A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE CLOTHING AREA OF THE SECONDARY HOMEMAKING CURRICULUM IN A SELECTED COMMUNITY AMI) REMTED BELIfiFS ANQ PRACTICES GI: FAMILIES IN. THAT CGMMQNIW Thesis for flu Degree of P11. D. MICHIGAN STATE COUEGE Amy Jean Holmblado I954 IIIIIIII IIIIII III III 1293 0110400882 This is to certify that the thesis entitled 1 Comparative Study of the Clothing Area of the Secondar3 Homemal ing Curriculum in a Selected Community and Related Beliefs and Practices of Families in that Community presented by Amy Jean Holmblade has been accepted towards fulfillment- of the requirements for Pho Do degree in Education Wm Major professor Date Rut-"just h, 1951; 0-169 III III if|l[[hl‘r.| A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THIS CLOTHING AREA OF THE SEEONDAJLX HOLMKING CURRICULUM IN A SELECTED COMMUNITY AND RELETED BELIErS AND PRACTICES 0F FAMILIES IN THAT COMMUNITY By Amy Jean Holmblade AN ABSI‘RACT Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies of Michigan State College of Agriculture and.Applied Science in.partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department of Teacher Education Year l9Sh Approved 'sz/QQL452g;r,~7/aézz§z;23Z:_ Amy Jean Holmblade THESIS ABSTRACT The purpose of the study was to examine the clothing area of the secondary curriculum in homemaking in a selected community in.relation to the beliefs and practices of homemaking pupils and their parents with respect to clothing problems and in relation to the Opinions of pupils and parents concerning what ought to be emphasized in the study of clothing. Four types of clothing problems were considered: (1) choosing and wearing, (2) buying, (3) making, and (h) caring for and repairing. Theugetting for the investigatipn was a south-central.Michigan community of 6,500 population. The 101 high school pupils in homemaking were largely daughters of farmers or factory workers, over half coming from rural homes. About a third of their mothers were employed outside their homes. Information about beliefs and practices relative to clothing and Opinions concerning desired.emphases in clothing in the curriculum were obtained through questionnaires and interview schedules developed for the study. One questionnaire was answered.by all the pupils; another was sent to all the parents and was returned.by 8h per cent of them. A third Of the pupils and their parents were interviewed; the pupils, at school, and the parents,in their hemes. .The data thus Obtained were used to describe common beliefs and practices and variations within the groups. They were also used in examining prOblems in clothing of six selected pupils. . IsrlnltlvllllluI‘ ll ll 3"“ Amy dean Holmblade Descriptive information about the clothing area of the l953-Sh curriculum was secured from the homemaking teachers through conferences and examination of their daily planbooks. There was apparently much.family interaction in decisions con- cerning choosing and wearing clothing. Pupils wanted approval of parents, girl friends, and boys for their clothes. Many mothers thought their daughters were influenced in dress by other girls. Ready-to-wear garments had been Obtained by almost all pupils in the last year. The pupils seemed aware of the cost of apparel and were in general agreement with parents concerning expected costs of various garments and who should participate in their selection. In almost three—fourths of the families some home sewing had been done in the past year; the greater part involved the construction of cotton garments for women and girls. Most pupils took some reSponsibility for care of their own clothes and assisted their mothers with the care of clothes for others in the family. The greater portion of the time and attention in the study of clothing in each of the homemaking classes had concerned the making of garments, an activity for which many pupils and parents had taken little or no responsibility in the past year. Almost all pupils and parents had indicated responsibilities and concerns in choosing and wearing, buying, and caring for and repairing clothing. Yet little time or emphasis had been accorded these areas. Such study as had related to them appeared apprOpriate in view of the usual reSponsibilities of pupils and concerns of parents. Generally, pupils and parents thought more than -2- Amy Jean holmblade the present curricular emphasis should be given each of the four aspects of clothing in relation to problems of teen-age girls. Few pupils and parents favored emphasis in relation to clothing for other members in the families. This study was intended to be illustrative of a type of study which might be initiated by homemaking teachers in their own communities as an aid to appraisal of the curriculum. It would seem that, in making curricular plans in clothing in this community, pupils, parents, and homemaking teachers might well examine the apparent disparities among the present anphases in clothing in the curriculum, the related beliefs and practices in families, and their own Opinions concerning desirable curricular emphases . -3- A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE CLOTHING AREA OF THE SECONDARY HOMEMAKING CURRICULUM IN A SELETED COMMUNITY AND RELATED BELIEFS AND PRACTICES OF FAMILIES IN THAT COMMUNITY By Amy Jean Holmblade A THESIS Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies of Michigan State College of Agriculture and Applied Science in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department of Teacher Education l95h I ‘1 I‘ll. I.‘ [a[..l. ‘.[¢l[[.‘[ul[[lII ACKNCMLEDL‘MENTS The writer wishes to express her sincere appreciation to Dr. Walker H. Hill, chairman of her Guidance Committee, for his invaluable counsel and encouragement throughout the course of this investigation. To the other members Of her Guidance Committee, Dr. Harold M. Byram, Dr. John A. Fuzak, Dr. Cecil V. Millard, and Dr. Milosh Muntyan, she wishes to express her sincere gratitude for their encouragement and support. She also wishes to thank the Michigan State College staff members in Textiles, Clothing, and Related Arts and in Home Economics Education, and the supervisors of student teachers in homemak- ing for Michigan State College for their marw helpful sugges- tions and criticisms during the develcpment of the instruments for the study. She is grateful to Dr. Willard G. Harrington for counsel concerning statistical procedures. She wishes particularly to thank the high school pupils in homemaking, their parents, their homemaking teachers, and the other school personnel whose cOOperation made the study possible. .II.IIII.I\ (,[Il (III .lt[([. .‘fl‘l‘l‘fl ‘llllll‘llr TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I THE PURPOE or. ‘rHE flUDYOOOOOOOOO0......OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO... Introduction............................................. Statement of the problem................................. Assumptions basic to the study........................... Definition of termS...................................... Some limitations of the study............................ H mm or‘ LITmATUREOOOOCOOOOOOOO0......OOOOOOCOCOOCOOOOOOO Beliefs and practices of peOple relative to clothing..... Beliefs and practices of peOple relative to choosing and wearing clothing................................. Beliefs and practices of peOple relative to buying ClommgCOCOOOOOOOOOO0..O...OQOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.0. Beliefs and practices of peeple relative to making 010thingoeeoeoeoocoeeeeeoeooeoceases-000.000.000.000. Beliefs and practices of pe0ple relative to caring for and repairing clothing............................... Opinions of parents about the clothing area of the homemaldllg curricul‘moeooooo000000000000000000000000000 Descriptions of the clothing area of the secondary curriculum in homemaking............................... Summary of the review of literature...................... III THE PROCEIIJRES AND SETTING FOR THE STUDY................... overflew of the smdyOOOOOOOC0.00000000000000000000.0.0.. The setting for the study................................ The COMMtyOOOooeooooeeoeeococo...oeoeooeeeooeeeoeeeo The SChOOICOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.O0.00.0...OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO The school program in.homemaking....................... The pupils in the homemaking classes................... The develoPment and administration of the questionnaires and interview scheduleS................................ General.procedure for development of the devices....... DeveIOpment and administration of the questionnaires... Development and use of the interview schedules......... Analysis of the data obtained from the questionnaires and interfiews...OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO The development of the description of the clothing area of the current curriculum in.homemaking................ PAGE E L: Essen-4 p l-‘ U1 r- III‘.(IIII\ ([[llll .(I[§[f ‘,{([ ‘flll‘t" n e 0 e . a o . o . u s . . . e . n . . u I i O a . e . o n . . . . i n a ‘ I C ‘ I h . . . t a . n . I . o . . . . t a o . o - I u o . x . ; I h . n I . O t I n . . 1 c I p w . . p . . . c I I i I I . n \ e D g . I e . a a a I I I . l 4 u . » i 1 i I o . . . . . o § 0 I t . o q . . e n . « . . . , s a . a o . a . o . r n u . I A n , . u . u a . . p o w ~ . . .. . . . a g o . . . TABLE OF CONTENTS - Continued CHAPTER Iv CHmSING A'ND WEARING CMIUNGOOOOOOOO.OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Beliefs and practices relative to choosing and wearing 010thj'ng00000.0.0.000...O.0......OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. General factors in the teen-age girl's choice and wearing of clothing................................... Family interrelationships in decisions concerning choosing and wearing clothing......................... The peer group and the teen-age girl '8 choice and wearing of clothing................................... "Choosing and Hearing Clothing" in the Plainfield . curriculum in homemaking.............................. Opinions of pupils and parents concerning "Choos ing and Wearing Clothing" in the curriculum in homemaking. . . . . v BUYING CLOTHING Beliefs and practices relative to buying clothing......... The setting for the purchase of clothing................ Patterns of participation in the purchase of clothing... Garments purchased during the past year................. Expenditures for clothing for the teen-age girl......... I'Buying Clothing" in the Plainfield curriculum in home- . making... Opinions of pupils and parents concerning "Buying Cloth- ing" in the curriculum in homemaking.................... VI we ém...‘0......0.0.00.00.00.00.0.0.0.0000...00.... Beliefs and practices relative to making clothing. . . . . . . . . Homemade garments as a source of clothing for family members............................................... Numbers and types of garments made at home.............. Making over and altering clothing....................... Reasons for sewing or not sewing at home.......... ...... "Making Clothing" in the Plainfield curriculum in ~ homma‘ld'ngOOOCQOOOOOOOOO0....0.00.00.00.00...0.0.0.0.... Opinions of pupils and parents concerning "Making Cloth- ing" in the curriculum in homemaking.................... VII CARING m AN” mAmmG CLOI'HINGOOOOOO.OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOI. Beliefs and practices relative to caring for and repairing ClOtmgOIOOO.0..0.0.0....O...0..OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO PAGE 75 75 76 8A 101 105 107 109 109 109 117 123 129 137 139 11:1 1A1 1&8 1&9 151 15h 156 156 TABLE OF CONTENTS - Continued CHAPTER VII Care and repair of clothing by various members of the familieS............................................. Facilities which homemaking pupils had for storing their clothes........................................ Feelings of family members concerning care and repair 1 of clothing.......................................... "Caring for and Repairing Clothing" in the Plainfield . curriculum in homemaking............................. Opinions of pupils and parents concerning "Caring for and Repairing Clothing" in the curriculum in home- making...‘OOOOOOOOCOOOOOOOOOOOCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO... VIII CLOTHING IN THE LIVES OF SIX SEIJEXJTE) PUPILS............... Case stories of individual pupiIS........................ The six selected pupils as they might appear to a home- making teacherOOOO0.0..I.0.0.0....OOOOIOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. H WY AND CONCLUSIONSOOOO000.000.0000...OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Purpose, procedures, and setting of the study............ The clothing area of the curriculum in homemaking in . Plainfield.High School................................. Beliefs and.practices of pupils and.parents relative to various aSpects of clothing............................ The clothing area of the curriculum in homemaking and the beliefs and practices of the pupils and their parentsOOO...OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Opinions of homemaking pupils and their parents relative to the clothing area of the curriculum in hememaking... Some implications of the study for further deve10pment of the clothing area of the Plainfield curriculum in homemaking............................................. BBLIOWPHYOOOOOOOOOOOOOIOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.00......OOOOOOOOCOOOOOOOC APPmHOCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOIOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOCOOOOO... PAGE 156 159 162 165 167 169 170 180 188 189 19h 197 209 21h 219 22h 228 '- l[.([{[.(\4[(’l ‘.[([.\[{r o o a o a o r 9 r . . K n o . q - n n \ . . I I h a o I h . o » . o . , . O G D TABLE VI LIST OF TABLES Enrollment in Classes in Homemaking in Plainfield High SChOOI in 1953-Sh000000OOOOOIOOOOOOOOOOOOOOIOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Percentages of the 1953-511 Plainfield High School Homemak- ing Pupils , of the Pupils Whose Parents Returned Question- naires , and of the Pupils in the Interview Sample Who Were Enrolled in the Various Homemaking Classes and at Different wade RWISOOOOOOOO.OOOOOOOOOOOOO.OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Median Age and Range in Ages of the Pupils in the 1953-51; Plainfield High School Homemaking Classes, of the Pupils Whose Parents Returned Questionnaires, and of the Pupils in the Interview'Sample.................................... Percentages of the Pupils in the 1953-Sh Plainfield High School Homemaking Classes and in the Interview Sample Whose Residence Was Rural or Urban, Whose Fathers or Guardians Were Engaged in Various Occupations, and Whose Mothers were mployad Full-"time or Part“time....................... Percentages of the Pupils in 1953-514 Plainfield High School Homemaking Classes and in the Interview Sample With and Without Brothers and Sisters at Home................... Percentages of the Pupils in 1953-51; Plainfield High School Homemaking Classes and in the Interview Saxnple Who Received Spending Money from Various Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Percentages of the Pupils in 1953-514 Plainfield High School Homemaking Classes and in the Interview Sample Who Participated in Various Numbers of Clubs or Activities, Who were Members of h-H Clothing Clubs, and Whose Mothers Were Members of Home Economics Extension Clubs....... ...... Sources from Which Homemaking Pupils Usually Obtained Ideas for clathesOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Purposes for Which Homemaking Pupils Felt They Needed More ClothGSOOOOOOOO.00...OOOOOOCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOCOOOOOOOOOOOOO Reasons for Wanting New Clothes Which Pupils Said They Had Given Their Parents and Which Parents Said Their Daughters Had Given Then................................... PAGE 50 52 53 5h 56 56 57 76 78 8O 7 \I . ([[[.(.[([.s’|\r\.[. LIST OF TABLES - Continued TABLE II XII XIII XVI XVII XV III Reasons Given By Homemaking Pupils for No Longer Wearing Certain Garments Which Were New When School Started In the FmOCOOOCOOOO0.0.0.0....0..OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO....0... Sources from Which Homemaking Pupils Obtained Some Garments During the Past Year Sources from Which Homanahng Pupils Obtained the Garments They Liked Best md leastOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...00.... Practices of Pupils and Preferences of Mothers Relative to Clothes Usually Worn Around Home........................... Practices of Pupils and Preferences of Mothers Relative to Clothes Usually Worn for School Practices of Pupils and Preferences of Mothers Relative . to Clothes Usually Worn for Good Mothers and Daughters for Whom the Favorite Ones of the Daughter's Outfits Were the Sane, Similar, or Different.... Factors of Great Importance to Parents in the Choice of Clothes for Their Teen-age DaughtersOOOOOoooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Practices Followed by Families in Planning for Additions to the Wardrobes of Family Members"....................... Persons Believed by Homemaking Pupils to Receive More or Less Than a Fair Share of the Money Spent for Clothing in Their FanflieSOOOOOOOOOO00.0.00...OCOOOOOOOOOOOOOIO00...... Family Members Who Seemed to Be Concerned About the Cloth- ing and Appearance of Homemaking Pupils.................... Family Members Whose Clothing and Appearance Seemed to Concern Homemaking Pupils.. Importance to Homemaking Pupils of Wearing Clothes Approved By Gul Friends md BOySOOOOOOIOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO... Relation Between Girls Named as Models in Dress and the Girls Who Nmed TMOCOOOO0.0.0....OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.00... Time Allotted to the Study of Choosing and Wearing Clothing in the Homemaking Curriculum PAGE 82 83 8h 86 87 88 9h 95 97 98 99 10]. 101; 105 : ..||\I|..|\(\[{l\(ll .(\[((.II\ (II \I \1 \rs. . LIST OF TABLES - Continued TABLE m1 XXVII XXV III XXIII XIIIII mIV XXXVI]. XIIVIII Opinions of Homemaking Pupils and Their Parents Concerning the Emphasis Which Should Be Given to Choosing and Wearing Clothing in the Curriculum in Homemaking................... Factors Considered in the Purchase of Outergarments for Teen-age Gj'rISOOOOOCOCOOCOOOOOOOOCOOOOOOO0.0.0.0000...0.... Sources from Which Homemaking Pupils Receive Money for clOtheSCOOOOOCOOOOOCO00.0.0000...OOOCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOCOOO.0. Persons Who Parents Believe Should Participate in the Purchase of Clothing for Children.......................... Persons Who Homemaking Pupils Believe Should Participate in the Purchase of Their Clothing.......................... Persons Who Usually Select Certain Garments for Homemaking Pupils..................................................... Gm'ments Which Were Usually Purchased Alone by Pupils in Hammakj-ng I, n, Md IIIOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO... Participation of Homemaking Pupils in the Purchase of Gm'ments for Other PersonSOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Garments Obtained During the Past Year as Ready-to-Wear Purchases and as Gifts by Homemaking Pupils................ Garments for Women and Girls Purchased in Plainfield, in Other Towns, and by Mail During the Past Year by Families or homemmng PupflsCOOOOOOOOO.OOOOOOCOOOOOOOCOOOOOOOO0.... Garments for Men and Boys Purchased in Plainfield, in Other Towns, and by Mail During the Past Year by Families or Hmema‘h-ng mflBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Homemaking Pupils and Parents Who Kept Records or Had Knowledge of the Amount of Money Spent for Clothes in a rear.OOOOOCOOOOOOOOO0.0.0.0000...0.0.0.000...00.00.000.000. Median Amounts of Money and Range in Amounts Which Home- making Pupils Expected to Pay for Certain Articles of Teen-age ApmeOOOOO0.0.9.000...OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Amounts of Money which Pupils in the Homemaking I, II, and III Classes Expected to Pay for Certain Articles of Teen- age AppuGICOOOOOOOO0.00.0.0...OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOCOOOOOOOOOO PIKE 107 118 117 117 ll9 120 121 122 12h 126 128 130 133 13h LIST OF TABLES - Continued TABLE XL ILI XLII XLIII XLV XLVI XLVII EVIII XI-II LI LII LIII LIV Differences in the Amounts of Money Which Homemaking Pupils and Their Parents Expected to Pay for Certain Articles of’Teen-age Apparel............................... Time Allotted to the Study of Buying Clothing in the Homemmm cmricullnnOOOOOOCO0......OOOOC0.0.0.0...00000... Opinions of Homemaking Pupils and Their Parents Concerning the finphasis which Should Be Given to Buying Clothing in the curric‘fl'um in HomemaIdnEOOOOOOOOOOO...0.0.0.0...0...... Garments Which Had Been Made at Home for Women and Girls... Garments Which Had Been Made at Home for Men and Boys...... Number of Garments Made at Home in a Year by Homemaking mils 311de Their Parentsoooooooooooooooooooooooooeoooooo Various Garments Made by Homemaking Pupils and by Parents from Fabrics of Cotton and of Other Fibers................. Reasons for Sewing Given by Homemaking Pupils and Parents Who Had Sewed at Home in the Past Year..................... Reasons for Not Sewing Given by Homemaking Pupils and Parents Who Had Not Sewed During the Past Iear............. Time Allotted to the Study of Making Clothing in the Hammakj'ng curriqu’WOOOOOO0.00.00.00.00.OOOOOOOOOCOOOOOOOO Garments Made as Class Projects by Pupils in the Home- flaking Classes Ming 1953’Shoo0000000000000000000000.0000. Opinions of Homemaking Pupils and Their Parents Concerning the Emphasis Which Should be Given to Making Clothes in the Curriculum in Homemaking............................... 6m and Repair of Clothing Usually Done at Home by vwiou’s Fail-y MemberSOOOOCOOCOOOOCOOOOOO.00.0.00...0...... Responsibilities Assumed by Homemaking Pupils for Care and Repair of Clothing for Themselves and Other Members of Thai-I. leieSOOCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...00.0.0.0... Facilities Used by Homemaking Pupils for Storing Their 010theSOOOCOOIOOOOOO0.0.0....C.O.0000......OOOOOOOCOOOOOOOO PACE 136 138 139 lhz th lb? 150 151 152 153 15h 157 159 160 LISJ.