669 Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching Department of English Studies, Faculty of Pedagogy and Fine Arts, Adam Mickiewicz University, Kalisz SSLLT 10 (4). 2020. 669-672 http://dx.doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.2020.10.4.1 http://pressto.amu.edu.pl/index.php/ssllt Editorial I have to honestly admit that writing this editorial feels very different from writ- ing the one for the December of 2011 when Studies in Second Language Learn- ing and Teaching had just completed its first year of existence. At that time, I was feeling a lot of uncertainty and trepidation about the future of the journal, wondering whether it would survive beyond the first year or two as well as whether it would stand a chance of becoming internationally recognizable. To- day the situation is very different. Even though this has been an unprecedented year because of the COVID pandemic with all the havoc it has been wreaking all over the world, 2020 has proved to be exceptionally gracious to SSLLT. For one thing, not only has the journal survived and it is now turning 10 years of age, but it has also managed to secure its place among the most influential journals in the field, as can be seen, for example, from its ever-increasing indices in Sco- pus. Even more importantly, SSLLT has at last been included in some of the da- tabases in Web of Science, most notably Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) and Journal Citation Reports Social Sciences (JCRSS). Needless to say, we have been waiting for this momentous turn of events for quite a few years and now we cannot wait again to find out the impact factor for the journal, which should be announced some time in 2021. Once again, I cannot stress enough that the huge success of the journal is the outcome of the contribution of numerous in- dividuals, in particular the consecutive associate editors, authors, reviewers, as well as editors of special issues. All of this certainly calls for a celebration and it is our intention to do so by organizing a conference that would bring together all those who have been involved in SSLLT and supported it from its inception, in whatever capacity this might have happened. We are sincerely hoping to be able to hold this event in October 2021 and will be sending out a call for papers some time in December. We do realize that the pandemic can foil any plan now, but we are determined to celebrate the success of the journal. Should autumn 2021 turn out to be unfeasible, we will be aiming for spring 2022 and we are 670 very confident that sooner rather than later we will be able to finally meet face- to-face to discuss key issues involved in the process of second language learning and teaching. While there is surely nothing wrong with online conferences, I am convinced that we would all rather have a chance to talk in person at along last and we will do our best to make this happen. One thing is for sure, whatever the timing, the Faculty of Pedagogy and Fine Arts in Kalisz, Adam Mickiewicz Univer- sity, Poland, will be the venue for this event. After all, this is where the idea for SSLLT was conceived well over 10 years ago and where the journal has been published from the get-go. The current issue of SSLLT brings together five original empirical studies and two reviews. First, Chika Takahashi and Seongah Im report the findings of an investigation which aimed to compare two influential theories of motivation in the learning of second or foreign languages (L2), that is self-determination theory (SDT; Ryan & Deci, 2017) and second language motivational self system (L2MSS; Dörnyei, 2009). Using correlational analysis, confirmatory factor analy- sis and structural equation modeling drawing on data obtained from 545 first- year Japanese university students, researchers demonstrated that the key con- structs in both theories correlated with each other. At the same time, while in- ternalized types of motivation did predict intended learning effort and in turn predicted proficiency, as stipulated by SDT, L2 learning experience proved to be of more importance than the ideal L2 self, contrary to the claims of L2MSS. In the following paper, D. Reid Evans applies complex dynamic systems theory (CDST; Larsen-Freeman & Cameron, 2008) to the exploration of complex syntax in the case of a French-speaking, untutored learner of English working at a uni- versity in the United States. Using fractal analysis with data collected over 30 weeks during informal 20-minute conversations with the participant, he man- aged to show self-similar dynamic patterns of variability of syntax over three different timescales, thus providing evidence for the fractal nature of language. The contribution by Kriss Lange and Joshua Matthews empirically examines the relationship between L2 vocabulary knowledge, lexical segmentation and listen- ing comprehension ability with a group of 130 Japanese learners of English at the tertiary level. Correlational and regression analyses of the data collected by means of Listening Vocabulary Levels Test (McLean, Kramer, & Beglar, 2015), a paused perception test as well as two measures of L2 listening demonstrated that the knowledge of aural vocabulary at the first 1,000 level was a key predic- tor of listening comprehension scores in addition to lexical segmentation ability. On the basis of these findings, the authors stress the importance of teaching high-frequency vocabulary, particularly in contexts where out-of-class access to the target language is scarce. Subsequently, Anna Krulatz and Tülay Dixon report the findings of the study which compared the use of refusal strategies in English 671 by 81 Korean and 62 Norwegian university students. The data were collected through a discourse completion task containing two scenarios and the point of reference were the taxonomies of refusals developed by Salazar Campillo, Safont-Jordà, and Codina Espurz (2009) as well as Beebe, Takahashi, and Uliss- Weltz (1990). Independent-samples t-test showed that while the use of refusals strategies is to some extent dependent on cultural norms, this influence may be trumped by the specificity of multilingual pragmatic competence. In the final empirical study, Joanna Nijakowska, Dina Tsagari and George Spanoudis de- scribe the process of validation of a 24-item TEPID scale intended to tap into teachers’ beliefs about their preparedness to include dyslexic learners in main- stream foreign language classes. Principal component analysis and confirmatory factor analysis involving data obtained from 546 pre-service and in-service teachers from Cyprus, Greece and Poland yielded a two-factor solution that was robust for all the groups. The identified factors were: (1) knowledge and self- efficacy, and (2) stance towards inclusion. The present issue closes with the book reviews written by Mirosław Pawlak and Haydab Almukhaild, the former dealing with a monograph on directed motivational currents and the latter with a vol- ume on engagement in the L2 classroom. I am confident that the contributions to the current issue will provide an impulse for further empirical investigations in the areas on which they focus. Mirosław Pawlak Adam Mickiewicz University, Kalisz, Poland State University of Applied Sciences, Konin, Poland pawlakmi@amu.edu.pl References Beebe, L. M., Takahashi, T., & Uliss-Weltz, R. (1990). Pragmatic transfer in refusals. In R. C. Scarcella, E. Andersen, & S. D. Krashen (Eds.), Developing communi- cative competence in a second language (pp. 55-73). New York: Newbury. Dörnyei, Z. (2009). The L2 motivational self system. In Z. Dörnyei & E. Ushioda (Eds.), Motivation, language identity and the L2 self (pp. 9-42). Clevedon: Multilingual Matters. Larsen-Freeman, D., & Cameron, L. (2008). Complex systems and applied linguis- tics. Oxford: Oxford University Press. McLean, S., Kramer, B., & Beglar, D. (2015). The creation and validation of a listen- ing vocabulary levels test. Language Teaching Research, 19(9), 741-760. 672 Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2017). Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness. New York: The Guilford Press. Salazar Campillo, P., Safont-Jordà, P. M., & Codina Espurz, V. (2009). Refusal stra- tegies: A proposal from a sociopragmatic approach. Revista Electrónica de Lingüística Aplicada, 8, 139-150.