“Hybrid Work Provides the Best of both Worlds” Software Engineering Students’ Perception of Group Work in Different Work Settings

Productivity plays a crucial role in the success of any software project involving individuals. With the rise of hybrid work models due to the COVID-19 pandemic, both higher education and industry settings have witnessed significant changes in how group and individual productivity are perceived. This study aims to investigate software engineering students’ perception of productivity across various group work settings and cultural contexts using a questionnaire-based approach. The study primarily focuses on assessing students’ perspectives on self-productivity, teammates’ productivity, and overall group productivity, along with their emotional experiences related to these factors. Seventy-seven university students from two European countries, namely Portugal and Sweden, voluntarily participated in this study. The results indicated that the majority of students who had experience with hybrid work expressed a preference for continuing this mode of work in future group projects. However, a few students expressed a desire to transition to either fully online or onsite work based on their positive or negative experiences collaborating with others. Additionally, the results revealed that cultural contexts had no significant influence on students’ perception of productivity.