‘ OF TABLES - Continued TABLE LV LVI LVII LVIII LIX Comments About Caring for Clothes Made to Homemaking Pupils by Various Members of Their Families................ Tasks in Repairing or Caring for Clothing Which Were Liked or Disliked by Homemaking Pupils........................... Time Allotted to the Study of Caring for and Repairing Clothing in the Homemaking Curriculum...................... Opinions of the Homemaking Pupils and Their Parents Con- cerning the Emphasis Which Should be Given to Caring for and Repairing Clothing in the Curriculum in Homemaking..... Tine Allotted to Various Aspects of the Study of Clothing in the Homemaking Curriculum Opinions of Homemaking Pupils and Their Parents Concerning the Emphasis Which Should be Given to Various Aspects of the Study of Clothing in the Curriculum in Homemaking...... PACE 163 165 166 16? 19h 215 CHAPTER I THE PURPOSE OF THE STUDY Introduction That there should be a close relation between the curriculum in homemaking and the experiences of pupils in their own homes is a point of view which has been expressed by leaders in home economics education from the time that federal funds first became available for the development of programs of education in homemaking in the secondary schools. The great concern of the home economics educators in the early days was that the teachings of the school be carried over by the pupils into their homes and into their daily living. Evidence of this concern can be seen in the early establishment of the home project pro- gram which required that pupils carry out, in their own homes, projects related to the work that they were doing in school. Simultaneously a program of home visiting was initiated so that the teachers might visit pupils in their homes and assist them with their home projects. From that time to the present, a period of about thirty—five years, there has been a gradual evolution in the concept of leaders in home economics education regarding the relation which should exist be~ tween the curriculum in homemaking, on the one hand. and the problems and.practices of families, on the other. Publications of the Homemaking Education Division of the Michigan Department of Public Instruction and of the Home Economics Education Service of the United States Office of Education and textbooks in home economics education indicate that there seems to be, at the present time, rather general agreement on three ideas concerning this relationship, The first of these ideas is that the homemaking curriculum should be focused on the activities of homes and on the problems of families. The home problems of the pupils and their families in a given community are believed to furnish an important basis for the selection of the curricular experiences in homemaking in that community. It is further believed that instruction in homemaking should be realistic in terms of home situations as they exist. This point of view is eXplicitly stated by Spafford. If home economics is to function in the home now, it may mean seeing art principles in terms of arranging dogwood in stone crocks or larkspur in.pickle bottles; realizing that privacy, respect for the rights of others, may be a curtain across the corner of a room for bathing, or seeking permission before wearing another's clothes; appreciating that thoughtfulness of others may mean leaving grandfather's enlarged.picture on the living—room wall. and does mean coming to meals on time. The second generally accepted belief concerning the relation which should exist between homes and education in homemaking is that the home- making curriculum should give recognition to social and economic changes which affect family life. Of the many social and economic factors in- fluencing family life, three will perhaps serve to illustrate this point. First, there is the change of the family from a production unit to a consumption unit. A.recent publication of the Home Economics Education Service of the United States Office of Education gives a graphic 1Ivol Spafford, Fundamentals ig_Teachigg Home Economics. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1952, p. 321. description of this change and the concurrent change in the responsi- bilities of homemakers. The pioneer homemaker's tasks were quite different from those of the modern era. They were also easier to define and to develop skill in performance. Spinning cloth, canning food, and making soap all had visible, measurable ends. Skill at perform- ing these tasks to meet an acceptable standard was acquired through practicing the methods mother or grandmother used until a satis- factory result, measured by an acceptable product, was attained. The basic needs of the family for cloth, food, and soap remain, but how different is the learning required of the prospective homemaker today! A.bewildering array of fabrics made from fibers unheard of a generation--0r even a year-ago confront the woman shapping for rugs, household linens, or clothing. The super- market down the block may carry half a dozen different brands of canned tomatoes with as many different prices: and a shelf of soaps, soap powders, detergents, and other cleansing products which extends the length of the store.2 Another of the social and economic factors influencing family life today is the increased pr0portion.of married women who have entered the labor force. During 1953 the number of working wives in the United States reached an all-time high of 10,700,000. From 19h0 to 1953 there was an increase of ten per cent in the proportion of married women who were working outside the home. In April of 1953, one out of every four married women was a member of the labor force. And as for the women who were married in the 1930's and whose children were now of high school age or older, one out of every three was employed outside the 20ffice of Education, U. s. Department of Health. Education, and Welfare, Home, School, and Community Egperiences ig_the HomemakigglPro- £35m, Vocational Division Bulletin No. 252. Home Economics Education Series No. 29. Washington, D. 0.: Superintendent of Documents, 1953, p. 1. home.3 This shift in the employment status of women has meant that there are many families with a set of problems in homemaking somewhat different from those of families in which the mother is a full-time homemaker. These problems and the value conflicts which accompany them deserve to be given consideration in the development of the curriculum in homemaking. Last to be mentioned of the social and economic factors influencing homes and families is the increasing body of information relative to home activities which science and research hays produced. Formerly a daughter learned from her mother in a kind of apprentice training the knowledges and skills required of a homemaker. Today mother and daughter are both confronted with a vast amount of information concerning homemaking which is new to both of them. For example, there is probably little in the past experience of a mother which would enable her to teach her daughter to Judge, handle, or careibr the synthetic fabrics which have recently come on the market. Before leaving this discussion of the influence of social and economic factors on homes and families, it should be pointed out that changes in family living have not occurred simultaneously in all families or in all communities. Williamson and Lyle describe differences in the amount of household.production in families in these words: 3Bureau of the Census,'U. S. Department of Commerce, Marital Status 2; Workers: gpril 1355, Current Population Rgports, Labor Force, Series P-50, No. 50. Washington, D. 0.: Superintendent of Documents, Rovember, 1953, pp. 1-2. Women's Bureau, U. S. Department of Labor, The Status 91 Women _i_n 2.1.9. United States 1353. Women's Bureau Bulletin rim—5119. Washington, D. 0.: Superintendent of Documents, 1953, pp. 7-8. We still have homes of the productive type where food.preparation, clothing construction, making home furnishings and other forms of household.production are carried on. This is true of a vast number of rural homes where the women prepare most of the food usedp-including butter, cheese. preserves, and canned foods-- make much of the clothing, make curtains and rugs, and do all of the house cleaning. Other homes are less productive, for much food.preparation is done outside of the home; clothing is selected ready-made and commercially cared for: and furnishings are bought. In these there is nofi sufficient work to keep the women members of the family busy. Similarly, the proportion of mothers working outside the home differs greatly from community to community. Furthermore, in some families the traditional manner of doing a thing is probably much less likely to yield to change on the basis of new scientific information than it is in others. Thus it follows that in the development of the curriculum in home- making for a given community, recognition should be given to the over-all social and economic changes affecting family living and also to the status of individual families of the community with respect to these changes. This position is stated in a recent publication of the Home Economics Education Service of the United States Office of Education. American family life has changed in recent years and the changes hare not proceeded at the same pace in all families. If she is to provide constructive guidance, the homemaking teacher must be sensitive to the values held by individual families and she must respect these values. This does not mean that she shoul not encourage her pupils to examine the validity of these values. glands Williamson and Mary Stewart Lyle, Homemaking Education in thggfiigh School. New York: Appletoanentury-Crofts, Inc., 195E, p. 55, 5Home, School, Ln; Community preriences i_l_l_ _t_1_1_e_ Homemaking Program, Vocational Division Bulletin No. 252, pp, git,. p. 21. The third idea which seems to be generally accepted by leaders in home economics education concerning the relationship which should exist between the homes in a community and the curriculum in homemaking is that the home, itself, should be recognized as an important part of the learn- ing situation. While the home and the school's homemaking department are viewed as Joint laboratories, the home is rec0gnized as the setting in which many of the teachings in homemaking will ultimately be evaluated. Whether or not a pupil will be able to change her behavior in relation to personal and family problems, or will even be desirous of changing them, depends to a considerable extent upon the resources of her family and.whether the family believes such changes to be worthwhile. Thus, it is thought that what parents believe to be important for their daughters to accomplish in homemaking classes is an important aspect of the learn- ing situation. It is further believed that when home and school experi- ences are planned concurrently, more efficient use may be made of both the home and school as laboratories for education in homemaking. It would.probably be well to recognize at this point that basic to these ideas concerning what constitutes a desirable relation between homes and the secondary curriculum in homemaking are some beliefs about the way in which learning takes place. These beliefs are that learning occurs more efficiently when it is purposeful in the eyes of the learner, when the learning situation tends to clarify and support the learner's feeling of‘purpose, and.when there are similarities between the new and the past experiences of the learner. The writer is in agreement with the concepts which appear to be generally accepted by leaders in homemaking education concerning the relationship which should exist between the problems and practices of families in a community and the curriculum in homemaking in that com- munity, namely, (1) that the curriculum in homemaking should be focused on the activities of homes and the problems of families, (2) that the curriculum in homemaking should give recognition to social and economic changes affecting family life, and (3) that the home, itself, should be recognised as an important part of the learning situation in homemaking. During her experience as a.high school teacher of homemaking, a super- vising teacher, and a teacher-trainer, the writer has often questioned whether, in.practice, the curriculum in homemaking in a given community did give adequate consideration to the values and the home activities which the families of that community held to be important. This questions ing came to focus on the curricular area of clothing during the writer‘s participation in a.three-week seminar on Social Aspects of Clothing which was held at Michigan State College in the summer of 1951. That the writer is not alone in giving thought to the relation which does or which should exist between the curriculum in homemaking and the practices and.beliefs of families with respect to clothing can be seen from the attention given to this subject in recent issues of professional magazines in home eco- nomics. Articles in current periodicals raise such questions as the following;6 Does the curriculum in homemaking give recognition to the 6Lorraine Adele Juyet and Ailsie M. Stevenson, ”The Cost of Cloth- ing Made by Students in Home Economics Classes,“ Practical Home Economics. 31:16-17, January, 195M. Day Monroe, ”Making the Teaching of Clothing More Realistic," .70an 91 Home Economics, wens-50, January. 1952. Marjory Wybourn, “Family Centered Clothing Course," Journal 2;, Home Economics, hh:627-28,0ctober, 1952. interrelation between the high school girl's problems in clothing and those of her family? Is the attention which is given to problems in purchasing clothing commensurate with the importance which this problem assumes in families? When the purchasing of clothing is included in the curriculum in homemaking, is it approached realistically in terms of what people can and do pay for clothes? In the problem of the selection of clothing is thought given to the influence of social factors upon the formation of an individual's taste? It was from such questioning as this that the present study devel- oped. In view of the belief that a close relation should exist between the family life in a community and the curriculum in homemaking in that community, it seemed sensible to approach the problem from the point of view of a local teacher of homemaking. A.teacher of homemaking who accepted this belief would be concerned.with finding out what the families of the pupils in her classes thought and did in relation to solving their problems related to clothing. She would further be concerned with 0b- taining ideas from both pupils and.parents as to what they believed should be included or emphasized in the homemaking curriculum in the area of clothing. She would then proceed to see how the activities and beliefs of her pupils and their families squared with the existing curricular emphasis in homemaking and would probably come to some decisions concern- ing action to take. This, then, represents the line of thinking which was followed in setting up the study. Statement of the Problem The purposes of this study were: (l) to gain information from the pupils enrolled in classes in homemaking in a selected community and from their parents concerning what they (pupils and parents) believed and practiced in relation to choosing, wearing, buying, making. caring for, and.repairing clothing. (2) to gain information concerning what the pupils in the classes in homemaking in that community and their parents thought should be emphasized in the clothing area of the curriculum in homemaking. (3) to compare the clothing area of the existing curriculum in homemaking in the selected community with what pupils and their families believed and.practiced with respect to clothing and what they thought should be emphasized in that area of the homemaking curriculum. (h) on the basis of the above comparison, to make recommendations concerning the further development of the local curriculum in homemaking in the area of clothing. mm 1022mm In undertaking this investigation the writer made five basic assumptions: First, that information about what the pupils in homemaking classes and their parents believed and.practiced with respect to cloth» ing and information about what they thought should be emphasized in the clothing area of the curriculum in homemaking could be used in developing a local curriculum that was more effective than the existing one. Second, that pupils in.h0memaking classes and.their parents could and would give reliable information concerning what they did and believed 10 relative to clothing when they understood that this information was to be used for the improvement of the curriculum in homemaking in their local school. Third, that beliefs and.practices about clothing would vary from family to family within the community and from member to member within the family. Fourth, that pupils in homemaking classes and their parents could and would make worthwhile suggestions for what should be emphasised about clothing in the homemaking curriculum. Fifth, that the emphases in the clothing area of the existing curriculum in homemaking could be determined, with the help of the local homemaking teachers, from records of goals stated by pupils and teachers. records of pupil learning experiences, and the resources and evaluation devices which had been used. Definition 2§_Terms Any given term may have varying meanings for different pe0ple and in different situations. Therefore, it was believed necessary to clarify the meaning which was to be accepted for certain terms within the frame- work of this study. Practices relative gg_clothigg were considered to be the usual manner or method in which a family or a family member planned for, chose. Vere, purchased, made, cared for, or repaired clothing. Beliefs relgtive jg.clothing were considered to be the Opinions or convictions of a family or a family member concerning what was ll true or what ought to be in relation to planning for. choosing, wearing, purchasing, making, caring for, or repairing clothing. Secondggz clagses‘ig homemakipg were defined as those classes in homemaking which were offered for pupils in grades 9 through 12. Clothigg gee o_i; gig curriculum 2 homemgkigg was considered to mean all phases of the homemaking curriculum which dealt with problems related.to clothing, whether or not a particular phase was included in a.unit that was devoted.primarily to clothing. Some Limitations‘gf the Study This study was conducted in the homemaking department of the high school of one community for the purpose of yielding information which would be useful in further developing the clothing area of the curriculum in homemaking so that the pupils in the homemaking classes of that com- munity might be more effectively served. The devices and procedures used in collecting information from pupils and parents were limited to those which would seem to be practical, in whole or in.part, for use by local homemaking teachers. The data were treated as a homemaking teacher in a.commmnity might treat them in an effort to discover meanings for her situation. The whole approach was one which would lead to the inter- pretation of findings and the making of recommendations for a specific situation. The question then arises as to whether there were factors related either to the design of the study or to the peOple involved in the study which would limit the faith that one might place in the findings or the 12 recommendations within this framework. It is the belief of the writer that three such factors should be mentioned. First, the devices used with both pupils and.parents, to determine what their practices with regard to clothing had been, relied very heavily on recall and, thus, their effectiveness in eliciting accurate information was dependent upon the ability of peeple to remember what they had done. Second, the state- ments of both pupils and parents concerning what they thought should be emphasised in the homemaking program may have been influenced by a tra» ditional view of classes in homemaking. Third, the contact of the in- vestigator with the pupils, parents, and the program in homemaking was of short duration and thus her view of the situation was perhaps not completely adequate. . The question also arises as to whether it would be justifiable to make generalizations on the basis of the findings of the present study for: (1) future classes in homemaking at the secondary level in the com- munity in which the study was done, (2) the total program in homemaking including work at the elementary and adult levels in that community, and (3) programs in homemaking in communities other than the one in which the study was conducted. In the opinion of the investigator. it would not seem reasonable to make recommendations concerning the curriculum in homemaking for any group of pupils completely on the basis of informs! tion about another group of pupils and their parents. However, it would seem reasonable to expect that in a given community there would be some similarities between the pupils enrolled in homemaking in one year and those enrolled in homemaking in the immediately succeeding years with respect to what they and their parents think and do about clothing. The 13 findings of the present study might, thus, be viewed as useful clues as to what the situation is likely to be. These clues, however, should be recognised as but a.partial picture in need of verification before decisions about the curriculum could.be made with any degree of confidence. It should further be pointed out that this study was centered largely around the high school girl, her problems in clothing, and the related problems of her family in which she was involved. Thus the findings cannot be viewed as representing a total picture of the prac- tices and beliefs of the families of the community with respect to clothing. Therefore it would seem reasonable to consider the