Social identity coupling model in university students in high-level sports teams: based on grounded theory and fsQCA.

Background: University students from high-level sports teams in China assume dual roles as formal students and elite athletes. This study develops a localized social identity coupling model to address the theoretical and empirical gaps in the existing literature. Method: Based on social identity theory, this study employs a mixed-method research paradigm integrating grounded theory and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). The sample comprises 36 university students from high-level sports teams in China recruited from six universities. Semi-structured interviews and three-stage coding procedures were performed to extract core conceptual dimensions, thereby constructing a specialized social identity coupling model that accommodates the dual-role characteristics of student-athletes. The fsQCA technique was implemented to systematically evaluate configurational mechanisms, structural robustness, empirical reliability, and hierarchical bottleneck characteristics of the proposed model. Results: This study establishes a five-dimensional coupling model of social identity for university students from high-level sports teams in China, encompassing: (1) a dual-dimensional perceived physical literacy kernel; (2) a dual-dimensional sense of belonging construction logic; (3) a single-dimensional inclusive leadership openness attribute; (4) a dual identity categorization conduction path; and (5) an inter-group comparison output path. The model achieves robust empirical fitness, as validated through theoretical saturation tests, configurational robustness analysis, reliability examination, and bottleneck level estimation using necessary condition analysis. Quantitative findings reveal that social identity is not determined by any single necessary condition but is collectively shaped by asymmetric multi-factor configurations. Two valid configurations conducive to high social identity are identified (overall consistency 0.89; coverage 0.63), among which inclusive leadership serves as the core cross-configuration condition. By contrast, two configurational paths corresponding to non-high social identity are extracted (overall consistency 0.77; coverage 0.69), and the absence of dual identity categorization constitutes the primary inhibitory factor. Bottleneck level analysis further confirms rigid minimum threshold constraints for all antecedents at high identity levels (≥50%), demonstrating distinct configurational functions of outcome promotion and risk prevention across variables. Conclusion: This study innovatively constructs and empirically validates a localized social identity coupling model targeted at university students from high-level sports teams in China.