375 Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching Department of English Studies, Faculty of Pedagogy and Fine Arts, Adam Mickiewicz University, Kalisz SSLLT 6 (3). 2016. 375-376 doi: 10.14746/ssllt.2016.6.3.1 http://www.ssllt.amu.edu.pl Editorial The present issue of Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching brings together six papers, the first two of which are conceptual in nature and the re- maining four constitute reports of original research studies. The issue opens with a contribution by Diane Larsen-Freeman, who superbly demonstrates how classroom-oriented research can be approached from a complex systems per- spective (Larsen-Freeman & Cameron, 2008), arguing that this theoretical stance is perfectly suited to reflect the intricacies and realities of second lan- guage learning and teaching, as well as providing examples of research methods that can be employed for this purpose. In the following paper, Adriana Biedroń and Mirosław Pawlak consider the extent to which the findings of research on individual difference variables can inform teaching practice, focusing upon fac- tors that are not easily amenable to external manipulation, that is intelligence, foreign language aptitude, working memory and personality, and arguing that even if variables of this kind can indeed be modified, the extent to which this can be accomplished in the classroom is extremely limited. The first empirical paper included in this issue, authored by Ali Al-Hoorie, touches on the blatantly neglected issue of unconscious influences on second language learning motiva- tion and reports the results of a study in which a computerized Implicit Associ- ation Test (Greenwald, McGhee, & Schwartz, 1998) was used in order to inves- tigate the mediating effects of implicit attitudes on selected components of the L2 motivational self system (Dörnyei, 2005, 2009). He demonstrates that such attitudes indeed moderate the relationship between explicit attitudes towards speakers of English and learning English and ideal L2 self, being more relevant for males than females and correlating negatively with first language group af- filiation. Subsequently, Julie Dearden and Ernesto Macaro report the results of a small-scale study which explored the attitudes of 25 teachers from three institu- tions of higher education in Austria, Italy and Poland towards English-medium in- struction in content classes, showing with the help of semi-structured interviews 376 that there exists within- and between-country variation that can be attributed to individual factors and educational and political considerations. Paola Vettorel and Sara Corrizzato tackle the issue of how pedagogical intervention can lead to raising teachers’ awareness of World Englishes and English as a lingua franca. Specifically, using a variety of data collection instruments, such as question- naires, reflections in e-learning discussion forums, interviews and final reports, they provide evidence for a positive impact of two university-run teacher edu- cation programs on the views and classroom practices of pre-service teachers. In the last contribution, Hien Hoang and Frank Boers report the findings of a research project which investigated the extent to which adult learners of English as a second language are able to use multiword expressions when retelling a story to which they have been exposed through reading and listening, showing that the recycling of such expressions is much lower than that of single words and that their use is often inaccurate. All of these contributions represent state- of-the-art developments in SLA theory and research and, as such, they are bound to constitute important points of reference for researchers, program co- ordinators as well as practitioners. Mirosław Pawlak Adam Mickiewicz University, Kalisz, Poland State University of Applied Sciences, Konin, Poland pawlakmi@amu.edu.pl References Dörnyei, Z. (2005). The psychology of the language learner: Individual differ- ences in second language acquisition. London, UK: Lawrence Erlbaum. Dörnyei, Z. (2009). The L2 motivational self system. In Z. Dörnyei & E. Ushioda (Eds.), Motivation, language identity and the L2 self (pp. 9-42). Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters. Greenwald, A. G., McGhee, D. E., & Schwartz, J. L. K. (1998). Measuring individual dif- ferences in implicit cognition: The Implicit Association Test. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74(6), 1464-1480. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.74.6.1464 Larsen-Freeman, D., & Cameron, L. (2008). Complex systems and applied linguis- tics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.