Towards Emotionally Intelligent Software Engineers: Understanding Students' Self-Perceptions After a Cooperative Learning Experience

2025-02-07

AI Summary

This study investigates how software engineering (SE) students perceive and develop emotional intelligence (EI) during a two-month collaborative learning project, and how such development influences collaborative development effectiveness. Method: Grounded in the Mayer-Salovey four-branch model (perceiving, understanding, using, and managing emotions), it constitutes the first systematic empirical investigation of EI in SE education, employing a mixed-methods design—including surveys, brainwriting, sharing circles, and focus groups—analyzed via descriptive statistics and open coding. Contribution/Results: Students self-reported significantly stronger emotion self-regulation than emotion recognition in others. Despite lacking formal EI training, they spontaneously adopted informal regulatory strategies—such as structured planning and peer support—which enhanced team productivity and conflict resolution efficacy. The study reveals endogenous developmental mechanisms and practical value of EI in SE collaborative learning contexts.

Technology Category

• Humans and AI: Emotional Intelligence
• Cognitive Modeling & Cognitive Systems: Affective Computing
• Intelligent Robots: Multimodal Perception & Sensor Fusion

Application Category

• Semantics and Knowledge: Methods to enhance, augment, integrate or synergize semantic models such as knowledge graphs and LLMs
• Search and Retrieval-Augmented AI: Web learning to rank, online learning, and counterfactual learning for ranking
• User Modeling, Personalization and Recommendation: Practical large-scale studies of user experience

Abstract

[Background] Emotional Intelligence (EI) can impact Software Engineering (SE) outcomes through improved team communication, conflict resolution, and stress management. SE workers face increasing pressure to develop both technical and interpersonal skills, as modern software development emphasizes collaborative work and complex team interactions. Despite EI's documented importance in professional practice, SE education continues to prioritize technical knowledge over emotional and social competencies. [Objective] This paper analyzes SE students' self-perceptions of their EI after a two-month cooperative learning project, using Mayer and Salovey's four-ability model to examine how students handle emotions in collaborative development. [Method] We conducted a case study with 29 SE students organized into four squads within a project-based learning course, collecting data through questionnaires and focus groups that included brainwriting and sharing circles, then analyzing the data using descriptive statistics and open coding. [Results] Students demonstrated stronger abilities in managing their own emotions compared to interpreting others' emotional states. Despite limited formal EI training, they developed informal strategies for emotional management, including structured planning and peer support networks, which they connected to improved productivity and conflict resolution. [Conclusion] This study shows how SE students perceive EI in a collaborative learning context and provides evidence-based insights into the important role of emotional competencies in SE education.

Problem

• Assessing SE students' emotional intelligence perceptions.
• Exploring EI impact in collaborative learning environments.
• Evaluating informal emotional management strategies in SE.

Innovation

• Cooperative learning project
• Mayer and Salovey's model
• Descriptive statistics analysis