findings of the present study as one of the bases, but not the only one, for developing the clothing area of the total program in homemaking in the community in which the study was done. As to the question of whether recommendations might be made for the clothing area of the curriculum in homemaking in schools other than ~ the one in which the study was done, the statements about using informa— tion for one group of pupils in planning for another group would again seem applicable. While the pupils and families in the community in which the study was done were probably similar in some of their beliefs and practices about clothing to the pupils and families in other Michigan communities, they may well have been different in others. This possi- bility of difference would seem to place serious limitations on the use of findings in one community as a basis for making recommendations for curriculum develOpment in another. CHAPTER II REVIEW OF LITERATURE The previous chapter indicated that this study was concerned both with what the high school pupils and their parents in a selected commu- nity believed and practiced in relation to clothing and with what they thought ought to be the emphasis in the clothing area of the secondary curriculum in homemaking. A.further concern of the study was the com— parison of these two factors with the emphases in the clothing area of the existing curriculum in homemaking in the community in which the study was done. .As a background for the investigation it. therefore, seemed necessary to examine the following types of literature: (1) studies which revealed information about the beliefs and practices of peeple relative to clothing, and (2) studies which reported the Opinions of parents concerning the area of clothing in the homemaking curriculum, and (3) studies which described the clothing area of the secondary cur- riculum in homemaking. The literature was reviewed with two purposes in mind. One pur- pose was to gather information of a general nature which was pertinent to the investigation. The second purpose was to examine the devices and procedures which other investigators had used in studies which bore some likeness to the present one. Beliefs g_l_d_ Prgtices p__f_ Pegple Rel tive tg,Clothi Numerous studies have sought to discover the ideas that people 15 had about clothes and the practices that they followed as they proceeded to work out problems involving clothing. The findings and conclusions of such studies which seem to have bearing on the present investigation will be considered here in four major categories: choosing and wearing clothing, buying clothing, making clothing, and caring for an repair- ing clothing. Beliefs and.Practices of’Peqple Relative to Choosing and Wearing Clothing Of the studies related to the choosing and wearing of clothing, the first to be presented.will be those concerned with motivation in fashion. Next, the studies of the relation between the social backs ground of peeple and their beliefs and practices in choosing and wearing clothing will be given attention. Finally, the studies centering around adolescents and this aspect of clothing will be discussed. Motivation‘ig,fg§hion. The early studies related to choosing and wearing clothing were primarily attempts to check empirically the various theories which had been advanced concerning motivation in fashion. They endeavored to discover the factors which influenced people in their choice of clothing: the reasons for which they selected certain kinds of clothes and the persons whose approval they sought to gain through their choices of apparel. Over the five-year period from 1923—28, Hurlock administered a questionnaire designed to obtain such information to 1,500 men and women 1 students in high school and college. Practically all of the respondents 1Elizabeth B. Hurlock, "Motivation in Fashion," Archives 9: Psychology, No. 111. 1929, 71 pp. 16 indicated that their feeling of selfbconfidence was increased by being well dressed and that, moreover, their estimate of another person was influenced by the impression his clothes made on them.2 Nearly all of the respondents stated that they cared more about how they looked when they were with friends or strangers than when they were alone or with members of their own family.3 The majority of both the men and women said they wanted to conform to the prevailing style in dress and at the same time suit their own personalities. In fact, two-thirds of the men and half of the women said they would be willing to deprive themselves of pleasures in order to be in style. For the most part, the respondents wanted a style to be well accepted before they accepted it for themselves.” Almost all of the women and a large majority of the men asserted that they selected their clothing with the idea of bringing out their best features or of covering up their defects.5 That they gave consideration to both cost and utility in the selection of clothes was reported by well over two-thirds of the group.6 A slightly different approach to the study of motivation in the selection of clothing was used by Barr.7 She developed a questionnaire 21:931.. p. 69. 313.31.. p. ’41. him" pp. 68-48. 5113151.. p. 58. 613$}... 13. 1+3. ZEstelle Barr, "Psychological Analysis of Fashion Motivation," Archives 9_i_' Psychology, No. 171, June 19314, 100 pp. 17 which was focused around the course which people believed they would follow and the factors they thought they would consider in the selection of a daytime frock. On the basis of the responses of young women college students and wage earners, Barr arrived at the following conclusions: that desire to conform to the prevailing fashion influenced the selec— tions which almost all of the reapondents said they would make and that this desire was more effective as a motive in determining the time of buying than was the desire for economy: that desire for comfort with respect to temperature and tactual sensations was an important considera- tion in selection of clothing, and that the desire to attain ideals of slenderness and tallness was a.particularly important factor in the choice of clothing by those women who deviated most from standards set by fashion.8 1h; relgtion between 1:113 Mal background _o_i_‘_ pppplg 2113 1:113}; prgtices gag beliefs concernigg _thg 9.112.192 £119. leap; 91 clothipg. The studies of motivation in fashion indicated that some beliefs were rather generally held by people and some practices were rather generally fol- lowed by them. There were, however, other ideas and practices about which there was considerable difference in Opinion. A.hypothesis which was advanced as a.possible explanation for the differences in the beliefs and behaviors of people in this connection was that a relation existed between the social background of a person and his beliefs and behaviors concerning the choosing and wearing of clothing. This hypothesis would seem to be supported by the fact that included as an integral part of the reports of studies of the social 8 Ibid., pp. 78-81, 98. 18 structure in American communities are descriptions of the kinds of clothes worn by various individuals or groups and of the values attached 9 by them to clothes and appearance. Several quotations from Elmtown's Youth will perhaps serve to illustrate the descriptions of practice and belief with respect to choosing and wearing clothes which were included in the total picture of the social structure. The first is a comment on the rummage sale. The ever-popular rummage sale, one of which is held almost every Saturday by some ”middle class" organization, may be viewed as another form of charity to the two lower classes. Many Class V women regularly buy their family's best clothes from these sales. As one Class II woman said, "This year, Mrs. Gordon Sweetzer (Class I) will have a striking dress, next year you will see it on Mrs. Luke Jenkins (Class IV) in the Baptist choir, and three years from now Pearl SOper (Class V) will be trying to catch some loafer's eye with it.10 A further example of such description is taken from statements made by school pupils about the reputations of other pupils. The Polish kids live across the tracks and have had reps. Annie and Romine are "Poles" but they're different. Annie is a nice kid, dresses slick, and she's bright. Everything is wrong with the kids May runs with. First, they live down by the tannery. They're not clean, they don't dress well. Their hair isn't fixed right. Then May can't live her sisters' reps down. 9August B. Hollingshead, Elmtown's Youth, New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc., lghg, pp. 88, 102. 153, 103, 111, 112, 159. lou.66, 219, 261. 26M, 31?. W. Lloyd Warner, Democrac iszonesville. New York: Harper and Brothers. 19%. pp. 63. 73-7 . 8 . James West, Pl inville, U._S_._A., New York: Columbia University Press. 19h5. pp. 37~E5. ‘ 10Hollingshead, pp, 213,. p. 112. 19 Janet's a big girl (Class IV) and she doesn't dress right; so she just isn't accepted. .A rather intensive investigation of the social aspects of clothing was carried on jointly by the Department of Textiles, Clothing, and Related Arts and the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Michigan 12 State College as an Experiment Station project. The data for this study were obtained through interviews of a stratified sample of lot married couples living in a small south-central Michigan city and 50 married couples living on farms in the county in which the city was located. On the basis of their findings Stone and Form arrived at the following conclusions, among others. The basic hypothesis of the study is confirmed: that the selec- tion of clothes by the consumer may be largely understood in terms of his social background. City dwellers generally own a larger number of garments and.pay more per item than do farm dwellers. Peeple highly involved with urban life, irrespective of rural or urban residence, own more clothing items and.pay more per item than those whose interests are limited to their local communities. No differences were found in garments most preferred for wear between the rural and urban samples. Farm women who were more mobile, higher participators, urban oriented and of higher status preferred suite. The same trend was manifest among urban women. Upper class farmers preferred slack combinations, while lower class farmers preferred overalls. . . . Analysis of reason for garments most preferred for wear reveals the heightened symbolic value of clothing in urban life. This 11lhid., p. 219. 1zGregory P. Stone and William H. Form, "RuralnFarm and Local Community Differences in Clothing Inventories and Clothing Preferences,” unpublished manuscript for an EIperiment Station bulletin, Michigan State College, East Lansing, 195}, 61 pp. 20 is most evident among high social participators and in the upper status groups. Apparently these groups are motivated in their choice of clothing by expectations of social approval, while locally oriented low participators prefer garments more for comfort and wearability.13 Belief; gigpractices pf gdolescents relative _tg the choice gag wear 2£_clothigg. Several investigations indicate that for adolescents clothing assumes greater importance than it does for other age groups. In the study by Hurlock which has already been described, the majority of the respondents indicated that adolescence was the period of life in which they had been most strongly affected by the approval or disapproval 1“ King, who investigated the role of others in regard to their dress. of clothing in the family relationships of twentyhfive selected families, reported that clothing seemed to be of significantly greater importance for the teenpage girls in these families than for any other age or sex groups.15 Findings which tend to support this general point of view were also reported by Rosencranz who found that 85 per cent of the women in her sample who evidenced high interest in clothing were under thirty years of age.16 Perhaps the most comprehensive of the recent studies centering 132Me 0 pp. 6.7. 1hElisabeth B. Hurlock, "Motivation in Fashion,” Archives 9: Psychology, No. 111, 1929. p. 1m. 15Bernice King. M Study of the Bole of Clothing in the Family Relationships of Twenty-five Selected Families,” unpublished Master's thesis, Michigan State College, East Lansing, l9h9, p. 115. 15Mary Lou Lerch Rosencrans, "A Study of Interest in Clothing Among Selected Groups of Married and Unmarried Young Women,“ unpublished Master's thesis, Michigan State College, 19h8, p. 158. 21 around teen-age girls and their clothes was one by Silverman which was aimed at discovering the attitudes and feelings of teen—age girls toward clothing as well as their actual practices in relation to clothing.17 She devised a questionnaire in which pupils were asked to select from clusters of three statements the one statement which most nearly repre— sented their vieWpoint or feeling. They were also asked to check state- ments concerning the clothes they were for weekdays and on week-ends and the grooming practices that they followed. This questionnaire was admin— istered to 1,100 girls in seventh through twelfth grades inla suburban high school in New Jersey. Silverman concluded that desire for the approval of friends, desire for the internal satisfactions of feelings of poise, self-confidence and happiness, and belief in the advantages in vocational and social areas to be achieved from good clothing and an attractive appearance were factors which influenced the choices of clothing and the attention to appearance on the part of a major por- tion of these teen-age girls.18 In this connection it was interest- ing to note that over 90 per cent of the total group believed that an attractive appearance was related both to chances for getting a job and to chances for getting married.19 Only six of the respond- ents expressed the belief that boys were attracted to a girl 17Sylvia S. Silverman, Clothing and Appearance, Their Psycholpgical Implications for Teen-Age Girls, Contributions to Education No. 912. New York: Bureau of Publications, Teachers College, Columbia University, lgIbid., p. 116. l9ihid., p. 52, 5h. 22 who did not take pains with her clothes and appearance.20 The majority of the pupils believed that they should wear the kinds of clothes of which their mothers approved and, furthermore, they stated that they agreed in general with their mothers on suitability and choice of clothing.21 However, over two-thirds of the pupils reported that they had been reprimanded by their mothers for taking too much time in grooming and dressing. About a fourth of the twelve-year-olds and all of the eighteenyyear-olds regarded their supply of clothing as in- adequate for their needs.22 Silverman's check on the types of clothes most frequently worn by members of this group on weekdays and on weekhends revealed that there was close conformity in style of dress throughout the entire group. Sweaters and skirts were worn to school by most of the pupils. Anklets were worn almost universally and flat-heeled shoes took precedence over all other styles for all age groups. Differences in age groups were evident in week-end apparel. The older girls more often wore full length hose, high-heeled shoes, and dresses than did the younger girls.23 A.similar picture concerning the clothes that high school girls were to school was reported by Collareu in a study of the practices of 201bid., p. 5h. 21Ibid., p. 116. 221bid., p. 60. 23Ibid., pp. h3-hh. 2h Ruth Collar, "A Study of the Clothing Planning, Selecting and.Buying Practices of Homemaking I Girls in Selected'Urban Areas of Michigan," unpublished Master's problem, Michigan State College, East Lansing. 1953. 105 pp. 23 pupils in Homemaking I classes in three selected urban areas in Michigan and by Richardson25 in a.like study conducted in five rural Michigan communities. The pupils in these studies were asked to describe the clothes that they were wearing to school on the day on which they filled out the questionnaire. The majority of the pupils reported that they were wearing a skirt and a sweater or blouse. One of the interesting questions concerning the adolescent girl's choice of clothing is that of where she gets her ideas for the clothes she would like to have. Moyer asked this question of senior high school girls in a Kansas community and found that store windows, their school— mates' clothing, their mothers' suggestions, and fashion magazines were each mentioned by two-thirds or more of the pupils.27 A.similar picture 23 and Richardson29 was presented by Collar with one exception. Mothers' suggestions were recognized as a source of ideas for clothes by less than a third of the pupils in their studies. Teacher's clothes or teach- er's suggestions were mentioned least often of all the sources in all three of these studies. 2SMarigene Richardson, "A Study of the Clothing Planning, Select- ing and Buying Practices of Homemaking I Girls in Reimbursed Schools in Selected Areas,“ unpublished Master's problem, Michigan State College, East Lansing, 195}, 120 pp. 26001181,022.C__., p. 10”. RiChal‘dBOn, _BOC _e. p. 1190 ZZLouisa S. Moyer, "The Clothing Practices of a Selected Group of Kansas Senior High School Girls," unpublished Master's thesis, Kansas State College, Manhattan, 19th. p. 35. ___ p. 97. 29Richardson, gp,cc1t., p. 112. 28Colla.1',o 22.6 2’4 One further aspect of the picture of adolescents and their beliefs and practices in relation to choosing and wearing clothing should be given attention. That is that the opinions of teenuagers about what is appropriate to wear and the amount of time and effort which should be spent in grooming and dressing often becomes a source of family contro~ versy. Silverman's report that over two—thirds of the pupils whom she studied indicated that they had been scolded for spending too much time in dressing has already been cited. King in the study of the role of clothing in family relationships noted that teen-age girls disagreed with other members of their families about such things as wearing slacks or shorts down town, being allowed to select their own clothes, borrowing another person's clothes, and having to wear handed-down or made-over 30 clothes. Beliefs and.Practices of People Relative to Buying Clothing "The major part of the clothing of American families is purchased "31 This is the opening statement in one of by them new, ready-to-wear. the bulletins reporting the study of family clothing supplies that was carried on by the Bureau of Human Nutrition and.Home Economics under the Research and.Marketing Act of 19h6. The data.which served as the basis for this report were obtained by interviewers from slightly over 500 Z’oxmg, pp. cit.. pp. 113-11u. 31Bureau of Human Nutrition and Home Economics, "Family Clothing.— Gift, Home-made. Handed-down, Minneapolis-«St. Paul, Minn., 19148-149," Studies g§_§§pilypglgthing,Sggplies, Preliminary Report No. 5. Washington, D. 0.: United States Department of Agriculture, June, 1951, p. l. 25 Minneapolis and St. Paul families of selected size and composition. These families furnished information concerning the amounts and types of clothing they had acquired in the following ways over a 12-month period: purchased ready-to-wear, received as a gift from someone outside the immediate family, made at home, handed-down, made-over, and purchased secondphand, or received as pay. Although gift clothing, as defined in this study, may haye included some home-made garments, it seemed reason- able to assume that for the most part the clothing received from this source had also been purchased ready-to-wear. Therefore the clothing received as gifts was considered to round out the picture of the distri- bution of manufactured clothing.32 None of the items of men's wear and only house dresses and aprons of the items of women's wear had been obtained in any substantial preportion in a manner other than purchased 33 Boys and girls acquired a higher readythdwear or received as gifts. preportion of home-made and handed-down clothing than did men and women. However, for no single item of children's clothing did the proportion obtained from these sources approach that which had been acquired as ready-to-wear purchases or gifts.3u Since so much of the family's clothing is purchased readyato- wear. the act of buying clothing represents a very important part of the total picture of choice of clothing and would seem to merit special attention. Studies of beliefs and.practices concerning the buying of clothing will be presented as they relate to four aspects of the buying process, (1) planning for making purchases and keeping records of the 321b1d.. p. 1. 331112.. pp. 8-9. 3‘41b1d.. pp. 10-11. 26 amount of money spent for clothes, (2) participation of family members in the buying of clothing, (3) factors which peOple consider in purchas- ing clothes, and (1+) social factors in the mopping situation. Plannigg f2; pak__i_gg purchases pg kegping records p_f_ the _a_mount 2;: M 9.9.9.1115. _f_q_r_ clothes. Two studies involving the questioning of high school girls about buying clothes indicated that most of the girls did not make long-time plans for their clothing but purchased things as they felt they needed them.35 Similarly, Collar36 and Richardson37 reported that over three-fourths of the pupils in each of their studies stated that they knew neither how much money had been spent for their clothing from September to March nor how much they could plan to spend in the remainder of the school year. Almost 90 per cent of the Kansas senior high school girls questioned by Moyer reported that they did not keep records of clothing expenditures.38 These investigations would seem to indicate that neither making long-time plans for clothes nor keeping accounts of clothing expenses were common practices among high school girls. One study, however, indicated that the purchases of "large-expendi— ture" items of clothing were planned over a period of time. Van Syckle interviewed approximately 200 Lansing families, asking them questions 3Sl‘rances Coleman. "How High School Girls Buy Clothing," Journal 21; Home Economics, 31:99, February, 1939. Doris Jean Reid, "A Study of the Clothing Practices of Urban High School Girls," unpublished Master's thesis, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg, 1951, p. 26. 