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

TL;DR

This study explores how software engineering students perceive their emotional intelligence after a cooperative project, highlighting their strengths in self-emotion management and informal strategies for emotional skills development.

Contribution

It provides empirical insights into SE students' self-perceptions of EI and emphasizes the importance of emotional skills in collaborative software engineering education.

Findings

Students excel in managing their own emotions.

Informal emotional management strategies improve teamwork.

Limited formal EI training but effective peer support networks.

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.