7 Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching Department of English Studies, Faculty of Pedagogy and Fine Arts, Adam Mickiewicz University, Kalisz SSLLT 2 (1). 7-8 http://www.ssllt.amu.edu.pl Editorial This first 2012 issue opens the second volume of Studies in Second Lan- guage Learning and Teaching and also inaugurates the second year of its exist- ence. On the one hand, given the amount dedication, persistence, effort and hard work that it took to launch the journal, put together the first four issues, spread the word about the publication and, what is the most important, uphold high academic standards, it is without doubt comforting that SSLLT is still around and it is in fact in very good shape. On the other hand, however, there is a reali- zation that even more effort and perseverance will be necessary not only to maintain what has been accomplished, but to try to make the journal even more successful, make it available to wider audiences, and ensure that it only carries papers of highest quality. We are determined to do our utmost to achieve all of these goals because we are deeply convinced that the journal is in many ways unique, one manifestation of this uniqueness being the fact that articles by leading authorities in the field and somewhat less known scholars are often published side by side, which testifies to a healthy balance between knowledge and experience, and enthusiasm and freshness of outlook, and in many cases helps combine these in beneficial ways. The current issue opens with a paper by Xiaoli Jiang and Andrew Cohen, who provide an excellent overview of research on language learning strategies in China, focusing not only on synthesizing the results of relevant studies, but also tackling methodological issues as well a providing important directions for future empirical investigations. Ma gorzata Baran- ucarz shifts attention to the importance of the affective domain by reporting the findings of a study which set out to explore the relationship between the thickness of ego bound- aries and the attainment in the formal study of pronunciation by Polish stu- dents majoring in English. In the next contribution, Déogratias Nizonkiza demonstrates, much in line with the findings of the previous research, that controlled productive knowledge of collocations increases together with profi- 8 ciency, its development is facilitated by the frequency of exposure and it can best be fostered with advanced learners. In yet another research-based paper, Hadi Farjami focuses on the role of images and metaphors about foreign lan- guage learning and, using the data gleaned from Iranian learners of English, argues that teachers’ awareness of these can be instrumental in dealing with various language learning problems. In the last paper included in the present issue of SSLLT, Darío Luis Banegas draws upon the tenets of sociocultural theo- ry to offer a rationale for integrating language and content in the English lan- guage classroom, and shows how this can be attained by discussing the bene- fits, models and challenges of content-based instruction and content and lan- guage integrated learning. Miros aw Pawlak Adam Mickiewicz University, Kalisz, Poland pawlakmi@amu.edu.pl