Does social identity matter in software engineering? Assessing the case of research software engineers

2026-04-28

AI Summary

This study introduces social identity theory into software engineering for the first time to investigate the collective construction of professional identity among research software engineers (RSEs) and its impact on occupational well-being. Employing a mixed-methods approach that integrates computational linguistic analysis with inferential statistics, the research systematically examines over 28,000 social media posts, 1,700 blog entries, and 381 survey responses. Findings confirm a significant collective identity within the RSE community and demonstrate that this shared identity positively contributes to professional belonging and psychological well-being. The work provides both theoretical insights and empirical evidence for understanding the mechanisms underlying identity formation among technical practitioners.

Abstract

Social identity is a concept from psychology that refers to the part of an individual's identity that derives from their group membership(s). In this paper, we explore social identity in members of the professional community of Research Software Engineers (RSEs). Using a mixed-methods approach, our study combined computational linguistic analysis and inferential statistics to examine over 28,000 social media posts, 1,700 blogs, and survey responses from 381 professional RSEs. The findings highlight the emergence of a collective RSE identity and demonstrate its role in shaping professional wellbeing. This study contributes an interdisciplinary perspective by integrating social psychology and software engineering to show how a professional identity evolves and why it matters.

Problem

• social identity
• software engineering
• Research Software Engineers
• professional identity
• wellbeing

Innovation

• social identity
• research software engineers
• mixed-methods
• computational linguistic analysis
• professional wellbeing