Language has attracted a lot of research efforts. The results of research activities demonstrate diversity in terms of scientific and theoretical fundamentals as well as complexity of prevailing concepts and current practical applications.

However, many researchers agree that language plays a significant role in society: “the key to the evolution of human consciousness and society lies in the linguistic mediation of consciousness” (Lee, 1987). Hence, language is the cornerstone of student teachers’ professionalisation.

Plurilinguism and professionalisation are inter-related: professionalisation is based on the linguistic mediation. Moreover, linguistic mediation of professionalisation is placed within the stable understanding of the unity of all language (Robbins, 2007). Student teachers’ professionalisation is promoted by tertiary language education that includes mother tongue across the curriculum, foreign languages and professional language.

The dynamic inter-relationship between language and professionalisation demands on adjustment of student teachers’ language to professionalisation for the development of innovative educational products, processes and services in the European educational system. This requires student teachers’ plurilinguism to be integrated into the processes and environments of teacher education.

The research question is as follows: which languages does student teachers’ professionalisation include?

Aim of the research is to analyze student teachers’ view on languages of professionalisation in Latvia.

The present research involves a process of analyzing the meaning of the key concepts, namely, “professionalisation” and “plurilinguism”. Moreover, the study demonstrates how the key concepts are related to the idea of “teacher education”. The study presents how the steps of the process are related: determining professionalisation in teacher education → defining plurilinguism → empirical study within a multicultural environment.

The conceptual framework of the present research is based on the approach to teacher education as part of professionalisation and professional development, language as the unity of all language (Robbins, 2007), the unity of all language as a language subject, language across the curriculum, foreign languages (Aase, 2006) and professional language (Zaščerinska, 2010), plurilinguism as use of several languages by an individual (Saulescu, Saulescu, Capatan, 2009).

Methodological background of the present research is based on System-Constructivist Theory introduced as New or Social Constructivism Pedagogical Theory. System-Constructivist Theory and, consequently, System-Constructivist Approach to learning introduced by Reich (Reich, 2005) emphasize that human being’s point of view depends on the subjective aspect:

-          everyone has his/her own system of external and internal perspectives that is a complex open system (Ahrens, Zaščerinska, 2010) and

-          experience plays the central role in the knowledge construction process ( Maslo, 2007).

Therein, the subjective aspect of student teachers’ point of view is applicable to the present study. However, the emphasis of the System-Constructivist Theory on the subjective aspect of human being’s point of view and experience that plays the central role in a construction process does not allow analyzing the student teachers’ view and needs objectively: human beings do not always realize their experience and their wants (Maslo, 2007).

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