Teacher victimization is a complex issue involving inappropriate behavior, harassment, or aggression from students, parents, colleagues, or administrators. Despite cultural respect for the teaching profession, studies show that teachers in many countries face violence, leading to negative outcomes such as reduced job satisfaction, strained peer relationships, and diminished psychological well-being. This, in turn, affects student achievement and school climate. Factors contributing to victimization include socio-demographic characteristics of schools, curriculum levels, and individual teacher attributes (e.g., age, gender, seniority). Critical thinking is highlighted as a vital resource for teachers, fostering resilience and promoting positive change. Critically thinking teachers model openness, reflection, and problem-solving, shaping a generation of critical thinkers.

While numerous reviews and meta-analyses exist on teacher victimization, psychological well-being, and critical thinking, few studies examine the interplay among these three concepts. To address this gap, the project “Teachers' Critical Thinking in Relation to the Experience of Victimization in an Educational Institution and Psychological Well-Being (KMVUP)” (funded by the Lithuanian Research Council, S-MIP-24-108, 2024–2026) was initiated. One objective of the project is to review research on these interconnected areas in secondary/high school settings.

A scoping review was conducted using PRISMA for Scoping Reviews and Peters et al. (2022) methodology, with the Population, Concept, Context (PCC) framework determining eligibility criteria. Studies focused on teachers in educational settings, encompassing critical thinking, victimization, and psychological well-being. Peer-reviewed, open-access, full-text studies in English were included, while grey literature and theoretical papers were excluded. To identify potentially relevant papers, the following bibliographic databases were searched: Education sources, ERIC, Web of Science, Scopus. To ensure the search validation procedure the search strategies were drafted and refined through researchers’ team discussion and with support and monitoring of experienced librarian. A two-stage screening process (titles and abstracts, followed by full texts) ensured adherence to eligibility criteria.

The piloting phase revealed a significant research gap: few studies address all three concepts together. This prompted a shift to a mapping review. Research primarily focuses on teacher well-being and victimization, with less attention to the intersection of well-being and critical thinking. Notably, the link between victimization and critical thinking remains unexplored. The next step involves detailed analysis and mapping of these relationships.

In conclusion, this review uncovered a substantial knowledge gap. Future research could build on this mapping review to explore the interplay of teacher victimization, psychological well-being, and critical thinking until sufficient data for a scoping review becomes available.

Keywords: Teachers' psychological well-being, Victimisation, Critical thinking.