Preservice teachers’ professional identity: A systematic review of empirical research in Europe

This study is a systematic review of preservice teachers' professional identity (PI). It focuses on empirical research published in English between 2014 and 2024 concerning university-based initial teacher education in the European Higher Education Area. The review aims to provide an updated overview of the theoretical foundations informing research on preservice teachers' PI and to identify empirical insights into its development. The search employed two search strings across four databases, yielding 57 studies that met predetermined inclusion criteria. The thematically analyzed studies demonstrated varied theoretical foundations but also supported a shared understanding of preservice teachers' PI involving psychological, pedagogical, social, societal, and contextual aspects. They further highlighted three research areas in preservice teachers' PI development, i.e., beliefs and perceptions, tensions, and supplementary interventions in teacher education. This review advocates for clear conceptualizations of preservice teachers’ PI along with explicit theoretical delineation to ensure stability and comparability across teacher identity research.