Running head: PRE TEST REFLECTION ESSAY

Pre Test Reflection Essay

John Burroughs
Georgia State University

PRE TEST REFLECTION ESSAY

Introduction
On August 31 I took two pretests to measure my level of cultural competency as it
pertains to the field of social work. This will help determine what I know at the beginning of the
course as well as on completion to conclude how I have grown in my understanding of other
cultures. I look forward to filling in some cultural gaps and learning about other people and their
cultures.
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Surprises
Both of the tests surprised me and showed that my knowledge of different cultures is very
limited. In the first pretest, I scored a 69 and found out my skill development in the field of
social work is lacking and there is much to learn. This surprised me because I thought myself to
be knowledgeable and ready to begin working. I know now that I have a lot to learn about how
and what a social worker really does. After completing the second pretest it was hard to realize
that I understood some races better than others. Asian Americans and The Older Adult are the
groups I need to improve my understanding of the most. Like most people, I thought myself to
be very capable of understanding others from different backgrounds, but these tests prove
otherwise.
Feelings
After looking at my scores, I am particularly unhappy with the results of the second
pretest. Understanding and being able to sympathize with people has always been important to
me. My score of 187 on the second pretest is shocking and humbling at the same time. Coming
into this class, I thought I had a decent understanding of different people and their cultures. This
pretest shows that however confident you may be about a subject, there is always more you can
learn.
Life Events
There are certain factors in our life that shape how we perceive and understand our
surroundings. For me, I was born to a white, middle class family with both a mother and father.
These things alone have shaped who I am and how I understand and process different events in
my life. I got a high score for the European Americans section of the test because I could best
relate to those problems. Growing up white has shown me the privilege that is afforded to some
people and not others, clearly perpetuated by their upbringing and a lack of understanding on
their part. Growing up in a suburban household has had its advantages and disadvantages. I had a
great childhood and had friends to play with, but for the most part they were also white and grew
up in a suburban community. Unintentionally, through our efforts to facilitate a healthy
environment for our children to grow up in, we risk walling off new opportunities for them to
learn and develop as a person.

PRE TEST REFLECTION ESSAY

Areas to Improve
It is now apparent that my knowledge of different people and their cultures is limited at
best. I need to improve my understanding of The Older Adult, Asian Americans and Latino
Americans. I have had friends and family in these groups, but I have not spent a significant
amount of time with any of them. Clearly, more learning is needed to help me understand these
people. To be able to help anyone though, I need to improve my skill development area. Feeling
the need to help people is important in social work, but so is having the skills to be able to do
something about it. If I am going to be good at affecting change as a social worker, then I will
need to learn the skills to see those changes through.
Conclusion
Before taking these tests I believed myself to be fairly well informed of problems and
issues facing various people in their lives. After taking the pretests, it is clear that there are so
many problems and issues that need to be addressed that no one person can do it all. It is
important for a social worker to have proper skill development and then use it to help others
stand on their own. In this way the community can learn to affect change long after the social
worker has moved on to the next problem. By improving my skill development through this
course, I will be in a better position to do so.