Emotions in Software Practice: Presentation vs. Coding

Nowadays, one of the most relevant, necessary and essential professional activities is software development. Software practitioners assume a very demanding task presenting important challenges. The aim of the present study is to find out how future software practitioners deal emotionally with two important tasks in their professional life: coding and presentation. To achieve this goal, 47 participants were asked about the emotions they experience in the selected tasks. To collect emotions, the Discrete Emotions Questionnaire was applied. The questionnaire covers eight emotions: anger, disgust, fear, anxiety, sadness, happiness, relaxation, and desire. These eight emotions are divided into four emotion words, which designate different level of intensity. All emotions are self-assessed by means of a Likert Scale. The results show differences in emotions between the two tasks, for instance: the importance of emotions like Anxiety and Nervousness in the case of presentations and Satisfaction and Enjoyment in the case of coding.