Investigating student–tutor interpersonal interactions for enhanced teaching quality in a first-year undergraduate anatomy and physiology unit

Teaching in higher education relies on effective communication and interpersonal skills to foster student engagement and learning, however, formal training in these areas is often limited. This descriptive mixed-methods study explored how students provide structured feedback on tutor interpersonal behaviour using the validated Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI), with the aim of informing professional development opportunities. Tutors and students from a first-year anatomy and physiology unit completed the QTI to examine descriptive patterns of aggregate profile overlap between tutor self-perceptions and student perceptions of teaching quality. Tutors rated themselves highly on leadership ( M = 3.17), friendliness ( M = 3.43), and understanding ( M = 3.33). Student responses were generally positive across both cohorts. Both cohorts returned low mean scores on negative QTI dimensions; however, university students reported descriptively lower mean scores on uncertainty ( M = 0.72), dissatisfaction ( M = 0.68), admonishing ( M = 0.68), and strictness ( M = 1.96) relative to pre-university students (uncertainty M = 0.98, dissatisfaction M = 0.96, admonishing M = 1.05, strict M = 2.30) while university students reported slightly higher mean scores on helpfulness and friendliness ( M = 3.28) and leadership ( M = 3.30). Qualitative analysis of open-ended responses reinforced the importance of approachability, clarity of communication, engagement, and academic support in effective teaching. Greater aggregate profile overlap between tutor and student ratings was observed as a descriptive strength in pre-university teaching. Relational qualities were especially prominent in university student responses, which also returned lower mean scores on negative dimensions. Although tutor and student aggregate profiles did not overlap across all QTI dimensions, areas of agreement were observed between tutors and the pre-university cohort, pointing to potential opportunities for targeted professional development. Overall, findings demonstrate the value of the QTI as a reflective tool for professional development and highlight the importance of relational teaching practices in higher education.