This study explored how high school student-athletes describe their experiences of athletic identity through self-evaluation and self-interpretation while balancing sport training and academic responsibilities. The qualitative case study approach was adopted for this study. In addition to focus group discussions, 15 participants were interviewed in semi-structured interviews. The three categories of participants included three students, three parents, three teachers, and three coaches from three urban-based senior high schools in Changsha, China. Thematic analysis of data from the study was employed to interpret data. The use of data triangulation and of participants enhanced the credibility and trustworthiness of the study’s findings. Results were categorized into six major themes and fifteen sub-themes. The themes included Self-Evaluation of Athletic and Academic Competence, Collective Evaluation of Performance and Ability, Self-Interpretation of Dual Roles, Collective Meaning-Making of Athletic Identity, Internal Conflict and Motivation Regulation, and Coping with Challenges and Reinterpretation. The sub-themes highlighted perceived athletic competence, academic self-assessment, performance comparison, identity salience, confidence shaped by peer comparison, balancing pride and pressure, motivation derived from athletic identity, self-doubt, adaptive identity adjustment, and coping with setbacks. Findings indicate that student-athletes engage in continuous assessment of their academic and athletic performance, interpretation of their student-athlete role, and attempts to manage confidence and motivation to meet challenges in both roles. Findings also support the athlete identity process to be dynamic, consisting of stages of self-reflection, social comparison, and adaptation. Findings from this study support the establishment of a school, parental, and classroom environment that fosters a balanced academic and athletic support system for all students, especially those involved in athletics. All parties could benefit from an understanding of the aforementioned findings to maximize the very positive impact that athletic identity can have on students involved in athletics. Future studies should include examination of more variables using more participants from a variety of sports and from a gender comparative frame of reference.
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