The influence of coaches' developmental feedback and inside identity perception on athletes' sports engagement: the moderating role of emotional intelligence

Coaches' developmental feedback serves as a critical catalyst for enhancing athletes' sports engagement, optimizing training efficacy, and sustaining team development dynamics. Transitioning athletes from passive compliance to proactive participation—thereby cultivating voluntary commitment to the training and competitive environments—has emerged as a strategic priority for sports practitioners. Drawing on Social Identity Theory and Conservation of Resources Theory, this study investigates the mechanism and boundary conditions through which coaches' developmental feedback influences athletes' sports engagement. Empirical analysis of 412 matched coach-athlete dyads from four major southwestern Chinese cities (Chengdu, Guiyang, Kunming, Chongqing) yielded three key findings: (1) coaches' developmental feedback exhibits a significant positive effect on athletes' sports engagement; (2) athletes' insider identity perception partially mediates this relationship; (3) athletes' emotional intelligence moderates the identified mediation pathway. These results advance theoretical understanding of engagement mechanisms in sports psychology while providing actionable strategies for designing evidence-based coaching interventions.