ABSTRACT

Before rolling in the deep about what has been written about sense of belonging, a few preliminary comments seem warranted. Throughout the text, I refer to students who have participated in my research studies over the years. Here you meet Ricardo. Keep reading, and you’ll meet Vincent. And much later in the book, you’ll come to know a bit about Tiffanye and Malika, to name a few. All of these are pseudonyms selected by the student. In most cases, students picked pseudonyms that refl ect aspects of their ethnicity, gender, and cultural naming practices.