In recent years, teacher education has become a priority area in educational research, recognised as a crucial element for achieving inclusive and high-quality education for all. Within this context, teachers’ professional identity has emerged as a central concept, attracting increasing interest in the scientific debate. Numerous studies have examined the processes through which teachers construct their professional identity, highlighting the influence of factors such as professional orientation, commitment to teaching, the intrinsic value attributed to the profession, task perception, and teachers’ self-efficacy. These aspects are particularly significant during initial teacher education, as they constitute the foundation upon which a solid professional identity is built. However, despite the extensive scientific literature on the subject, research specifically addressing the professional identity of inclusive teachers remains limited.

Drawing on the definition proposed by Hong et al. (2024), this study adopts a more inclusive view of teachers’ professional identity, understood as “the set of beliefs and representations that each teacher develops of themselves within their role, in relation to a complex system of multiple and intersecting identities. Such identity is constructed and evolves through agentive processes of self-regulation and goal orientation, which enable the interpretation and continuous re-elaboration of personal and professional experiences situated within layered historical and socio-cultural contexts” (p. 162).

In light of these considerations, this research seeks to delineate a conceptual framework on teachers’ professional identity in relation to working in inclusive contexts. Building on the model of Beauchamp and Thomas (2006), which interprets identity development as a process of transition, the aim is to critically explore the intersection between this approach and other complementary theoretical frameworks. Among these, Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behaviour (1991) and Fishbein’s Integrative Model of Behavioural Prediction (2009) will be examined to deepen the understanding of contextual, motivational, agentive, and self-regulatory processes that contribute to the construction of teachers’ identity from an inclusive perspective.

This theoretical reflection highlights three interconnected points:
(1) teacher identity development viewed as a dynamic process of transition and professional intentionality;
(2) the impact of individual and contextual factors on agency;
(3) reflective competence as a foundational tool for the development and maintenance of self-regulatory processes fundamental for the continuous development of teacher professional identity.

The findings indicate that professional identity in inclusive contexts does not manifest as a stable trait, but rather as a dynamic process of continuous negotiation among individual and contextual variables, experience, and training. The conclusions emphasise the urgency of rethinking both initial and in-service teacher education to foster reflective awareness, self-regulatory capacity, and an orientation towards inclusion as central elements in the development of teachers’ professional identity.

Keywords: Teacher Professional Identity Development, Inclusive education, Initial teacher education, Identity.