The present issue of Theory and Practice of Second Language Acquisition completes the seventh year of publishing of this journal. The topics range from those discussing individual learner differences from a variety of perspectives and settings to the development of language skills and different  forms of instruction, presenting some innovative ideas in face-to-face and online mode of teaching a foreign language. The opening text “Using Character Strengths to Address English Writing Anxiety: A Mixed-Methods Study” by Tammy Gregersen, Peter D. MacIntyre, and Rachel Buck is quite an innovative way of looking at foreign language instruction, which employs elements of positive psychology in the language classroom to create a context of well-being for the learners. The authors not only introduce some of the seminal ideas taken from positive psychology, but most of all, they demonstrate in a practical way how the main assumptions of positive psychology can be applied in a classroom. The case study presented focuses on one of the pillars of positive psychology - character strengths - and through pedagogical intervention points out benefits of the intervention implemented for the learner. The topic of positive reinforcement is a widely-discussed issue not only in psychological research, but also in the context of educational theory and practice in the classroom. The next article is an example of how such positive reinforcement - praise - is being investigated by means of a pedagogical experiment. Adrian Leis, in his text entitled “Praise in the EFL Classroom: A Growth Mindset Perspective,”  demonstrates the role of giving  positive feedback in the form of praising and how it affects those who do not receive such feedback. The results of this interesting and well-designed experiment leads the author to highlight practical implications and offer advice on how to give feedback effectively.

(read more in the Preface)