6 3 Collar. 93;. cit., p. 101*. 37Richardson, pp. cit., p. 119. 38Meyer. 29,. 9L2... Po 15- 27 about the practices they followed in buying “large-expenditure" items of clothing, furniture, and equipment. These families reported 263 purchases of clothing, 31 per cent of which had been planned from 1 day to 7 weeks, 62 per cent from 2 months to a year, and 6 per cent for 2 years or more.39 The very fact that the family considered a purchase a “large-expenditure“ one probably meant that more attention was given to it than to the usual run of purchases of clothing. This leads also to speculation as to whether long-time plans may be made for certain garments in the wardrobes of family members and not for others. Participation 9; family members in the 922.1% 9;; clothigg. The question arises as to who actually participates in the act of buying clothing for different members of the family. Are high school pupils allowed to select their own clothing? Do they participate in the buy- ing of clothes for other members of the family? Do teen—agers go with one another on shapping expeditions? Van Syckle found the following patterns of participation in the purchases of clothing reported by the consumers whom she interviewed. Four-fifths of the garments for children under 12 years old were bought by parents, while the child participated in one-fifth of the purchases. For the children over 12 years of age, slightly over a fourth of the purchases were made by the parents alone. about half by the parents and child together. and somewhat under a fourth by the child alone. No 39Calla Van Syckle, |'F'ractices Followed by Consumers in Buying 'Large-Expenditure' Items of Clothing, Furniture. and Equipment,“ Technical Bulletin No. 21m. East Lansing: Agricultural Experiment Station, Michigan State College, June, 1951,, p. 12. 28 child.participated in making any of the purchases of clothing for the parents};0 A similar situation with respect to the increased.proportion of older children who took responsibility for the buying of their clothing was presented by Silverman. Only one-tenth of the 12-year-olds reported selecting their own clothes while over tweathirds of the 18-year-olds did so. However. three-fourths of the older girls sought their mother's advice in making the selections.“1 Richardson suggests that the persons involved in the purchase of a garment may vary with the type of garment. About three-fourths of the ninth-grade girls whom she studied reported having the help of their mothers in purchasing major items of apparel such as skirts. sweaters. and dresses. Most of the pupils purchased minor items, such as scarfs and billfolds, by themselves.”2 Contrary to what might be expected in view of the peer culture of adolescents, very few of the teennagers studied by Richardson)"3 and Collarhn indicated that they had asked their girl friends to help them when they shOpped.for clothes with their own money. Factors which.people consider 1p,purchasipg clothes. One of the decisions peOple must make when they buy clothes is where they will do ”03.11.. p. 15. 181lverman. 29.. 9,146... I). 59. ugRichardson, pp, p33,, p. 16. 1”Richardson, pp. pip” p. 11h. 1“4601131., 220 m0. p. 99. 29 their shopping: whether they will patronize local stores, make shopping trips out of town, or order clothes by mail and whether they will make their'purchases in department stores or specialty shops. A.further consideration is whether or not they will plan to buy garments at sale prices. The evidence concerning people's beliefs and.practices in this connection is rather limited. Van Syckle found that almost all of the purchases of ”large-expenditure" items of furniture, equipment, and clothing reported by Lansing families had.been purchased in.Lansing at regular prices. Less than one per cent of the items had been ordered from a.catalogue.h5 It is also interesting to note the answers of the ninth-grade girls from rural communities and those of girls of the same grade level living in an urban center to a question as to where they had bought clothes since the beginning of the school year. Two-thirds of the rural girls had ordered from a catalogue, newspaper, or magazine while only a fifth of the urban girls had done so. While a fourth of the urban girls had shepped in a store in another town, fouréfifths of the rural girls had gone out of their local communities to buy clothes. However, four-fifths of the rural girls had also purchased some clothing in a local store.“6 This would suggest that peeple from rural communi- ties are likely to use mail-order houses and stores in other towns as supplements to the local market. lhen,pe0p1e buy clothing they usually select a certain garment or garments from the merchandise displayed to them and reject others. ”SVln ska19. 92,. Elfin Po 29' 1+6Richardson, pp. cit., p. 111‘. Collar. 92. ELL. 1). 99. 30 What is the basis of their decision in favor of a.given garment? This question is, of course, expert of the problem of choosing clothes which has already been discussed. However, some attention has been given to the factors which customers consider at the specific time of the purchase of clothes. Coleman found that appearance of the article was the factor most frequently reported as a major consideration in the choice of cloth- ing.u7 Smart or becoming appearance was also mentioned most often of all the factors considered in the purchase of the "large-expenditure" items of clothing for men and women reported by Van Syckle. Although durability and ease of upkeep were also mentioned by well over half of the consumers, appearance was the factor considered most important by the great majority of the consumers. _S_p_c_i_gl_ fpptors in. 3gp shoppipg situption. In the cooperative research in clothing and sociology at Michigan State College an effort has been made to examine the social and social psychological factors that enter into the homemaker's decisions about clothing purchases. To this end, the total context of the shopping expedition and the influences in the store situation were investigated. It was concluded that the homemakers studied might be arranged in two groupings according to their receptiveness to or insulation from the influences that affected their decisions in the purchase of clothes. The “receptive” group would in- clude homemakers who evidenced susceptibility to forces in the shopping situation: linking window-shepping and making purchasing plans, liking 1"Coleman. 2a. 931'... P- 99. “Van Syckle. 2p.- aliu p. 20. .Jlll.’ 31 to shop for clothes, approaching clothing purchases with uncertainty concerning what they want to buy, and eliciting the help of shopping companions or sales clerks in deciding whether or not to purchase a given article. On the other hand, the "insulated" group would include those who were relatively impervious to forces in the shopping situation: ayoiding windowhshopping, disliking to shop for clothes, approaching clothing purchases with certainty concerning what they want to buy, and ayoiding the influence of companions or sales clerks in making purchasing decisions. It is the belief of the persons who conducted the investiga» tion that the interpersonal relationships between customer and shopping companion, customer and customer, and customer and clerk may be as crucial in the final determination of the choices made by some homemakers as the 1‘9 consumer information they have about goods. style, and taste. Beliefs and.Practices of Peeple Relative to Making Clothing Even though the proportion of the family clothing which is made at home is very small, there is evidence that in many families some clothing is made. The Bureau of Human Nutrition and Home Economics research on family clothing supplies. to which reference has already been made. revealed that 60 per cent of the girls and NO per cent of the wives in the Minneapolis-St. Paul families interviewed had acquired one or more home-made garments during a l2-month period.50 In this thregory P. Stone, William H. Form, and Hazel B. Strahan. "The Social Climate of Decision in Shopping for Clothes," Journal p£,Home Economics h6:88, February, l95h. 5°suronu of Human Nutrition and Home Economics, 22. 933., p. 3. 32 section an attempt will be made to look more closely at such.ampects of home sewing as the types of garments that are made at home, the reasons which are given by pe0p1e for sewing or not sewing, and the attitudes of'people toward wearing home-made garments. 2229i p_f_ gments mpg; £9933. It appears likely that for most families home sewing of clothing is restricted to a few types of garments made for girls, women, and little boys. The following statement taken from the report of the study of family clothing supplies mentioned above lists the clothing items acquired over a.period of a.year which had been made at home in any appreciable amount. . . . Homemade garments of the following types were most important for the wives: House dresses, separate skirts, and aprons. . . . On the average, one fifth to one fourth of all garments of these types acquired during the year were home-made: from one tenth to one sixth of dresses other than house dresses, suits, blouses, play and swim suits. and pajamas were homemade. Approximately one third of the girls' total acquisitions of suits and play or swim suits were home-made; about one fifth of the dresses, sep- arate jackets, separate skirts, aprons, slacks, nightgowns, and pajamas were home-made. Home-made lightweight coats and blouses for the girls were slightly more than one tenth of the total. For the boys, year-round suits and play or swim suits were the only items for which home-made garments constituted more than 10 per cent of all the garments acquired. None of the men's items were made in appreciable quantities. Ladner, who questioned mothers of ninth-grade homemaking pupils in six Michigan communities. reported similar findings. For the most part, the garments made by these mothers were cotton garments, such as blouses, aprons, skirts. and dresses. The mothers also indicated that they did more sewing for their daughters and for themselves than for any other 5123:}... p. 3. 33 52 family members. There is some reason to believe that home sewing may be more prevalent among farm homemakers than among city homemakers. In the Bureau of Human Nutrition and Home Economics research on family clothing supplies. some comparisons were made of the clothing acquired during a year by city families living in Minneapolis and St. Paul and that acquir- ed during an equal length of time by farm families living in Meeker and Wright counties in Minnesota. This comparison showed that a higher preportion of farm wives than of city wives reported adding home-made garments to their wardrobes. However, even for the farm families home sewing was an important source of new garments for only a few types of clothing worn by women and girls: aprons, house dresses, street dresses, blouses, nightgowns, slips, and petticoats. For the wardrobes of men and boys in farm families, home sewing proved to be unimportant.53 Repsons gilpp p}; pepplp for iewing pg p9; m. It would seem that one of the important factors in any consideration of home sewing would be the reasons which people recognised as the basis for their decisions to make or not to make clothes. Very little research appears to have been done on this problem. Ladner, whose work was cited above, inquired of the mothers in her study why they sewed or did not sew. The two reasons given most often for sewing were "saves money" and "like 52Charlotte Ladner, "A.Study of Home Sewing Practices of Mothers of Ninth Grade Homemaking Girls in Selected Communities,“ unpublished Master's problem, Michigan State College, East Lansing, 1952, pp. 20, 31. 53Bureau of Human Nutrition and Home Economics, Burp; FamilyiLiva ppg'Cppgts, Washington D. 0., United States Department of Agriculture, October, 1951, pp. 60-65. 3h to sew." The reasons most frequently given for not sewing were "don't have time" and “makes me nervous."5 Attitude pg m M weaflpg _hppip-mp garments. The way people feel about wearing garments made at home would seem to be another important aspect of the home sewing problem. Concerning this, also. there appears to be little information. Silverman found that none of the 12-year-old.pupils in her study stated that they disliked wearing c, dresses made at home but that over a fourth of the lS—year-olds did so.’5 Beliefs and.Practices of Peeple Relative to Caring for and Repairing Clothing The whole area of what peeple think and do in regard to caring for clothes is one in which information seems to be limited. There is some evidence that caring for clothing is a homemaking activity which is not well liked by homemakers and that it is also one around which family conflicts are likely to arise. Van Bortel and Gross, who studied the home management of 26 upper lower and 26 upper middle class homemak- ers in.Battle Creek, reported that over half of both groups expressed active dislike for mending, remodeling, and upkeep of clothing.56 Over two-thirds of the freshman girls attending a non-resident municipal col— lege who were questioned by Stepat about their clothing and appearance u 5 Ladner. an. all... p. 31. 55Silverman. 22, 222,. p. 55. 56Dorothy Greey Van Bortel and Irma H. Gross, "A Comparison of Home Management in Two Socio-Economic Groups,” Technical Bulletin 2&0. East Lansing: Agricultural Experiment Station, Michigan State College, ”r11! 1951‘. P. 39e 35 indicated that caring for clothing was a problem which caused them to be annoyed with themselves and to quarrel with their families. Two centers of family conflict reported by over half of these students were that their families thought they ought to take better care of their clothes and that their homes provided insufficient storage place for clothing.57 The types of responsibilities which teen-age girls assume for the care and repair of their own clothing was investigated by Reid. She found that almost all of the high school girls who responded to her questionnaire took some responsibility for cleaning and mending their own clothing. About three—fourths of the groups washed their sweaters at home and.pressed their clothes regularly. A.somewhat smaller pro- portion usually polished their own shoes. Very few of the pupils ever dry-cleaned their clothes at home.58 gpinions pngarents About the Clothipg Area pf the Homemaking Curriculum The methods which have been used to secure the opinions of parents concerning the clothing area of the curriculum in homemaking are question» naire and interview. A survey was used in St. Louis in 19h3 to determine the type of clothing instruction which was desired by mothers for their junior high school daughters. In general, these mothers seemed to be interested 57Dorothy L. Stepat, “A Study of the Clothing and Appearance Problems in Relation to Some Aspects of Personality and Some Cultural Patterns in a Group of College Freshman Girls,” unpublished Doctor's dissertation, New York University, New York, 19M9, pp. 62-bh. r5813mm Jean Reid, pp. cit., p. 2h. 36 in clothing construction and wanted their daughters to learn to make clothing for themselves. More than three-fourths of the mothers said that they made part of the clothes for their families. Whether or not the mothers felt they were skilled in sewing, they wanted their daughters to acquire that skill. They also wanted their daughters to learn to make over clothing and to take care of their own clothes. The mothers felt that general knowledge of textiles was less important than knowledge of clothing construction, selection, and care.59 When mothers of ninth-grade pupils in homemaking classes in six Michigan communities were asked to indicate the phases of clothing in- struction which they considered most important for their daughters, their responses were as follows: learning to choose clothes that im- prove her appearance (56 per cent), making new clothes (3k per cent), buying clothes (8 per cent), and making over clothes (1 per cent).60 .A study recently done at Holly Hill Junior High School in Florida sought to discover the interests of pupils in the seventh, eighth, and ninth grades in various aspects of clothing and also what their mothers were most interested in having them learn. The seventh—grade girls appeared to be interested in the selection of clothing, its construc- tion, and its care, in that order. The girls in the eighth and ninth grades indicated that the construction of clothing was their first inter- est, selection second, and care of clothes was third. The Opinions of 59Minnie Catherine Grant, "A Survey to Determine the Type of Clothing Instruction Desired by Mothers for Seventh and.Eighth Grade Girls,” un ublished.Master's thesis, University of Colorado, Boulder, 19143! PP- 9-50e 60Charlotte Ladner, pp, cit., pp. 25-28. 37 the mothers concerning the aspects of clothing they were most interested in having their daughters study did not follow the lines of their daughters' interests. The mothers, as a whole. were much less interested in the selection of clothing as an area for their daughters' study than they were in either the construction or the care of clothing.61 Descriptions p: the Clothing Area of the Secondpry Curriculum 2p.Homemaking The studies which are descriptive of the clothing area of the secondary curriculum in homemaking are few in number. They deal largely with the proportion of the total time in homemaking classes which is spent in the area of clothing and the relative emphasis which is placed on various aspects of instruction in clothing. O'Donnell studied the programs in reimbursed vocational homemaking in 23 Michigan schools. The homemaking teachers in this investigation reported that a larger proportion of the time in homemaking classes had been spent in the study of personal appearance and clothing than in the study of any other single phase of homemaking. The median numbers of weeks spent in the study of clothing were 12 weeks in the beginning 62 classes and 10 weeks in the advanced classes. Less than one-half of the 1,600 pupils enrolled in the homemaking 61Gwendolyn Tucker Biddle and.Lilly Hester Spencer, "Family Backe ground and Interest as Basis for Clothing Instruction," m pp" gppp Economics, “6:105-6, February, 195“. 6aBeatrice O'Donnell, Takipg p Look pp What Girls pnp Boys _Dp .i_r_i. Homempkipg Classes‘;p Grades 9-12 1p_Michigan. East Lansing, Michigan: School of Education and School of Home Economics, Michigan State College in COOperation with the State Board for Vocational Education, June, 1953, P. 76. 38 classes included in O'Donnell's study reported that they had received help in deciding what to wear for different occasions and in selecting and.buying clothing. About a third reported studying the costs of indiv- idual garments for high school girls. Less than one-half of the pupils reported that they had discussed what clothes high school girls need, and about a fifth said they had discussed the clothes that were needed by other members of their families. While two~thirds of the pupils reported learning the characteristics of different kinds of textiles, less than one-third said they had studied how to apply this knowledge in laundering, pressing, and ironing clothes made from these different textiles.63 In all of the classes in homemaking studied by O'Donnell in which some time was spent in the study of clothing, the making of clothing was included. The majority of the pupils in both the beginning and advanced classes reported making simple cotton garments. A larger prOportion of the pupils in the advanced classes than of those in the first-year class reported making garments of fabrics other than cotton. Similarly, a larger proportion of the advanced pupils indicated that they made gar- ments which are usually regarded as more difficult to make, such as jack- ets, suits, or coats. That they had investigated the trends in home sewing in their community was stated by less than one-fifth of the pupils.6u Comparable findings are presented by Army in the report of a study of the program in homemaking in 20 high schools in Minnesota. Records 63Me0 ppe 77’85e bulbid., pp. 82—83. 39 which had been kept by the homemaking teachers for the years l9h3-Uh and 19h6-u7 indicated that for both years, more time was spent on clothing than on any other aspect of homemaking. Approximately no per cent of the time in the ninth grade, a little less in the tenth, and about 32 per cent in the eleventh and twelfth grades was devoted to the study of clothing. A much larger proportion of time was given to the construc- tion of garments than was allotted to the study of selection and care of clothing.65 Findings which tend to support the picture of the clothing area of the secondary curriculum in homemaking presented by the investigations by O'Donnell and Army are set forth in a study by Coleman in which she analysed the responsibilities of first-year teachers of homemaking.66 In this study logs were kept by fifty beginning teachers in homemaking in seven states: Arkansas. Kansas, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, South Carolina, and Texas. A random sample of 66 daily logs was analyzed. It was reported that of the h83 class periods covered in these logs, 115 had been devoted to the area of clothing: 109 to the construction of clothing and 6 to the discussion of other phases of clothing.67 In sum— marizing the analysis related to instruction in clothing, Coleman makes 65ClaraBrown Army, The Effectiveness pEDthe High School Program is Home Economics. a 22923. a: a Fae-2am; 121.91 o_f. Twenty. Minnesnga Schools. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota.Press, 1952, p. 78. 66Margaret Adeline Coleman, ”An Analysis of the Responsibilities of the First-Year Homemaking Teacher with Implications for Teacher Educa» tion," unpublished Doctor's dissertation, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, 195“, 182 pp. 67%. 