Faith and Professional Identities: A Comparative Analysis of Faith-Based Education Teacher Identities in the Global North and South

<p dir="ltr">Teacher professional identities (TPI) are crucial, especially for the sense of their professionalism. However, their negotiation in faith-based contexts remains underexplored in comparative perspective. This scoping review synthesises 20 studies (2004 - 2025) that examine how teachers’ professional identities are conceptualised, studied, and shaped in faith-based education across the Global North and South. Findings reveal that while TPI is dynamic, multifaceted, and deeply contextual, how faith interacts with professional practice diverges by context. In the Global South, faith frequently provides the foundation for identity, positioning teaching as vocation, <i>amanah</i> (moral trust), or divine calling, thereby integrating spiritual and pedagogical roles. In the Global North, identity is negotiated under secular, performative, and securitised policy regimes that produce tension, concealment, or compartmentalisation of faith. Qualitative approaches dominate, though emerging quantitative and mixed-methods studies highlight the value of triangulation. The key research gaps identified include limited cross-regional comparison, scarce macro-level and digital perspectives, and a need for methodological pluralism. This study underscores the contextual nature of TPI and the importance of policy and institutional environments in shaping authentic professional selves.</p>