Professional Identity Formation of Career-Change Science Teachers in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Rapid Systematic Review with Implications for Ghana

This project hosts the full research record for a rapid systematic review examining professional identity formation among career-change science teachers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), with specific implications for science teacher education policy and practice in Ghana. The review is conducted as partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education in Science Education at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana. Review Question What does the empirical peer-reviewed literature reveal about the professional identity formation of career-change science teachers in low- and middle-income countries, and what are the implications of these findings for science teacher education policy and practice in Ghana? Background Ghana faces a critical shortage of qualified science teachers alongside increasing curriculum demands, including mandated climate change education since 2019. A growing cohort of science and STEM graduates are entering secondary school teaching through non-conventional pathways, yet the professional identity formation experiences of this population remain entirely unexamined in the Ghanaian and broader sub-Saharan African literature. The global literature on career-change science teacher identity is substantial but concentrated almost exclusively in five high-income countries. This rapid systematic review constitutes the first PRISMA-compliant synthesis of empirical evidence on this population within LMIC contexts. Methodology The review follows rapid systematic review methodology in accordance with JBI guidance (Peters et al., 2020) and is reported according to PRISMA 2020 standards (Page et al., 2021). Eligibility criteria are defined using the PEO framework (Population, Exposure, Outcome). Three databases are searched: ERIC via EBSCOhost, Scopus, and African Journals Online (AJOL). The date range is January 2010 to December 2025. Only peer-reviewed empirical studies in English are included. Quality appraisal is conducted using the CASP Qualitative Checklist and the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT). Synthesis follows the three-stage thematic synthesis method of Thomas and Harden (2008). Theoretical Framework The synthesis is guided by three complementary analytical frameworks: Teacher Identity Theory (Beijaard et al., 2004; Beauchamp & Thomas, 2009), Social Cognitive Career Theory (Lent et al., 1994), and Communities of Practice (Wenger, 1998). Project Contents This project will be updated progressively as the review proceeds and will contain: • Review protocol (pre-registered prior to database searching) • Documented search strings for all three databases • PRISMA 2020 flow diagram • Data extraction form • Quality appraisal summary table • Thematic synthesis outputs • Final thesis manuscript (upon completion) • Journal manuscript(s) submitted for publication Status Protocol pre-registered. Database searching not yet commenced. Project is active. Researcher Abdul-Aziz Issaka MEd Science Education Candidate Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana Science Educator with 7+ years teaching experience in Ghana and Saudi Arabia Keywords science teacher identity, career change teachers, professional identity formation, STEM teacher education, sub-Saharan Africa, Ghana, low- and middle-income countries, rapid systematic review, pedagogical content knowledge, communities of practice