9 p. 580 the following statement. Certain phases in the clothing area probably received scant attention. One teacher emphasized the redecoration of hats for the Easter parade, 1952. This was the only definite reference to remodeling and conservation of clothing. There was no reason to assume that time was devoted by some teachers to the planning, selecting, and buying of clothing. No reference was made to clothing for various members of the family. Two teachers did mention clothing for children: one borrowed a lay- ette from a mother in the community, d the other mentioned the evaluation of children's clothing. 8 Summggx p£.the Review p£.Literature The literature reviewed as a background for this study was related to the beliefs and.practices of people in regard to clothing, the opin- ions of parents about the clothing area of the homemaking curriculum, and descriptions of the clothing area of the secondary curriculum in homemaking as it currently exists. Numerous studies provided evidence concerning the beliefs and practices of peOple in relation to choosing and wearing clothing, buy- ing clothing, making clothing. and caring for and repairing clothing. However, no studies were found which undertook to determine the beliefs and practices of a given group of people in relation to all of these aspects of clothing. Nor were any studies discovered which attempted to examine beliefs and practices of high school pupils in relation to those of their families. Therefore, while the literature offered many suggestions for devices and procedures, it did not disclose any which seemed to meet the specific requirements of the present investigation. 68Ibid., p. 62. hl There are some generalizations concerning peOple and their clothing which seem to be rather well supported by the studies which have been done. They are summarized here. The practices and beliefs of people relative to clothing can largely be understood in terms of their social backgrounds. Adolescents are usually greatly concerned with clothing and appearance. They tend to conform rather closely to a pattern in style of dress. Their concern for clothes and the time and effort they spend on appearance may be a source of conflict with their families. The major portion of the clothing of present day American fam- ilies is purchased new and ready-to-wear. Although a relatively small preportion of all clothing is home— made, some clothing is constructed in many families. However, for most families home sewing is restricted to the making of a few types of garments for girls and women: aprOns, dresses, skirts. and blouses. In purchasing a garment, many people give greater consideration to appearance than to other factors. Among many families there is little or no long-time planning for the wardrobes of family members. M2 The studies of opinions of parents about the clothing area of the homemaking curriculum are too few in number and too limited in scape to permit generalization. However, two statements about these studies should be made to indicate their implications for the present study. The groups of parents in these studies appeared to differ from one another in relation to what they considered most impor- tant for their daughters to study in the clothing area of the curriculum in homemaking. Thus there would seem to be support for the idea that it would be unwise to attribute the opinions of one set of parents living in one community to another set of parents living in another community. In the one study involving opinions of both pupils and their parents. there did not seem to be agreement between what the stup dents were most interested in studying and what their parents were most interested in having them study. Therefore, it would seem unwise to assume that one could obtain from the pupils the point of view of parents about their desires concerning the clothing area of the curriculum in homemaking. The picture of the clothing area of the secondary curriculum in homemaking presented by recent research is one in which the greater part of the time allotted to instruction in clothing is devoted to the con- struction of garments and lesser amounts of time are spent on the study of selecting, buying, and caring for clothing. CHAPTER III THE PROCEDURES AND SETTING FOR THE STUDY In order to provide the reader with a clear picture of the pro- cedures and setting for this study, a general overview of the study will first be given. Next the locale of the study will be described: the community, the school, the program in homemaking, and the pupils in the homemaking classes. This will be followed by a discussion of the devel- opment and use of the questionnaires and interview schedules which were a.part of the study. Attention will then be given to the manner in which the data were analyzed. Finally the procedures which were used in developing a statement describing the clothing area of the secondary curriculum in homemaking in the selected school will be outlined. Overview _2. he Study It will be recalled from the first chapter that this investiga— tion was to be carried out in the homemaking department of one secondary school. Information was to be obtained from the pupils in the classes in homemaking and from their parents concerning two major areas: (1) what they believed and practiced in relation to clothing. and (2) what they thought the emphases in the clothing area of the curriculum in ' homemaking ought to be. This information was then to be compared with the clothing area of the curriculum in homemaking as it currently existed in the selected school and on the basis of this comparison recommenda» tions for the further develOpment of that area of the curriculum were to be made. One of the decisions which had to be made concerned what pro- cedures to use in securing information from the pupils and the parents. The review of literature disclosed no existing devices which seemed to meet the particular requirements of this study. However. it did reveal that questionnaires and interviews had been used rather extensively in obtaining information of the type sought in this investigation. These methods, it was believed, would be appropriate for the present study. The questionnaire would permit obtaining from all the pupils and their parents a great deal of information related to the problem under study. The interview would allow for more intensive probing of certain aspects of these problems with some of the pupils and some of the parents. Therefore two questionnaires1 were developed: one was administer~ ed to all the pupils in the secondary classes in homemaking in the selec~ ted school, and the other was sent to their parents. Two interview schedules2 were also developed: one was used with about a third of the pupils in homemaking. and the other with the parents of these pupils. The pupils who were interviewed were chosen at random from each of the classes in homemaking, Homemaking I, II, and III. In view of the relation between the social background of peeple and their ideas and behaviors relative to clothing which had been re- vealed by other investigators, it seemed desirable to collect such personal information from the pupils as would.permit description of the group as a whole, of the group chosen for interview. and of some indivi- 1Appendix, "Clothing Questionnaire for High School Students" and "Clothing Questionnaire for Parents,” pp, 235-25h. 2Appendix, "Clothing Interview with High School Students" and ”Clothing Interview with.Parents,“ pp, 255-262. duals. Therefore, the pupils were asked at the time they filled out the questionnaires to give the following information about themselves: age, rural or urban residence, occupation of father, employment status of mother and, if employed, her occupation, number and ages of brothers and sisters. the sources from which they obtained spending money. and the school and community activities in which they participated.3 The teachers of homemaking and the records which they had kept of the plans and activities in the classes in homemaking were judged to be the best readily available sources of information concerning the cur- rent emphases in the clothing area of the curriculum in homemaking. Using information from these sources the investigator wrote a statement which described this area of the 1953-5“ curriculum in homemaking. The teachers then checked the statement for accuracy and completeness of presentation. This, then, outlines in general the procedures which were used in securing the data for the investigation. The Settipg for the Study The community which was chosen as the setting for the study will be designated as Plainfield and the school as Plainfield High School. This school and community were chosen as the locale for the study for a number of reasons. The community appeared to have many of the character- istics typical of middle-sized Michigan communities with both industrial and farm populations. The secondary curriculum in homemaking was in many 3Appendix, ”Will You.Please Give the Following Information About Yourself?" p. 23h. #6 ways similar to those in other Michigan communities of like size. Two very important factors in the choice of this particular school and com- munity were the homemaking teachers, themselves. The investigator had previously worked with them and felt that she knew them rather well. It was believed that they would both be in sympathy with the general aim of the problem. It was further hoped that they felt secure enough in their own work to look upon the study as one which would reveal in- formation that would be helpful to them and not as one which was intend- ed to be critical of their work. It was also considered an advantage that both teachers had been in the school system long enough to have knowledge of the peeple in the community. There were two further reasons for selecting this situation. The school was one in which seeking opinions from parents was well accepted as a method for obtaining ideas for improvement of the curriculum. Furthermore, it was believed that the school administrators would be willing to c00perate in permitting the study to be done and in making the necessary arrangements for it. In order to secure permission to carry out the study in Plain- field.High School, a letter of request was sent to the superintendent of schools.h At the same time a letter of explanation was sent to the homemaking teachers.5 Both the superintendent and the teachers indicated their willingness for the study to be done. The descriptions of the community, the school, the program in homemaking, and the pupils enrolled in the homemaking classes will serve lI'lAppendipr. 228. 5Appendix. P0 229 . '47 to depict the setting in which the study was done and the people who were a part of it. The Community Plainfield. a community with a town pOpulation of 6,500, is located in south-central Michigan midway between two large cities with papulations of approximately 50,000 and 100,000. The incomes of the families come largely from business, industries, and farming. Many of the inhabitants are employed in the small industries located in the town itself, while others commute to their jobs in industrial plants in the two large cities which are within twenty-five miles of Plainfield. The town is surrounded by a farming area in which small grains, sugar beets, poultry, beef cattle, dairy products, and small fruits are pro- duced in commercial quantities. Many of the farmers are part-time farm- ers and are also employed in industries. About 80 per cent of the homes in town are owned by the occupants. Almost as high a proportion of the farms in the county in which Plainfield is situated are occupied by the owners. The Plainfield business district is comprised of about 80 mar. cantile shops supplying many kinds of merchandise for home and personal use. There are a number of stores in which ready-to-wear clothing and yard goods can be purchased. Two shops specialize in women's wear, two in men's wear, one in both men's and women's wear. and one in children's clothing. There are three shoe stores. The town's two department stores carry both ready-to-wear and yard goods. This is also true of both of the "dime stores." They carry a rather complete line of inexpensive men's, women's, and children's ready-to-wear and a somewhat limited supply of inexpensive cotton yard goods. In addition to these local stores there are Montgomery Ward and Company and Sears, Roebuck and Company order stores where mail orders can be placed. In the town there are the usual organizations and service clubs for men and women. Among these are the women's extension clubs in home economies which are a part of the United States Co-Operative Extension Service. There are eight such clubs in the area served by the Plainfield schools and during the past five years the club members have had four lessons related to clothing: two on new fabrics. one on restyling clothes, and one on selecting clothes. In this area there are also approximately thirteen M—H Clubs in which teen-age girls are enrolled in clothing pron jects. Both the Catholic and Protestant faiths are represented in the seventeen churches in Plainfield. The School The Plainfield school system consists of a high school and seven elementary schools, three of which were completed in 1951. The area which the high school serves and from which its pupils are drawn covers roughly a ten-mile radius and includes all of two townships and parts of five others. In the spring of 195M the total enrollment in grades nine through twelve was just over 560. About 56 per cent of this enroll- ment came from the town and the remainder from the outlying districts. The school is a.member of the North Central Association of Secondary Schools and Colleges and is accredited by the University of Michigan. One feature about the Plainfield High School which is rather unique and which was considered advantageous for this study is the parent-teacher conferences which have been a regular occurrence of the past few years. Time has been scheduled for the parents to have individual conferences with the home—room advisors of their children. These conferences general— ly have been concerned with the child's progress in school and have often included both eXplanations and suggestions from parent and teacher rela- tive to the child's adjustment and school prOgram. The School Program in Homemaking Three years of homemaking are offered in Plainfield High School in grades nine through twelve. Homemaking I, which is offered in the ninth grade, is prerequisite to Homemaking II and Homemaking II is pre- requisite to Homemaking III. As has been customary in the past few years, during the l953-5h school year approximately one-third of the time in each of the three years of work was devoted to the study of clothing: 12 weeks in Homemaking I, and 11 weeks in each of Homemaking II and III. In addition to the units in clothing, the students in Home- making I studied meal planning and preparation, home canning, kitchen equipment, making Christmas gifts, personal grooming, personal relations with other people, and care and arrangement of their own rooms. In Home- making II units in meal planning and preparation, food preservation, flower arrangement, making Christmas gifts, and home nursing were in- cluded. The work in Homemaking III consisted of meal planning and prep- aration, making Christmas gifts and decorations, home furnishings, and jpreparation for marriage. The classes in homemaking are elective. During l953~5h about 50 two-thirds of the ninth-grade girls in.Plainfield High School chose to take homemaking, as did almost half of the tenth—grade girls and about a third of those in the eleventh grade. Only two of the 65 girls in the senior class were taking homemaking. Table I shows the enrollment in the homemaking classes. It can be seen that the number of pupils enrolled in each of the advanced classes was considerably smaller than TABLE I ENROLLMENT IN CLASSES IN HOMEMAKING IN PLAINFIELD HIGH SCHOOL IN 1953-5h m Homemaking class Number Number of sections of pupils Homemaking I ............... 3 )49 Homemaking II . ..... ........ 2 30 Homemaking III .. ..... ...... 2 22 Total ................ 7 101 the number enrolled in the beginning class. The sections of the classes in homemaking ranged in size from ten to twenty pupils. The general picture of the enrollment in homemaking in Plainfield High School during 1953-5u is similar to that of the immediately preceding years. In addition to the work in the ninth to twelfth grades, homemaking is also offered to a limited extent at the eighthpgrade and adult levels. In the eighth grade, each girl is in a.homemaking class for a nine-week period; ‘Each year for the past five years an adult class in clothing construction has been taught by a.homemaker who was formerly a homemaking teacher at the high school. Although the primary focus of these classes 51 has been the making of garments, some attention has been given to prob- lems in the selection of clothing. Plainfield High School is one of the supervised teaching centers for student teachers in homemaking from Michigan State College and both of the teachers of homemaking are supervising teachers. One of the teachers has been in the community for three years and for the other this was the second year. The Pupils in the Homemaking Classes As has been previously stated, 101 girls were enrolled in the Homemaking I, II, and III classes in Plainfield High School in the school year of 1953-514. In this section Information which is descriptive of these 101 pupils and of the approximately one-third of them who com- prised the interview sample will be given. The pupils who were inter- viewed were chosen at random from each of the three classes in homemaking. Because the study was to be ultimately concerned with recommendations for all three years in homemaking, the investigator wanted to insure that there would be proportionate representation of pupils from each of the classes in the interview sample. Information will also be given in re- gard to the factors on which the group of 8% pupils whose parents return- ed the questionnaires appeared to differ markedly from the total group. By referring to Table II, it can be seen that about half of the pupils enrolled in homemaking were in Homemaking I. Since Homemaking I is considered a.hinth-grade subject at Plainfield High, this also meant that about half of the pupils in homemaking were ninth graders. Slight- ly more than one-fourth of the total number of pupils were taking 52 TABLE II PERCENTAGES OF THE 1953-5N'PLAINFIELD HIGH SCHOOL HOMEMAKING-PUPILS, OF THE PUPILS WHOSE PARENTS RETURNED QUESTIONNAIRES, AND OF THE PUPILS IN THE INTERVIEW SAMPLE WHO WERE ENROLLED IN THE VARIOUS HOMEMAKING CLASSES AND AT DIFFERENT GRADE LEVELS Percentage of homemaking pupils Homemaking class or grade in school in which.pupil All Pupils whose Pupils in the was enrolled pupils parents returned interview questionnaires sample (N = 101) (N a sh) (N - 31) Homemaking class in which pupil was enrolled: Homemaking I ........ “9 5M MS Homemaking II ....... 29 32 29 Homemaking III ,,.... 22 1h 23 Grade in school: Ninth ............... “9 5h 148 Tenth ............... 29 32 29 Eleventh ............ 21 12 19 Twelfth ............. 1 2 3 Homemaking II and slightly less than one-fourth were enrolled in Home- making III. This table also shows that in the group of pupils whose parents returned questionnaires, the preportion of pupils enrolled in Homemaking III and the preportion.of pupils in the eleventh grade were lower than in the total group. Possible reasons for this difference will be discussed later in relation to the return of the questionnaires. Table III reveals that the median age of all the pupils in home- making and of the pupils who were interviewed was 15.h years and that 50 per cent of the pupils in both of these groups were between 1h.9 53 years and 16.3 years Old. It should be noted that in each of the home- making classes there was a range of approximately three years in the chronological ages of the pupils. The median age of the group of pupils whose parents returned questionnaires was slightly over a month less than that of the total group. However, the ages embraced in the total range in ages were the same for both groups. TABLE III MEDIAN AGE AND RANGE IN AGES OF THE PUPILS IN THE 1953.5h.PLAINRIELD HIGH SCHOOL HOMEMAKING CLASSES, OF THE PUPILS WHOSE PARENTS RETURNED QUESTIONNAIRES, AND OF THE.PUPILS IN THE INTERVIEW SAMPLE Age in years Pupils in: Median Int°§§§22t11° Total Range Homemaking I (N”3 N9) ........... 1h.9 13.? - 15.2 13.8 - 17.1 Homemaking II (N': 30) .......... 15.8 15.h - 16.3 1h.9 - 17.8 Homemaking III (N'I 22) ......... 17.1 16.6 — 17.6 15.7 - 19.3 All homemaking classes (N a 101), 15.h 1h.9 - 16.3 13.8 - 19.3 P‘I‘lzul‘iiiinfifiiii'tiifiii"..... 15.3 11.9 - 16.2 13.8 .. 19.3 Interview sample (N = 31) ....... 15.u 1h.9 - 16.3 1h.5 - 18.8 # Information concerning whether the pupils lived in town or in the country is given in Table IV. A.little over half of the homemaking IPupils came from rural homes. It will be recalled that about MN per cent Of'the Plainfield High School pupils came from outlying areas. Thus the TABLE IV PERCENTAGES OF THE PUPILS IN THE 1953~5l+ PLAINFIELD HIGH SCHOOL HONEMAKING CLASSES AND IN THE INTERVIEW SAMPLE WHOSE RESIDENCE WAS RURAL OR URBAN. WHOSE FATHERS OR GUARDIANS WERE ENGAGED IN VARIOUS OCCUPATIONS, AND WHOSE MOTHERS WERE EMPLOYED FULL-TIME OR PART-TIME Percentage of homemaking pupils Description of residence, occupation of father or guardian, All Pupils in the and employment status of mother pupils interview sample (N a 101) (N = 31) Residence: Rural eeseeeooeeeseeeooeeeeeeeeeee 55 61 urban 0..0.0.0...OOOOOOIOOOOOOOOOO ‘45 39 Occupation of father or guardian: Factory worker ................... 26 26 Farmer ........................... 23 36 Farmer-factory worker 16 Farmer - other occupation ........ 6 Manager. proprietor 10 Carpenter, plumber, Operative .... 8 Salesman, clerk . ..... ............ 6 Janitor, household worker ........ 1+ Professional ........... .......... 