Institutional Factors as Catalysts and Barriers to the Self-Development of University Faculty Working with International Students

The aim of the study is to identify and analyze institutional factors that, from the perspective of faculty mem-bers, serve as catalysts and barriers to their professional self-development in teaching international students. Methodology: A qualitative study based on 20 semi-structured interviews with faculty members from Russian universities, analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Institutional factors predominantly act as systemic bar-riers (lack of support policies, insufficient recognition, and informal departmental support), while latent catalysts emerge in horizontal collaboration among colleagues and individual resilience. Conclusion: There is a struc-tural contradiction between internationalization goals and institutional support for faculty, requiring a transfor-mation that formalizes existing catalysts and converts systemic barriers into effective support mechanisms.