"I felt there was no team to be included in": Navigating social emotions and masculinities in engineering team projects

Background: Engineering education often upholds masculinity norms such as individual competitiveness and emotional stoicism. These norms affect team dynamics and students' satisfaction with learning experiences in team projects. Purpose: This study explores how social emotions experienced by computer science students, in conjunction with their (re)construction of masculinities, affect their satisfaction with learning experiences during team projects. Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 34 students engaged in team projects at two Swiss technical universities. Each participant was interviewed twice: once at the beginning and once at the end of the project. We asked about their emotions, the reasons behind them, and their satisfaction with learning experiences during the project. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results: Two main themes were generated: (i) Hegemonic Masculinities describe patterns where students reinforced masculinity norms (i.e., competitiveness, prioritizing performance over social connections, and suppressing emotions to appear competent), which often led to decreased satisfaction with their learning experiences; (ii) Counterhegemonic Practices refer to instances where participants challenged these norms by promoting collaboration, sharing emotions, and providing