2 H WWWOO‘O‘O‘ Employment of mother outside the home: Mother was employed part-time .... 13 16 Mother was employed full-time .... 18 16 proportion of rural pupils in the homemaking classes was somewhat higher than that in the school as a whole. In the interview sample the prOpor- tion of pupils living in the country was slightly higher than it was in the total population of the homemaking classes. The occupations at which the pupils said their fathers or guard- ians worked is also shown in Table IV. About a fourth of all the fathers I 55 were factory workers. another fourth were farmers, and still another fourth combined farming with factory work or some other occupation. The remaining fourth was divided among managerial. sales, service, and professional occupations. The prOportions of pupils in the homemaking classes and in the interview sample whose fathers were engaged in the various occupations were very similar. Although the interview sample does include a higher prOportion of pupils whose fathers were full-time farmers, the proportion whose fathers were engaged in farming on both a full-time and a.partutime basis is about the same for both groups. It can also be seen from Table IV that about a.third of the mothers of the homemaking pupils were employed.part-time or full-time. This was also true of the pupils who were interviewed. The size of the pupil's family and her position in the family were also thought to be factors which might have some effect on her beliefs and practices relative to clothing. There were on the average two other children at home in the families of the homemaking pupils. However, a number of the pupils were the only children at home while others of them came from families with eight children. Table V gives some idea about the age positions of the pupils in their families. Close to a fifth Of the pupils were the only children at home and some~ what ever a.third had only younger brothers or sisters at home. Around a tenth of the pupils were the youngest children in their families. Thirty-seven per cent had‘both Older and younger brothers or sisters. The picture in the interview sample did not differ markedly from that in the total group. 56 TABLE V PERCENTAGES OF THE PUPILS IN l953—5N1PLAJNFIELD HIGH SCHOOL HOMEMAKING CLASSES AND IN THE INTERVIEW SAMPLE WITH AND WITHOUT BROTHERS AND SISTERS AT HOME Percentage of homemaking pupils Brothers or sisters at home All Pupils in the pupils interview sample (N = 101) (N = 31) NO brothers or sisters at home......... 17 23 Only younger brothers or sisters at home............ ...... ............ 36 39 Only older brothers or sisters at home. 0 e e eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee e 11 10 Both younger and older brothers or sisters at home. ........ .......... 37 29 Table VI reveals that 90 per cent of the pupils in homemaking earned some or all of their spending money and that almost a fifth of the pupils earned all of it themselves. Comparable proportions of pupils TABLE VI PERCENTAGES OF THE PUPILS IN 1953-5“ PLAINFIELD HIGH SCHOOL HOMEMAKING CLASSES AND IN THE INTERVIEW SAMPLE WHO RECEIVED SPENDING MONEY FROM VARIOUS SOURCES Percentage of homemaking pupils Sources of spending money All Pupils in the pupils interview sample (N = 101) (N = 31) Received spending money from parents 10 13 Received some spending money from parents and earned some of it..... 71 7h Earned all spending money........... 19 13 sssssssss ............................ ............................. ................... ggggg 57 in the interview sample earned all or part of their spending money. Social participation is another factor which other investigators have found to relate to a.person's beliefs and practices with respect to clothing. Table VII reveals that almost a third of the pupils in homemaking reported that they did not take part in any clubs or activities TABLE VII PERCENTAGES OF THE PUPILS IN 1953-51; PLAINFIELD HIGH SCHOOL HOHENARING CLASSES AND IN THE INTERVIEW SAMPLE WHO PARTICIPATED IN VARIOUS NUMBERS OF CLUBS OR ACTIVITIES, WHO WERE MEMBERS OF LH CLOTHING CLUBS, AND WHOSE MOTHERS WERE MEMBERS OF HOME ECONOMICS EXTENSION CLUBS Percentage of homemaking’pupils Participation or membership All Pupils in the in clubs or activities pupils interview sample (N = 101) (N = 31) Participation in school and community activities: Did not participate in clubs or actiVitieBQ. 0000000 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO 30 39 Participated in one club or activity. 27 16 Participated in two or more clubs or aetivitieBOOOOOOO00.00.00.000... an us Was a member of a h—H clothing club....... 19 . 16 Mother was a.member of a.Home Economics Ettenflion Clubgeeeeeeeeeeeseeeeeeeeseeeo 20 23 at school or in their communities and that less than half of the total group tookjpart in two or more clubs or activities. The investigator was also interested in knowing whether or not the pupils were doing clothing projects in h—H clubs and whether or not 58 their mothers were members of Home Economics Extension Clubs. This information is summarized in Table VII. About a fifth Of the pupils were members of H—H Clothing Clubs and a similar prOportion of the mothers were in Home Economics Extension Clubs. It would seem that two conclusions might be drawn from examina- tion Of the information about the pupils enrolled in the homemaking classes at Plainfield High School during 1953—5N. First, although there were differences within the total group, it was, on the whole, relative- ly homogeneous. Second, the group of pupils interviewed appeared in many respects to be remarkably similar to the total population of the homemaking classes and therefore can be considered fairly representative of that group. The Development and Administggtion g: the Questionngires gag Interview Schedules Two questionnaires, "Clothing Questionnaire for High School Stu- dents,$5and "Clothing Questionnaire for Parents“7 and two interview schedules, "Clothing Interview with High School Students"8 and "Clothing Interview withParents”9 were developed for this study. The four devices were develOped simultaneously and each was viewed as making a.partial contribution to the collection of the desired information. The same o Appendix. pp.23s-2uu. 7Appendix, pp.2h8-25h. 31.1mm, pp. 255-258. 9Appendix. pp.259-262. 59 general procedures were followed in the development of all the devices. These procedures will be described first and then special considerations in the develOpment of each type of device will be discussed. General Procedure for DevelOpment of the Devices The first decision which was made in the construction of the ques- tionnaires and interview schedules for this study was that the activities in which people engage in meeting their clothing problems should provide the framework for collecting information concerning beliefs and prac- tices with respect to clothing. After several attempts to classify these activities, the following four categories were selected to serve as the structure for the study: (1) choosing and wearing clothing, (2) buying clothing, (3) making clothing, and (h) caring for and repairing clothing. Next, under each category the investigator listed questions, the answers to which it was believed would have implication for the Clothing area of the secondary curriculum in homemaking. For example, "What are the factors which parents consider important in choosing clothes for teen-age girls?" was listed under "Choosing and Wearing Clothing.“ "What responsibility do teen-age girls assume for the purchase Of garments for themselves and others?" was listed under "Buying Clothing." One of the questions under "Making Clothing" was, "What reasons do pupils and parents give for sewing or not sewing at home?" "What facilities do pupils have for storing their clothes?" was included in the "Caring for and Repair- ing Clothing" category. A judgment was then made as to whether the answers to these questions could best be obtained from the pupils or the parents and whether by questionnaire or interview. 60 On the basis of the questions in the four categories and the judgments concerning from whom and how the answers should be sought, items were written and organized into the two questionnaires and the two interview schedules. Specific considerations in the development of the items will be discussed later in relation to each type of device. The first drafts of the devices were submitted for criticism to a member of the Michigan State College staff in the Department of Tex— tiles, Clothing, and Related Arts and to three members of the staff in Home Economics Education. Their suggestions were used in revising the questionnaires and interview schedules and copies were then prepared for a trial with pupils in homemaking classes and their parents. The situation in which the questionnaires and interview schedules were given their tryout was Okemos High School which is an Observation center for students in homemaking education at Michigan State College. The questionnaire for pupils was administered to 66 girls in homemaking classes: 39 in the ninth grade, 13 in the tenth grade, and 1% in the ‘eleventh and twelfth grades. The questionnaire for parents was sent to the mothers of all of these pupils. Eight pupils who were chosen by the school superintendent to represent a range in socio-economic level were interviewed by the investigator. The mothers and, in one case, the mother and father of these pupils were interviewed in their homes. The specific needs for changes in the devices which were indicated in this tryout will be discussed later in connection with each of them. Copies Of the questionnaires and interview schedules as they were used in Okemos were also submitted for criticism to a number Of persons. Two members of the Michigan State College staff in the Department of 61 Textiles, Clothing, and Related Arts were asked to react to them from the standpoint of specialists in clothing and, also, on the basis of their experience in the cOOperative research project in clothing and sociology which had been carried on at the college. Three members of the college staff in.Home Economics Education and the thirteen supervis- ing teachers who work with the college staff were also asked to examine the devices and make suggestions concerning them. They were asked to give their judgment as to whether the information requested would be helpful to a teacher of homemaking, whether there were directions or questions which did not seem clear, and whether there were questions which pupils or parents might interpret as prying.10' On the basis of the results of their tryout in Okemos High School and the suggestions of the persons to whom they had been submitted for criticism, the questionnaires and interview schedules were revised and made ready for use in the selected school and community. Attention will now be given to particular considerations in the develOpment and administration Of each type of device. Development and Administration of the Questionnaires Type,gf.questionnaire. Both of the questionnaires which were developed for the study were, for the most part, ones in which the reapondents were asked to check responses which best described what they believed or did about clothes.’ There were two reasons for choosing to use this type of questionnaire. First, a large number of items could loAppendix. «A,Request for Help,“ p. 230. 62 be checked in a short time and, thus, it would be possible to secure information about beliefs and practices in relation to many aspects of clothing. Second, the information which was given would be in such a fOrm that it could readily be tabulated and analysed. A.disadvantage which was recognized in this check-type of question- naire was the limitation which would be placed on a person's answers by the very structure of the device. That is, it might be that none of the possible responses which were available for a.person to check represented accurately what she thought or what she did. An effort was made to minimize this disadvantage by allowing space for the respondents to write in other alternatives. Furthermore, when the questionnaire was presented to the pupils and also when the pupils were given the questionnaire to take home to their parents, emphasis was placed on the fact that an ac- curate picture of what they and theirjparents thought and did about clothes was desired.11 They were told that if the statements which were given in the questionnaire did not really describe what they felt or did they should write in an explanation. It is interesting to note that 78 per cent Of the pupils and N8 per cent of parents from Plainfield did write such additions on their'papers. For example, in answer to the question, "Is it all right for her (your daughter) to wear current fads even though they are not becoming to her?‘I one mother checked ”sometimes” and wrote in "When it is very important to her." One girl explained why she checked that it was seldom important for her to wear what her father liked on her by writing in, ”My father works all the time in 11Appendix, "Comments Made in Introducing The 'Clothing Question- naire for High School Students' to The Homemaking Classes in Plainfield High School,“ ”Comments Made in Giving the 'Clothing Questionnaire for Parente' to the High School Pupils to Take Home to Their Parents," p. 231-233. 63 Kalamazoo. He only comes home on Saturdays and doesn't pay much atten- tion to what I wear.” The high prOportion of persons who wrote in addi- tions or clarifications indicates that many of the respondents did not feel that the check responses alone gave an adequate description of their feelings and actions. The investigator also believes that it is an evi- dence of the effort on the part of the pupils and.parents to give an accurate picture of their thoughts and actions. Ngmg._g regpondent gg_questionngire. The respondents were asked to sign their names on the questionnaires. A great deal of thought was given to whether or not they should be asked to do so. It was reCOgnised that asking this might make them less willing to respond to the question- naire or it might influence the answers they would give. However, it was felt that there would be considerable value in being able to compare a given pupil's responses with those of her parents and also in being able to consider together the interview and questionnaire responses for some individual pupils. It was also believed that the disadvantages of asking that the questionnaires be signed might be somewhat minimized through making clear to the respondents the reasons for which certain questions were asked and by carefully phrasing the questions so that they did not seem to encroach too far upon individual and family privacy. EEEEEE.QIUEEE questionnaires. The questionnaire for pupils was conceived from the beginning as one which pupils could complete within a regular class period. During the tryout of the devices at Okemos High School, it was observed that most of the pupils had difficulty in finish- ing the questionnaire in a single period. Therefore the parts of the device which asked for the judgment of the pupils concerning the aspects of clothing which they felt were important to emphasize in the homemaking Curriculum and which requested personal information about the pupils were removed from the questionnaire. These two parts were set up as separate devices to be administered to the pupils on the day after they had filled out the questionnaire. It was believed that parents might be more likely to respond to a short questionnaire than to a long one. Other investigators had re- ported to the writer that they had obtained high returns, 69 per cent or over, from parents on questionnaires of two to four pages in length.12 The questionnaire fOr parents in its original draft was seven pages long. Although it was believed that this might be too long to get a good return, it was decided to use it in this form for the tryout in Okemos. Forty-three of the 66 parents, or 65 per cent of those who were sent the questionnaire, had returned it within a seven-day period. Therefore, although other changes were made in the questionnaire as a result Of the trial, the general length was kept about the same. Eggtors considered.i_h£hg,develqpment g§_guestionn§ire itgmg. Fbur factors, some of which have already been mentioned, were used as guides in the develOpment of items for the questionnaires. These were: (1) that the information sought be such that it would be useful to the homemaking teacher in the development of the clothing area of the cur— riculum in homemaking, (2) that the information requested be such that a pupil or parent would be likely to have had experience which would.permit her to respond to the item.with accuracy, (3) that the information re— quested.be such that a.pupil or parent could reasonably be expected to 12Reported by Beatrice O'Donnell and Meta Vossbrink in conversas tions with the writer. 65 recall it, and (N) that the information be requested in such a manner that a pupil or parent would not hesitate to give it. These factors were considered together and sometimes one was knowingly sacrificed for another. For example, the pupils were asked to check whether certain items of clothing had been added to their wardrobes during the past year. It was reCOgnised that the pupils might be able to recall more accurately those garments which had been added during a shorter period of time. However, it was believed that a year's time might give a better all- round.picture since that would include the summer period in which home- made cotton garments are usually added to wardrobes. Changes mgde Ln the questionnaires s _a_. result 9; tuout and criticism. A number of changes were made in both the pupils' and the parents' questionnaires as a result of the tryout in Okemos High School and the statements of the Michigan State College staff members and the supervising teachers in homemaking to whom they were submitted for criticism. I The change of the questionnaire for pupils from one device to three devices which resulted from the excessive length of the original questionnaire has already been mentioned. ' The original drafts of both questionnaires required a simple "Yes" or "NO" response for many of the items. The respondents were not able to answer some of these items in this way and wrote in qualifying or explanatory statements. In such instances, the final draft Of the questionnaire was set up to allow for response at three levels: Often, sometimes, seldom. In the questionnaire for pupils, items on caring for clothing 66 and repairing it proved to be confusing to pupils because no distinction had been made between taking care of their own clothes and assuming responsibility for care of the family clothing. Therefore, this section was completely revised. Some free response questions were added concern- ing the usual places in which pupils kept certain articles of clothing because the items dealing with this in the original questionnaire had not yielded information that appeared to be very useful. The original draft of the questionnaire for parents included a free-response section on factors which parents considered important in the selection of certain garments for their daughters. This section was changed to a checkhtype of response using the factors which had been listed by the parents as the alternatives. The original drafts of the questionnaires had asked both pupils and.parents to respond "Yes" or "No" to whether or not it was important to include the study of certain aspects of clothing in the curriculum in homemaking. These responses did not reveal any Opinion concerning the relative importance of the various aspects. In the revision of the questionnaires it was decided to use the current curriculum as the starting point and ask whether "more,“ "about the same," or "less" emphap sis should be given to each aspect than was now given in the homemaking curriculum. The pupils and most of the parents were able to respond to the question in this form. A.few of the parents said that because they lacked knowledge of the present curriculum they did not feel they were in a position to make a judgment. ‘Agminigtgggion ggg_return g§_£hg,questionnaires. The question— naire for pupils was administered during a regular class period in home- 67 making. The purpose of the questionnaire was explained to the pupils by the investigator and both the investigator and the regular homemaking teacher were available throughout the class period to answer questions for individual pupils. On the day following the giving of the question- naires, the pupils filled out the information sheets about themselves and their families. They also filled in the forms on "What Should We Study About Clothing in Homemaking Classes?" The investigator was well pleased with the serious way in which the pupils worked. The attendance in the homemaking classes during the two-day period was such that 100 per cent of the students returned all three items. At the close of the class period on the second day, the question- naires for parents were given to the pupils to take home to their parents. As a group, the pupils examined the letter to the parents and the question- naire. The reasons for requesting certain information were eXplained to them and they were given an Opportunity to ask any questions about the questionnaire in general or about specific items. They were told that if their parents wanted them to, they might help in filling out the questionnaires but that the responses should give the ideas of their par- ents. The beliefs behind this procedure were two: that pupils were probably a little more sophisticated than parents in responding to ques- tionnaires and that they might help their parents in understanding the procedures to follow; and that if the pupils understood the purpose of the questionnaire, they would be more likely to encourage their parents to return it. Questionnaires were sent to the mothers of all but one pupil. This girl lived with her father and a bedridden grandmother and, for 68 several years, she had carried the adult homemaking responsibilities in her family. She examined the