This research project examined how students from different disciplines display and manage their emotions while working in team-based learning environments. The study combined qualitative and quantitative data collected from engineering and hospitality students to compare levels of emotive dissonance and deep acting during team projects.
Results show that engineering students experience higher levels of emotive dissonance, indicating a greater mismatch between felt and displayed emotions. In contrast, hospitality students report higher levels of deep acting, reflecting their disciplinary training in managing emotional expression in service-oriented contexts. These findings highlight the influence of disciplinary cultures: engineering students tend to suppress or fake emotions due to norms valuing rationality and emotional restraint, whereas hospitality students are more practiced in adjusting internal feelings to meet social expectations.
For EPFL, this work provides practical guidance for supporting students in team-based courses. Understanding emotional labor demands can help instructors design learning environments that reduce emotional strain, promote healthy emotion-regulation strategies, and strengthen collaboration. Such insights are especially valuable in engineering education, where emotional expression is often undervalued despite its clear impact on teamwork, inclusion, and student well-being.
Contacts
- Nihat Kotluk, [email protected]
- Rachel Germanier, [email protected]
- Annick Darioly Carroz, [email protected]
- Roland Tormey, [email protected]
Dates and Funding
- Start date
- 25.07.2022
- End date
- 31.12.2024
- Funding
- No
Publications
- Kotluk, N., Tormey, R., Germanier, R., & Darioly, A. (2023, September 11–14).
Emotional labor experienced in team-projects: A comparison of engineering and hospitality students.
Paper presented at the European Society for Engineering Education (SEFI) 51st Annual Conference, Dublin, Ireland.
https://doi.org/10.21427/B0JC-X967 - Germanier, R., Darioly, A., Kotluk, N., & Tormey, R. (2023, November 22–24).
“But of course, I’m going to look happy” or “He needed to know I was angry”? Comparing the use of emotional labour in teamwork in engineering and hospitality students.
Paper presented at the European Association for Practitioner Research on Improving Learning (EAPRIL) Conference, Belfast, UK.
Proceedings PDF