A Scientometric Review of Teachers’ Professional Identity Research in China: Hotspots, Trends, and Future Directions

Abstract

This study aims to examine the development, intellectual structure, and emerging trends of teachers’ professional identity (TPI) research in China, with a focus on identifying research hotspots, thematic evolution, and future directions. Grounded in a systematic literature review and scientometric approach, the study synthesises existing literature to address the fragmented nature of TPI research, which has been widely discussed across educational psychology, teacher education, and policy studies but lacks comprehensive integration. The literature review highlights that TPI research has evolved from early conceptual and measurement-focused studies to more complex investigations involving psychological capital, work engagement, wellbeing, and contextual identity construction. Methodologically, this study employed PRISMA-guided procedures and CiteSpace visualisation techniques to analyse 208 publications retrieved from Web of Science, Scopus, and CNKI (2005–2025). The analysis includes publication trend mapping, co-authorship networks, institutional collaboration, keyword co-occurrence, clustering analysis, and burst detection. The results show a clear four-stage development trajectory: initial conceptual exploration, rapid expansion driven by policy reforms, stabilisation with empirical refinement, and recent thematic consolidation with declining publication growth. Key findings also reveal dominant themes such as teacher psychological factors, preservice identity formation, and work engagement, alongside weak research collaboration networks and limited interdisciplinary integration. The study concludes that TPI research in China is entering a maturity stage that requires theoretical integration, methodological diversification, and stronger collaborative structures. The findings contribute to Sustainable Development Goal 4 by providing insights into strengthening teacher professionalism, improving teacher quality, and supporting sustainable and equitable education systems.