questionnaire and decided that there was no one in her family situation who could answer for her. The ques- tionnaires were sent to 97 mothers and within a ten-day period 81 had been returned. This represented an overall return of 8“ per cent., It has already been indicated that the return was much lower for the parents of Homemaking III pupils than it was for the parents of Homemaking I and II pupils. The return for the parents of the Homemaking III pupils was 56 per cent, while that for the parents of Homemaking I and II pupils was 91 and 93 per cent, respectively. The writer believes that there are at least two possible explanations for this occurrence. Since the questionnaire was sent close to the end of their daughters' third year in homemaking, it may be that the parents felt that any changes which might be made in the curriculum would be of little personal benefit to their daughters. They may have felt, therefore, that there was little need for them to return the questionnaire. It may also be that the quea- tionnaire was more apprOpriate for the parents of a girl whose clothing problems were closely interwoven with those of her family and less ap— propriate for the parents of a girl who had started to pull away from her family and to take increasingly more responsibility for solving her own clothing problems. Development and Use of the Interview Schedules Eggpose.g§ the interviews. While the questionnaires were used to obtain information about beliefs and practices relative to many aspects 69 of clothing, the interviews served to secure just a few types of infor- mation from.pupi1s and their parents. The kinds of clothing which teeny age girls preferred to wear and what their parents liked for them to wear, the buying practices of both pupils and parents, and the inter- relationships of family members with respect to clothes represented the focus of the interviews. Development 9;.thg.interview schedule. The questions which were developed for the interviews requested information either concerning beliefs which were generally held and practices usually followed or con- cerning what was thought or done in a.specific situation. For example, one of the questions for pupils asked what they usually were for working around home, for school, and for good. Similarly the parents were asked what they preferred for their daughters to wear for these occasions. The questions about buying practices were centered around one purchase of clothing which the interviewee chose to discuss. The order in which the questions were asked was planned to enable the investigator to gain the confidence of the interviewee before pro- ceeding to questions which pupils or parents might hesitate to answer. The first two questions in the interview schedule for parents were, ”When your daughter discusses her clothes with you what does she talk about?" and “How are your clothing problems different now from when she was a little girl?" These were included.primarily for the value they might have in getting the parents to talk, During the trial interviews in Okemos it was discovered that parents weren't quite sure what the investigator had in mind in the first question and that they were very hesitant in their replies. When the question was prefaced with "We 70 thought one way in which we could find out some of the things that con. cern girls about their clothes was to ask their mothers what they talked over with them," the parents were much quicker and much more certain in their responses. The major change in both of the interview schedules which re- sulted from the trial interviews was revising the form to permit the interviewer to record more of the responses by checking rather than by writing. Procedure followed 1g arranging for the interviews. The investi- gator arranged with the pupils to come individually to a small conference room during their study periods for interviews. About half an hour was allowed for each interview. At the beginning of the interview with each pupil, the investigator asked if she might also have a conference with the girl's mother. All of the pupils said they thought this would be possible and gave their addresses, telephone numbers, and directions for reaching their homes. They also suggested times when it would be either convenient or inconvenient for their mothers to have the investigator call on them. They agreed to tell their mothers that the writer would telephone them to arrange a definite time for the visit. Telephone arrangements were then made with all but two of the thirty-three mothers. One of them said she was busy looking for a job and it did not seem.pos- sible to decide upon a convenient time. The other mother sent word by her daughter that she had told everything on the questionnaire and that she thought a visit would be just a waste of time for both her and the interviewer. The interviews with the parents were scheduled at intervals of 71 an hour and fifteen minutes in the morning, afternoon, or evening at the convenience of the parent. Procedure followed.ip’conducting'ghg interviews. In beginning each interview with the pupils and.parents, the investigator explained the process by which they had been chosen as persons to be interviewed. In general they seemed to be a little amused and, in a few cases, a little relieved to learn that their choice had come about by chance. The responses of the parents varied from the mother, wise in the way of interviews, who said, "I thought that you were probably planning to talk with a representative group of the mothers," to the one who said, "Well, I wondered why anyone would want to talk with me." The purpose of the interview was then explained and a cepy of the schedule was given to the interviewee so that she might follow it if she wished. The investigator then asked for permission to take a few notes during the interview. In most cases the pupil or parent examined the schedule briefly at the beginning of the interview, followed it for about the first two questions, and then apparently became interested in the discussion and did not consult it again throughout the interview. The third Plainfield mother who was visited said at the close of her interview, "I don't know if I should ask, but I'd like to know what answers the other mothers have given.” The investigator summarized brief- ly for her a few of the points of view which had been expressed by other mothers. This procedure became standard for the close of each interview and seemed to be much appreciated by the mothers. 72 Analysis 2: the Bat; Obtained from the Questionnaires gag Interviews The general plan for analysis of the data obtained from the ques- tionnaires and interviews was a relatively simple one, but one which seemed apprOpriate in view of the purpose of the study. In order for the information which had been collected to be useful as a basis for further develOpment of the clothing area of the homemaking curriculum in the selected school, it seemed necessary to treat the data so that the teacher of homemaking might have a clearer view both of the group as a.whole and of individuals within the group. Therefore, the responses of the pupils and the parents were tabu- lated according to the homemaking class in which the pupil was enrolled and then were summarized for the total group of pupils and the total group of parents. Data resulting from this tabulation were expressed as percentages of the pupils or of the parents who had reaponded in a given way. In situations in which it was apprOpriate, the median. interquartile range, and total range were used to describe the central tendency and range within the groups. In the few instances in which it seemed desirable to make comparisons between the responses of pupils and parents or between the pupils in the different years of homemaking, chi- squares were computed in order to determine whether the differences in the responses were such that they could probably be attributed to differ- ences in the groups rather than to chance. In order to get some idea of the implications of the responses of individual pupils for the clothing area of the curriculum, the data for two pupils from each year in homemaking were treated individually. 73 Information from the school records and from conferences with the home- making teachers was also included so that the picture of the individual pupil might be more complete. The procedure which was followed in select- ing the two pupils from each class who were to receive additional study follows. The homemaking teachers were asked to select four pupils from each year in homemaking or a total of twelve pupils for whom they would especially like to have this information compiled. The girls' counselor was then asked to choose from this list the six pupils, two from each year in homemaking, whom she thought it might be most profitable to study individually. The Development p£_the Description 3: the Clothinngrgg 2f the Current Curriculum 12,Homemakipg Much of the information about the clothing area of the existing curriculum in homemaking in Plainfield High School came from the daily planbooks which had been kept by the teachers. The investigator found that these books contained stated pupil and teacher goals relative to clothing, an outline of the day-to-day work of the pupils, copies of study guides, references to resources, and copies of the evaluation devices which had been used. In addition, each teacher furnished in- formation about the clothing projects of each pupil. From these materials the investigator prepared a statement which indicated the amount of time in days which had been spent in Homemaking I, II, and III on each of the four aspects of clothing under investigar tion: choosing and wearing clothing, buying clothing, making clothing, and caring for and repairing clothing. What had been studied and what 71+ had been emphasized in relation to each of these areas were also described. The statement, as written, was checked by each homemaking teacher for completeness and accuracy. CHAPTER IV CHOOSING AND WEARING CLOTHING The findings in this study which are related to choosing and wearing clothing will be presented in the following manner. First, the beliefs and practices of the homemaking pupils and their parents will be reported. Then, that part of the l953-5H curriculum in home- making which had tO do with choosing and wearing clothing will be de- scribed. Finally, the Opinions Of the homemaking pupils and their parents concerning the emphasis which should be given to choosing and wearing clothing in the curriculum in homemaking will be set forth. NO general summary will be made until consideration has been given to all Of the four aspects of clothing which were investigated. Beliefs flmctices Relgtive 33 Choosing and Hearing Clothigg In order to understand the beliefs and.practices Of teen-age girls and their parents relative to clothing, it seemed necessary to examine the sources from which the girls got ideas for clothes, the sources from which they Obtained clothes, and the reasons for which they felt they needed or wanted certain apparel. In addition to this rather general background information, it also seemed desirable to examine in greater detail the influence Of two groups, the family and the peer group, upon decisions concerning what garments the teen-ager should have and - wear. Thus, the information about beliefs and practices relative to the choice and wearing of clothing will be considered in three general 76 categories: (1) general factors in the teen-age girl's choice and wear- ing Of clothing, (2) family interrelationships in decisions concerning choosing and wearing clothing, and (3) the influence of the peer group on the teen-ager's decisions about clothes. General Factors in the Teen-age Girl's Choice and Wearing Of Clothing Sources from which pupils Obtained ideas for clothes. The home- making pupils were asked to indicate whether or not they usually Obtain- ed ideas for the clothes they would like to have from a number Of differ- ent sources. The responses of the pupils are summarized in Table VIII. Two Of the three sources which were mentioned by four-fifths or more Of TABLE VIII SOURCES FROM WHICH HOMEMAKING PUPILS USUALLY OBTAINED IDEAS FOR.CLOTHES Percentage Sources Of ideas for clothes Of pupils (N = 101) CatalogIGBOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOO O 88 Store windows.... ..... ............. 85 ’ Friends............................ 80 Newspapers or magazines............ 68 Mother............................. 62 Homemaking class................... ”6 Older girls........................ “5 Television......................... 30 MovieS............................. 16 Teachers........................... 10 the pupils were commercial ones, designed specifically tO interest peOple in buying clothes. The third was the teen-age girl's own friends. Movies 77 and television were recognized by less than a third of the pupils as furnishing them with ideas for clothes, and only a tenth Of the pupils looked to their teachers for such ideas. Less than half of all the pupils considered the homemaking class a source of ideas for clothes and an even smaller proportion (32 per cent) of the advanced pupils did so. It was interesting to note that relatively fewer of the advanced pupils than Of the beginning ones Obtained ideas from their mothers, while more Of the advanced pupils got their ideas from newspapers and magazines. It is perhaps to be expected that, as pupils become Older and more independent in their decisions, they are likely to rely less upon the judgment of the adults who guided them in their childhood and more upon what they probably consider expert sources Of information. The responses of individual pupils to this question differed greatly. One pupil checked ”friends" as her only source for ideas, while others checked every source listed. Some pupils checked only those sources which were human: others only those which were material, and still others checked sources from both classifications. The pupils were also asked to tell where they had obtained the idea for the newest blouse or dress which had been added to their ward- robes. Other girls, catalogues, mother Or other relatives, magazines, and store windows were each named by over a tenth Of the pupils. Three other sources which had not been listed on the questionnaire were men- tioned by a similar prOportion Of the pupils: shopping around in the store, pattern book, and own original ideas. NO source stood out as the one from which most of the girls had Obtained the idea for the latest acquisition to their wardrobes. 78 Purposes for which pupils thought they needed glgthes. When the homemaking pupils were asked to indicate whether or not they had as many clothes as they needed for working around home, for school, and for good, somewhat less than half Of them (he per cent) said they had. A few girls qualified their statements by making such comments as the following, ”I have enough clothes but a girl can always use a few more than she really needs," Table IX indicates the proportion Of the pupils who felt their wardrobes were inadequate for these various purposes. Only 3 per cent Of the pupils felt that they lacked adequate clothing for all three purposes. Over four-fifths Of the pupils who believed they needed more clothes felt that they did so for occasions when they were in contact with persons other than their own families, that is, for school and for good. TABLE IX PURPOSES FOR WHICH HOMEMAKING PUPILS FELT THEY NEEDED MORE CLOTHES Percentage Purposes for which clothes were needed Of pupils (N = 101) For both school and good.............}. 21 For school..................... ....... . 1% For good......... ..... ................. 12 For working around home........ ........ 8 For school, good, and working around home.......... ........... . 3 Total........ ....... .......... ..... .... 58 79 .A somewhat similar picture was revealed when, in interviews, the pupils were questioned concerning whether they had asked their parents for new clothes since the beginning Of school in the fall and the par- ents were questioned about whether their daughters had asked them for new clothes. According to reports from both pupils and.parents, MB per cent of the 31 pupils had not asked for new apparel during this period. Most Of these girls said what they bought their own clothes from their earnings or allowances and, therefore, did not have to make requests Of their parents. A few said that in their families plans were made to get clothes at special times, such as the beginning Of school or Easter, and that they did not ask for things at other times. Several girls also stated that in their homes there was always material on hand, and when they wanted something new, they just made it up. Eggeons giyen bz_pupils for needing clothes. The reasons which the 17 pupils who had asked for new garments said they had given for wanting them and the reasons which the parents said their daughters had given are reported in Table X. It can be seen that the prOportions of pupils and Of parents who reported certain reasons differed. It may well be that pupils considered that the first three reasons were more respectable ones for wanting something new than was that Of wanting what other girls were wearing. Therefore, some of them may have been loathe to report the latter reason even though they may have given it to their parents. Attitudes 2f m members tplggg clothing £311.33}. 2: Liéfl‘égi ggglg, A.considerable number Of the total group Of parents (h? per cent) felt that their daughters sometimes wanted too many clothes. 80 However, only 17 per cent felt that their daughters spent too much money for clothes. One of the mothers reported that her daughter had question- ed her concerning her responses, saying, ”Mother, how can this be right? You.say that I Often want too many clothes but that I seldom spend too much money for them.“ The mother said she had replied, "That's just what I mean. You want tOO many clothes, but you don't get everything you want." TABLE X REASONS FOR WANTING NEW CLOTHES WHICH PUPILS SAID THEY HAD GIVEN THEIR PARENTS AND WHICH PARENTS SAID THEIR DAUGHTERS HAD GIVEN THEM Percentage Percentage Of pupils Of parents Reasons for which teen-age who reported who reported girls wanted new clothes giving reason was reason given (N = 17) (N = 17) Clothes I had were tOO small or worn out... “I 23 Wanted something different, tired of what I had.............................. 35 29 Needed something for special occasion...... 23 18 Wanted what other girls were wearing....... 18 35 Just saw garment in store and wanted it.... 12 All Of the homemaking pupils were asked whether various members of their families had told them that they (the pupils) thought they needed.more clothes than they really needed. Almost half (#7 per cent) of the pupils said that their parents had made this remark to them. About a tenth of the pupils with sisters and, also, about a tenth Of those with brothers reported that these family members had commented on 81 this. About half Of the homemakingjpupils indicated that their parents had told them that they wished they could give them more money for clothes. While none Of the sisters were reported as making this com- ment, almost NO per cent of the pupils with brothers said that their brothers had expressed this wish. This may be partially explained by the fact that more Of the pupils had Older brothers than had Older sisters. Eighteen of the 101 homemaking pupils indicated that their parents had made both comments. It would seem probable that some parents do have ambivalent feelings toward their daughters' clothes. At the same time that they wish they might give their daughters more clothes, they feel that the girl wants more than she needs and more than the family can afford to buy. Regsons f9}; mm-ggg g_i_2;l_s pg lppggi; Egg; certain gggments. In order that more insight might be gained into the reasons for which teen—age girls discard certain garments, the pupils were asked to check the reasons for which they no longer wore articles which were new when school started in the fall. The pupils' responses are shown in Table XI. All of the four reasons listed for discarding garments were men- tioned by some of the pupils in relation tO dresses, skirts, blouses, and sweaters, and only one reason, "garment shrank or faded," was not checked by someone as the explanation for no longer wearing certain shoes. Having outgrown the garment was checked by the greatest number of pupils as the reason for discarding dresses and skirts. As might be eXpected in view Of differences in the growth rate Of adolescents, this explanation was checked by some Of the pupils in all Of the homemaking classes. How- ever, the prOportion Of advanced pupils who marked this reason was somewhat 82 TABLE XI REASONS GIVEN BY HOMEMAKING PUPILS FOR NO LONGER WEARING CERTAIN GARMENTS WHICH WERE NEW WHEN SCHOOL STARTED IN THE FALL _2: Percentage Of pupils who gave reasons (N = 101) Garment Have Have Garment NO longer outgrown worn out shrank or like to wear garment garment faded garment Dress..... ......... . 21 2 3 1h Skirt............... 22 3 8 15 Blouse.............. 12 18 11 10 Sweater............. 15 9 23 7 Shoes............... 16 39 -* 7 smaller than the proportion Of beginning pupils who did so. The reason checked by the largest prOportion of pupils for no longer wearing cer- tain blouses and shoes was that they had worn them out. The major dif- ficulty with sweaters was that the sweaters had shrunk or faded. The responses on this item will be discussed further in the section on car- ing for clothing. While the proportion Of pupils who reported that they no longer wore certain Of their garments because they did not like them was not large, it was probably large enough to support the belief that the endepoint in wear and the physical deterioration Of a garment do not necessarily coincide. Sources £593 mm-ggg girls Obtgined clothes. The sources from which the homemaking pupils indicated that they had Obtained some garments during the past year are cited in Table XII. It will be noted that almost all Of the pUpils had purchased some clothing ready-to~wear. Almost three-fourths Of the pupils received some apparel as gifts. For three—fifths Of the pupils, some garments had been made at home. The 33 TABLE XII SOURCES FROM WHICH HOMEMAKING PUPILS OBTAINED SOME GARMENTS DURING THE PAST YEAR J Sources from which garments igrcgzgff: were Obtained (N . 