arXiv subjects

Rafael Tomaz

Publications and source records attributed to Rafael Tomaz.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

A Quasi-Experimental Evaluation of Coaching to Mitigate the Impostor Phenomenon in Early-Career Software Engineers

Context: The Impostor Phenomenon (IP), the persistent belief of being a fraud despite evident competence, is common in Software Engineering (SE), where high expectations for expertise and innovation prevail. Although coaching and similar interventions are proposed to mitigate IP, empirical evidence in SE remains underexplored. Objective: This study examines the impact of a structured group coaching intervention on reducing IP feelings among early-career software engineers. Method: We conducted a quasi-experiment with 20 participants distributed across two project teams using a wait-list control design, complemented by non-participant observation. The treatment group received a three-session coaching intervention, while the control group received it after an observation phase. IP was assessed using the Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale (CIPS), alongside evaluated measures of well-being (WHO-5), life satisfaction (SWLS), and affect (PANAS). Results: The coaching resulted in modest reductions in CIPS scores, whereas the control group also improved during the observation phase, suggesting that contextual and temporal factors may have exerted a stronger influence than the formal intervention. Conclusion: These results suggest that coaching may support reflection and awareness related to IP, yet other contextual aspects of team collaboration and project work might also contribute to these changes. This study offers a novel empirical step toward understanding how structured IP interventions operate within SE environments.

cs.SE↗

arXiv2026

Impacts of Generative AI on Agile Teams' Productivity: A Multi-Case Longitudinal Study

Context: Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) tools, such as GitHub Copilot and GPT tools, represent a paradigm shift in software engineering. While their impact is clear, most studies are short-term, focused on individual experiments. The sustained, team-level effects on productivity within industrial agile environments remain largely uncharacterized. Goal: This study aims to provide a longitudinal evaluation of GenAI's impact on agile software teams. We characterize its effect on developers' productivity by applying the multi-dimensional SPACE framework. Method: We conducted a multi-case longitudinal study involving 3 agile teams at a large technology consulting firm for around 13 months. We collected and compared quantitative telemetry (Jira, SonarQube, Git) and qualitative survey data from historical (pre-adoption) and research (post-adoption) sprints. Conclusion: GenAI tools can significantly improve team performance and well-being. Our key finding is a sharp increase in Performance and perceived Efficiency concurrent with flat developer Activity. This suggests GenAI increases the value density of development work, not its volume. This finding validates the necessity of multi-dimensional frameworks like SPACE to capture the true, nuanced impact of GenAI in situ, which would be invisible to studies measuring Activity alone.

cs.SE↗

arXiv2026

Impostor Phenomenon as Human Debt: A Challenge to the Future of Software Engineering

The Impostor Phenomenon (IP) impacts a significant portion of the Software Engineering workforce, yet it is often viewed primarily through an internal individual lens. In this position paper, we propose framing the prevalence of IP as a form of Human Debt and discuss the relation with the ICSE2026 Pre Survey on the Future of Software Engineering results. Similar to technical debt, which arises when short-term goals are prioritized over long-term structural integrity, Human Debt accumulates due to gaps in psychological safety and inclusive support within socio-technical ecosystems. We observe that this debt is not distributed equally, it weighs heavier on underrepresented engineers and researchers, who face compounded challenges within traditional hierarchical structures and academic environments. We propose cultural refactoring, transparency and active maintenance through allyship, suggesting that leaders and institutions must address the environmental factors that exacerbate these feelings, ensuring a sustainable ecosystem for all professionals.

cs.SE↗

arXiv2025

Impostor Phenomenon Among Software Engineers: Investigating Gender Differences and Well-Being

Research shows that more than half of software professionals experience the Impostor Phenomenon (IP), with a notably higher prevalence among women compared to men. IP can lead to mental health consequences, such as depression and burnout, which can significantly impact personal well-being and software professionals' productivity. This study investigates how IP manifests among software professionals across intersections of gender with race/ethnicity, marital status, number of children, age, and professional experience. Additionally, it examines the well-being of software professionals experiencing IP, providing insights into the interplay between these factors. We analyzed data collected through a theory-driven survey (n = 624) that used validated psychometric instruments to measure IP and well-being in software engineering professionals. We explored the prevalence of IP in the intersections of interest. Additionally, we applied bootstrapping to characterize well-being within our field and statistically tested whether professionals of different genders suffering from IP have lower well-being. The results show that IP occurs more frequently in women and that the prevalence is particularly high among black women as well as among single and childless women. Furthermore, regardless of gender, software engineering professionals suffering from IP have significantly lower well-being. Our findings indicate that effective IP mitigation strategies are needed to improve the well-being of software professionals. Mitigating IP would have particularly positive effects on the well-being of women, who are more frequently affected by IP.

cs.SE↗

arXiv2023

Impostor Phenomenon in Software Engineers

The Impostor Phenomenon (IP) is widely discussed in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and has been evaluated in Computer Science students. However, formal research on IP in software engineers has yet to be conducted, although its impacts may lead to mental disorders such as depression and burnout. This study describes a survey that investigates the extent of impostor feelings in software engineers, considering aspects such as gender, race/ethnicity, and roles. Furthermore, we investigate the influence of IP on their perceived productivity. The survey instrument was designed using a theory-driven approach and included demographic questions, an internationally validated IP scale, and questions for measuring perceived productivity based on the SPACE framework constructs. The survey was sent to companies operating in various business sectors. Data analysis used bootstrapping with resampling to calculate confidence intervals and Mann-Whitney statistical significance testing for assessing the hypotheses. We received responses from 624 software engineers from 26 countries. The bootstrapping results reveal that a proportion of 52.7% of software engineers experience frequent to intense levels of IP and that women suffer at a significantly higher proportion (60.6%) than men (48.8%). Regarding race/ethnicity, we observed more frequent impostor feelings in Asian (67.9%) and Black (65.1%) than in White (50.0%) software engineers. We also observed that the presence of IP is less common among individuals who are married and have children. Moreover, the prevalence of IP showed a statistically significant negative effect on the perceived productivity for all SPACE framework constructs. The evidence relating IP to software engineers provides a starting point to help organizations find ways to raise awareness of the problem and improve the emotional skills of software professionals.

cs.SE↗