yoon, H. J., Chang, Y.-L., Sadique, F., & Al Balushi, I. (2021). Mechanisms for hopeful employee career development in COVID-19: A Hope-Action Theory perspective. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 23(3), 203–221. https://doi.org/10.1177/15234223211017848
Clarke, A., Amundson, N., Niles, S., & Yoon, H. J. (2018). Action-oriented hope: An agent of change for internationally educated professionals. Journal of Employment Counseling, 55(4), 155–165. https://doi.org/10.1002/joec.12095
Yoon, H. J., Farley, S. B., & Padilla, C. (2021). Organization development values from a future-oriented perspective: An international Delphi study. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 57(3), 323–349. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021886320957351
Most Recognized Papers
Niles, S. G., Amundson, N. E., Neault, R., & Yoon, H. J. (2020). Career flow & development: Hope in action (2nd ed.). Cognella.
Niles, S. G., Amundson, N. E., Neault, R., & Yoon, H. J. (2020). Career recovery: Creating hopeful careers in difficult times. Cognella.
Yoon, H. J., Hutchison, B., Maze, M., Pritchard, C., & Reiss, A. D. (Eds.). (2018). International practices of career services, credentials, and training. National Career Development Association.
Yoon, H. J. (2025). LifeCraft: Finding answers in "work" for the second half of life [in Korean]. PlanB Design. Ranked #1 in Organization/HR Management and #4 in Counseling Psychology on Yes24 (January 2026).
Yoon, H. J. (2019). Toward agentic HRD: A translational model of Albert Bandura's human agency theory. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 21(3), 335–351. https://doi.org/10.1177/1523422319851437
Niles, S. G., Amundson, N. E., & Yoon, H. J. (2019). Hope-action theory: Creating and sustaining hope in career development. In N. Arthur, R. Neault, & M. McMahon (Eds.), Career theories and models at work: Ideas for practice (pp. 283–294). CERIC.
Yoon, H. J. (2022). Career development and human resource development. In R. A. Swanson (Ed.), Foundations of human resource development (3rd ed., pp. 428–435). Berrett-Koehler.
Most Interesting Papers
Yoon, H. J. (in press). Extending the cognitive information processing approach: A values-based developmental model for adult career counseling. Journal of Employment Counseling. https://doi.org/10.1002/joec.70026
Yoon, H. J., Oh, E. G., & Mitchell, W. (2026). The effect of a career development program for individuals with ASD: A Hope-Action Theory perspective. New Horizons in Adult Education and Human Resource Development, 38(2), 161–175. https://doi.org/10.1177/19394225251409523
Yoon, H. J., Ahn, S., & Kang, E. H. (2019). A job seeking competency model for North Korean defectors who are college students in South Korea. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 47(1), 81–95. https://doi.org/10.1080/03069885.2018.1504879
Yoon, H. J. (2019). Instilling hope in disadvantaged youth: A dragon metaphor [in Korean]. Youth Development Support and Realization of Inclusive Society, 121–150.
Yoon, H. J., Raup, M., Chang, Y.-L., & Fu, I.-P. (2026). Technology-leveraged OD for collective decision-making. In W. J. Rothwell, J. M. Stavros, & S. H. Cady (Eds.), Practicing organization development: A guide for leading change (5th ed., pp. 341–350). Wiley.
Yoon, H. J. (2020). Hope-action theory for organizations. Organization Development Review, 52(4), 28–34.
Bong, H.-C., & Yoon, H. J. (2024). TJ 1935: The story of Taejeon, a long-lasting company [in Korean]. Green Rain Books.
NSF I-Corps Regional Scholar, National Science Foundation I-Corps Regional Program (through Penn State), 2026
NCDA Fellow, National Career Development Association, 2020
Dissertation Chair Award, University Council for Workforce and Human Resource Education (UCWHRE) Best Dissertation Award, 2020
NCDA Board Distinguished Service Award, National Career Development Association, 2016 and 2019
SHSS Faculty Who Has Impacted the Class of 2016 the Most, Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, 2016
Outstanding Services and Coordination of the Human Resource Development Program, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, 2016
International Innovation in Diversity Award (Saskatchewan Pathways Project team), Profiles in Diversity Journal, 2015
Best Paper Award, Korean Academy of HRD in the Americas (KAHRDA), 2010
Individual Greatness Award, FranklinCovey, 2006
Silver Prize, Innovation Award, LG.Philips LCD, 2005
Facilitating Career Development Master Trainer, Certified Career Services Provider, Career Development Practitioner Supervisor, and FCD Instructor, National Career Development Association
- Associate Professor of Workforce Education and Development, The Pennsylvania State University (2021–present)
- Professor-in-Charge, Workforce Education and Development Program, The Pennsylvania State University (2021–2023; 2024–present)
- Vice President of Talent and Organization Development, Taejeon Group, Seoul, Korea (2023–present)
- Visiting Associate Professor, Graduate Institute of International Human Resource Development, National Taiwan Normal University (2023–2024)
- Assistant Professor of Workforce Education and Development, The Pennsylvania State University (2017–2021)
- Assistant Professor of Human and Organizational Learning, The George Washington University (2016–2017)
- Assistant Professor and HRD Program Coordinator, Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco (2013–2016)