295 

 
 

Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching 
Department of English Studies, Faculty of Pedagogy and Fine Arts, Adam Mickiewicz University, Kalisz 

SSLLT 2 (3). 295-296 
http://www.ssllt.amu.edu.pl 

 
 
 

Editorial 
 
The current issue of Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching 

brings together seven thought-provoking papers that offer fresh theoretical 
insights or report research findings, with contributions in both of these groups 
putting forward valuable pedagogical recommendations. First, Diane Larsen-
Freeman touches on the issue of the emancipation of the language learner, 
taking the stance that although such empowerment has indeed been the case 
over the last few decades, the process continues to be constrained by the view 
of language as a closed system and a fixed target. She argues that a solution to 
this problem lies in embracing a complexity theory perspective, according to 
which language is an open and dynamic system, always in a state of flux, with 
the effect that nontarget like forms produced by learners should not always be 
viewed as errors, since, on many occasions, they testify to their creativity and 
innovation, thereby being signs of learners’ efforts to exercise their agency. 
Subsequently, Larissa Aronin and David Singleton demonstrate how the con-
cept of affordances can be applied to the study of multilingualism, pointing to 
its compatibility with fundamental theories in this domain and highlighting the 
benefits that its adoption in empirical investigations can produce for language 
instruction. The next two contributions examine the transformations that have 
taken place in language education as well as research focusing upon specific 
aspects of the learning process, with Leven Uzun arguing that the effective-
ness of instruction could be considerably enhanced if teachers became cogni-
zant of their educational philosophy and Julian Pigott making the point that 
only by combining a variety of perspectives will we be able to fully compre-
hend the complexity of language learning motivation. The last three papers 
are empirical in nature and present the results of studies touching upon vari-
ous aspects of foreign language teaching and learning. Accordingly, Aleksandra 
Wach provides evidence for the considerable potential of information and 
computer technology, and in particular computer-mediated communication, for 



 

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the development of learner autonomy in the case of English majors enrolled in 
a BA program, but also emphasizes the significance of teachers’ guidance for 
effective use of such resources. Next, Katarzyna Rokoszewska examines the 
use of pronunciation learning strategies, an area that has thus far been ne-
glected by researches, and demonstrates that frequent reliance on such strat-
egies is positively correlated with the production, but not perception of Eng-
lish by first year English Department students, which indicates that other fac-
tors, including those tied to research methodology, may affect the nature of 
this relationship. Finally, Gabriella Morvay shows that the knowledge of com-
plex syntactic structures in a foreign language constitutes an important predic-
tor of the reading comprehension abilities of Hungarian learners of English. 
 

Miros aw Pawlak 
Adam Mickiewicz University, Kalisz, Poland 

pawlakmi@amu.edu.pl