Unveiling the tapestry of teacher belief research: tracing the present and forging the future through bibliometric analysis

Research on teacher beliefs has gained significant attention from scholars, resulting in a vast body of literature. To understand the current trends, themes, key contributors, and emerging areas in this domain, we utilized CiteSpace to review 1,731 teacher beliefs publications from 1951 to 2023 through the WOS database. The findings indicate that:1) Over recent decades, there has been a consistent increase in publications concerning teacher beliefs, which is still promising in recent years. 2) The research themes can be divided into professional development, teaching practices, self-efficacy, theoretical orientation, and student performance. 3) There is a noticeable lack of collaboration both across academic institutions and among different authors in the field of teacher beliefs research. 4) In terms of research hotspots, it can be roughly divided into the external environment, the belief ontology, and teaching practices. 5) In terms of research frontiers, four main research frontiers were identified in different periods: epistemological belief, implementation, inclusive education, and English. This study contributes to researchers’ understanding of the developmental trajectory of teacher beliefs research, thus providing references and guidance for future research endeavors.