A Neutrosophic–fsQCA Framework for Strategic School Management: Superset and Coincidence Analyses of Student Social Competence

Abstract

This study proposes a neutrosophic–fsQCA framework to analyze strategic school management under conditions of uncertainty. Using data from 20 educators at the Colegio Bicentenario Louis Pasteur in Ecuador, neutrosophic Likert scales were applied to capture perceptions of interpersonal communication (IC), social interaction experiences (SIE), self-esteem and self-efficacy (SS), and their influence on students’ social competence (ECS). The neutrosophic triplets (T, I, F) were transformed into fuzzy sets through a fuzzification process, enabling subsequent Qualitative Comparative Analysis. Two complementary procedures were conducted: a superset analysis to assess necessary and sufficient conditions, and a coincidence analysis to explore overlap among conditions. Results indicate that SS plays a pivotal role, emerging as a bridging factor with the highest overlap with both IC and ECS. Superset analysis revealed multiple equifinal pathways, with combinations such as SIE ∗ SS and IC ∗ SS showing high consistency and coverage. These findings highlight the importance of psychosocial factors and demonstrate that student social competence emerges from interacting conditions rather than isolated variables. Methodologically, the study contributes by integrating neutrosophic modeling with fsQCA, offering a replicable approach for handling uncertainty in educational and social research.