101) PurChased ready-tO-Wear........o.....o. ssssss se 98 Received as gifts..... ..... ..... ...... ......... 70 Mad-e at home. sssssssssssssss OOOOQOOOOOOOCOOOOO. 6O Handed-dome........ee.e... oooooooo seeeeosoesss 35 writer is inclined to think that the percentage Of pupils listed as receiving handed-down garments is somewhat lower than was actually the case. During the interviews, some of the mothers whose daughters had not reported receiving any handed-down clothes talked quite freely about such apparel which had been given tO their daughters. It is interesting to note this apparent reticence on the part of the pupils to admit that they had received handed-down clothing in con- nection with the sources from which the pupils had Obtained the garments which they liked best and least. The writer had believed that teen-age girls might prefer garments which had been purchased ready-tO-wear in a store to those purchased by mail, made at home, or handed-down. However, Table XIII reveals that the proportions Of Plainfield.pupils who had Obtained the garments they liked best by mail-order or made at home were approximately the same as those who had Obtained the garments they liked least from these sources. It appears, though, that garments which had been handed-down or made-over were much less likely to be among the ones which were well liked by pupils. It must, of course, be recOgnized that 8h many factors beside the source from which it is obtained will probably influence a pupil's total reaction to a garment. TABLE XIII SOURCES FROM WHICH HOMEMAKING PUPILS OBTAINED THE GARMENTS THEY LIKED BEST AND LEAST Percentage Of pupils Sources from which garments who obtained garments were Obtained Best liked Least liked (N . 101) (N = 101) Purchased in a store...... ...... ... 57 3M Purchased by man....o............. 8 7 Made at home....................... 29 26 Handed-down or made-over. ........ .. 6 3h Total....0...’........00.....C.....1OO 101 l"Total for "least liked" exceeds 100 per cent due to rounding. Family Interrelationships in Decisions Concerning Choosing and Wearing Clothing M 91 mangle for parents' gpproval _O_i_‘ 10333;; clothes. There was rather general agreement on the part Of the total group Of home- making pupils in.P1ainfield that it was important to wear clothes that their parents liked on them. Ninety-five per cent Of them thought it was Often or sometimes important for their mothers to approve their clothes, while 90 per cent thought it was important for their fathers to do so. On the whole, the pupils believed that their mothers' approv- al was more Often important than was their fathers'. Somewhat more of the advanced pupils (M5 per cent) than of the beginning pupils (27 per 85 cent) believed that it was Often important for their mothers to like the things they wore. Thus, while fewer Of the advanced pupils turned to their mothers for ideas for clothes,1 more Of them seemed tO desire their mothers' frequent approval for them. It may be that more of the advanced pupils had passed through the develOpmental stage in which they were likely tO seriously question the judgment Of their parents on many points, and that they had come to place more value on the Opinion of their parents concerning what clothes were becoming for them. General 3122 _O_f_ clothing worn p; m _I;O_l_‘_ flious occasions. The pupils were asked, in interviews, what clothes they usually wore for working around home, for school, and for good, and the parents were asked what clothes they preferred for their daughters to wear for these purposes. As is indicated in Table XIV, there was rather close agree- ment between what the pupils did and what their parents wanted them to do as far as the type Of clothes they wore around home was concerned. Jeans with a blouse, shirt, or sweater, ankle socks, and flat-heeled cxfords or loafers comprised the costume worn by most Of the girls and preferred by most Of the mothers. Many Of the girls mentioned the com- fort and serviceability Of jeans both for inside and for outside work. The mothers indicated their preference for washable garments, particular- ly those like jeans and knitted T-shirts which did not require ironing. A number of the girls wore castoff shirts which had once belonged to their fathers or brothers. As one Of the mothers stated, "We have to make use Of things like that.” Two Of the girls who usually wore jeans did so without the approval Of their mothers. One of these mothers said, "Margaret is my only girl. I tell her that the boys wear jeans and I'd let. p. 77. 86 TABLE XIV PRACTICES OF PUPILS AND PREFERENCES OF MOTHERS RELATIVE TO CLOTHES USUALLY WORN FOR WORKING AROUND HOME - _- - _- Percentage Of Percentage Of Clothes for working around pupils usually mothers home wearing them preferring them (N 3 31) (N 3 31) Jeans and blouse, shirt, or sweater..... 81 7h Dress or skirt and blouse............... 19 26 Ankle socks . . . . .......... . ............. . 9* 100 NO socks..... ...... ...... .............. . 6 0 Flat heeled oxfords or loafers.......... 8h 90 Old school shoes. ...... ...... ...... ..... 16 10 like a girl to keep me company. But she wears jeans, anyway." There were two girls who usually wore dresses for working around home and whose mothers approved this choice. One Of them did so because she and her mother both felt she was too heavy to wear jeans becomingly. The mother of the other girl said, “Susan is a Christian girl so she does not wear slacks or jeans." There was also close agreement between mothers and daughters with' respect to the type of clothing which the pupils chose to wear to school and which the mothers liked for them to wear. Table XV shows that the typical school costume of the homemaking pupils in Plainfield was a skirt and blouse or sweater, ankle socks, and flat-heeled oxfords or saddle shoes. A number Of the girls and their mothers mentioned the variety that the girls could have in their wardrobes by combining dif— ferent skirts and blouses or sweaters. Some mentioned that they thought 87 skirts and blouses were easier to keep up than dresses were. A few Of the mothers stated that they wanted their daughters to wear whatever the other girls were wearing. The interviews also revealed that it was a school custom to allow girls to wear jeans or slacks to school on Fridays. Both pupils and.parents varied in their reactions to this custom. TABLE XV PRACTICES OF PUPILS AND PREFERENCES OF MOTHERS RELATIVE TO CLOTHES USUALLY WORN FOR SCHOOL Percentage Of Percentage of Clothes for school pupils usually mothers wearing them preferring them (N = 31) (N s 31) Skirt and blouse or sweater.........., 9h 9h DreSBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO 6 Ankle socks........................... 100 100 Flat-heeled oxfords or saddle shoes... 87 97 LoaferBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO 13 3 Table XVI describes the situation with regard to the clothes usually worn for good. Here, too, it appears that there was rather general agreement between the practices Of the pupils and the preferences of the mothers. More of the pupils were definite in their statements that they usually wore a dress or that they usually wore a skirt and blouse, while more Of the mothers indicated that they liked either type of outfit. The informality of present-day dress is reflected in the fact that almost half of the pupils reported that they sometimes wore their school clothes 88 for good, especially for school or church parties, and for informal affairs with their friends. A few of the pupils eXplained that they saved a special skirt and blouse for good. TABLE XVI PRACTICES OF PUPILS AND PREFERENCES OF MOTHERS RELATIVE TO CLOTHES USUALLY WORN FOR GOOD Percentage of Percentage of Clothes worn for good pupils usually parents wearing them preferring them (N 3 31) (N = 31) Dress................................ 39 26 Skirt and blouse..................... 26 13 Dress or skirt and blouse............ 26 52 Suit....... ........ ..... ............ . 10 10 Nylon hose........................... 71 65 Ankle socks.......................... 13 3 Nylon.hose or ankle socks,........... 16 32 Flat-heeled dress shoes,..... ....... . 35 23 Lowbheeled dress shoes............... 26 52 High-heeled dress shoes.............. 26 23 School shoes, cleaned and polished... 13 3 More of the daughters stated that they usually wore nylon hose or that they usually wore ankle socks, while more of the mothers felt that it was all right to wear either. Several mothers reported that the decision as to which to wear was usually based on whether their daughter had a pair Of nylons without a.run. About a fourth Of both the mothers and the daughters mentioned high-heeled shoes for wear for good. The remainder Of the responses for both groups were spread over flat-heeled dress shoes, low-heeled 89 dress shoes, or school shoes which had been cleaned and polished. How- ever, for parents, the greatest concentration of responses was for low— heeled dress shoes. The parents who objected to high-heeled shoes for their daughters did so on two counts: health and economy. The latter Objection is illustrated in the comment of the mother who said, "She wouldn't wear high~heeled shoes enough to get the good out Of them." Two comments can be made concerning the general type of clothing which was usually worn by pupils and that which was preferred by their parents. First, for a few mothers and daughters there was a discrepancy between what the girl usually wore and what the mother liked for her to wear, but for the great majority there was general agreement. Second, there was considerable conformity among the teen-age girls as to the general type of clothing worn for different purposes, and the greatest conformity appeared to be in that worn for school. This is, perhaps, to be expected since the school is so clearly a.peer situation. ,§gylg_gpd color preferences 2: mothers gpd daughtegg for clothes gpg_£gg,dagghters. It was thought that another way to check the agree- ment or lack of agreement between mothers and daughters concerning clothes was to ask the pupil to describe the one of her outfits which she liked best and to ask the parent to describe the one Of her daughters' outfits which was her favorite. As might be expected, some mothers and daughters described the same outfit and others described different ones. When dif- ferent ones were described, the investigator made a judgment as to whether the outfits were similar or quite different. This judgment was made in the following manner. Three things were noted about each outfit: whether the general style was dressy or tailored, whether the skirt silhouette 90 was straight or full, and the predominant color. When the outfits described by mother and daughter were alike in two Of these respects, they were said to be similar. Thus when mother and daughter both de— scribed skirts and blouses of the same general style and skirt line but in different colors, they were considered to be describing similar out- fits. As is reported in Table XVII, somewhat over half of the mothers and daughters described the same or similar outfits as their favorites, while slightly less than half described quite different ones. Thus, it would seem that there was greater agreement among mothers and daughters concerning the general type Of clothing to be worn for different occasions than there was concerning preferences for specific garments in terms of general style, skirt silhouette, and color. TABLE XVII MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS FOR WHOM THE FAVORITE ONES OF THE DAUGHTER'S OUTFITS WERE THE SAME, SIMILAR, OR DIFFERENT Outfits described as Percentage of best liked mother-daughter pairs (N = 30)* same outfit..OCOOOCCO...C...OCOOOC... 30 Similar outfitBOCCOOO .. . O .0 O O O O O. O O. O 27 Different outfits.................... N3 Total. ooooooo seeseeesooos ........ ssse 100 l"One Of the mothers interviewed declined to name the one Of her daughter's outfits which she liked best. Less than half of the pupils described tailored garments as their favorites, while almost two-thirds of the parents did so. About three- fifths of each group said that their favorite outfit had a full or flared skirt line. The garments described by the pupils were about equally divided among five colors: blue, grey, brown, red, and black. Two colors were predominant among the choices of the mothers: blue gar- ments were described by almost half of the mothers, and grey ones by almost a fifth. In this connection it is interesting to note that blue is generally considered a perenially pOpular color and that grey is a fashion color at the present time. When the mothers and daughters were asked to explain why they liked certain outfits best, most of their reasons were related to the becomingness or appropriateness of the garment for the girl. That the style was becoming to her figure or seemed right for her personality, or that the color was attractive for her personal coloring were often mentioned by both mothers and daughters. Other responses reflected a general feeling toward the outfit; it was liked because it was new, or different, or the best the girl had. Some outfits were favorites be- cause other peOple had expressed approval of them. Several mothers indicated they liked certain outfits because their daughters had made them and they were proud of the girls' accomplishment. One reason which was mentioned only by the pupils, but by a third of them, was that the outfit was comfortable to wear. Concern 2:,mothers and daughters for the daughter's figure prob— lgmg. It would be almost impossible to live in present-day society and be unaware of the emphasis which is placed on the feminine figure, and yet the writer was somewhat unprepared for the concern expressed by both mothers and daughters because they felt that the daughter's figure devi- ated from the ideal. No specific question concerning the pupils' figures or figure problems was asked during the interviews. However, for 23 of the 31 pupils such information was volunteered, sometimes by the mother, sometimes by the daughter, and sometimes by both. For 21 of the pupils, figure problems were reported. All manner of things were wrong with their figures: too fat, too thin, too short, too tall, bust too flat, bust too full, neck too long, hips too large, hips too small, should- ers too broad. Two of the mothers did express unqualified approval of their daughters' figures. One said, "You know Susan‘ can really wear clothes. She has a beautiful figure, but she's self-conscious about it. She heard the boy who sits behind her say, 'Boy. is she stackedi‘" The other remarked, "I don't want you to think I'm bragging, but Jean has a good figure to wear a low-cut dress like that. She's not hollow chested like me. She has nice shoulders and a good bust line." Clothes tag}; parents g; not want their teen-ggg daughtergtg Eggg. In order that the parents' point of view about clothes for their daughters might be examined further, the parents were asked whether or not there were some clothes that they would prefer that their daughters did not wear. Of the 31 parents who were interviewed. 21 (68 per cent) indicated that there were such garments. Ten of the mothers did not want their daughters to wear clothes which they considered inapprOpriate for a specific occasion: jeans to school, shorts down town, good clothes to school, shirt and jeans when there was company, nylons to school. A similar number did not want their daughters to wear garments which '"All names of persons are fictitious. 93 revealed more of the girl's body than they thought ought to be revealed: necklines too low, skirts too tight, sweaters too tight, blouses too sheer, formals too bare. A few mothers also named garments which they thought to be in poor taste: colors too gaudy, clothes too fussy, a skirt in an unbecoming style. Because fads play an important role in teen—age attire, it seemed desirable to check the reaction of parents to them. Of the 81 parents who responded to the questionnaire, 93 per cent thought it was all right for girls to wear fads often or sometimes if the fads were becoming to them. However, only 12 per cent said they thought that fads should be worn by a girl if they were not becoming to her, and then, only sometimes. A few of the mothers were eXplicit about the conditions under which they felt it was all right for their daughters to wear unbecoming fads; when all the other girls were wearing them or when it meant a great deal to the girl to do so. Egptorg important tg_parents ip the choice 9§_clothigg for teen- ggg dggghters. In order that some understanding might be gained con— cerning what the parents thought were important considerations in the choice of clothes for their daughters, they were asked to indicate whether they thought a number of factors were of great, some, or little importance. Table XVIII reveals the proportion of parents who considered the various factors to be of great importance. It will be noted that suitability for age and becomingness for build and coloring were considered of great importance by most of the parents. Many more of the parents thought it was important for their daughter to have clothes similar to those of her friends than thought it important for her to have as many clothes as they did. On the basis of the responses of the Okemos parents and pupils during the trial of the instruments, the writer guessed that in few Plainfield families would clothes be chosen which were expected to serve only for good or only for school. It was believed, rather, that most clothes would be selected with both purposes in mind, the difference being in whether clothes were to be saved for good one year and worn to school the next, or whether they served for both purposes at the same TABLE XVIII FACTORS OF GREAT IMPORTANCE TO PARENTS IN THE CHOICE OF CLOTHES FOR THEIR TEEN-AGE DAUGHTERS Factors in the choice of clothing Percentage for teen—age daughters 0f parents (N = 81) That her clothes be suitable for her age. ............ ... 86 That her clothes be becoming for her build and coloring................... .............. .. 85 That her clothes be similar to those of other girls..................... ..... ................ 5“ That her "good" clothes be suitable for school when no longer neW......... ................ ... “6 That her clothes be of good enough quality to permit handing-down...” ................. . In That her clothes can be worn for "good" and for school....................................... 31 That she have as many clothes as her friends................ ......... .. ..... .............. 1h time. It was to check on this eXpected difference that the fourth and sixth factors listed in Table XVIII were included in the questionnaire. However, the responses of individual parents to the two items lead the writer to question whether the parents made the distinction that was 95 intended. Probably all that it is fair to say about the responses to these items is that about half of the parents believed it very important to keep appropriateness for both school and good in mind in choosing clothes for their daughters. It should also be mentioned that less than four per cent of the parents felt that this was of little importance. Planning for clothing,by families. The practices which were followed by the families of the Plainfield homemaking pupils as they planned to meet their clothing needs are described in Table XIX. Exam- ination of this table leads to the belief that in these families the general picture was not one in which the family began by allotting a given amount of money for the year for clothing and distributed it among TABLE XIX PRACTICES FOLLOWED BY FAMILIES IN PLANNING FOR ADDITIONS TO THE WARDROBES OF FAMILY MEMBERS (N = 81) Percentage of parents who Practices followed in planning reported following the practice for clothes Often Sometimes Plan to get new clothes for the children for the beginning of school...... 79 16 Plan to get clothes as they are needed....... 67 25 Plan to give gifts of clothing to family members for birthdays or Christmas.. ..... . 65 22 Plan to make use of handed-down clothes................................... “8 27 Plan about a.year ahead for large items like coats.......................... 37 28 Plan to get new clothes for holidays like Easter or Christmas.................. 26 MS Plan to buy clothes on year-end or month-end ealee........................... 20 M7 Plan the approximate amount of money each member can spend in a year........... 11 15 the members of the family. Rather, it appears that individual clothing needs were likely to be cared for as they arose. One of the occasions when the children needed clothes was the beginning of school in the fall. Fewer families, but still a substantial prOportion, sometimes planned to get new clothes for the Easter or Christmas holidays. APprox- imately two-thirds of the families planned about a year in advance for the purchase of large items like coats, and somewhat over a third did so commonly. In many of the families, gifts of clothing were given for birthdays and holidays. Making use of handed-down garments and buying clothing at yearuend or month-end sales were methods sometimes used by many of the families to secure more clothing for less money. The re- sponses of the parents to the item concerning the use of handed-down apparel again raises the question as to whether more of the pupils may have obtained handedndown garments than said they did. Somewhat more than half of the total group of parents indicated that they had sometimes had difficulty in planning for clothes because their children had outgrown clothes sooner than they had expected, or because it had been hard to foresee what clothes would be needed. Just under half of the parents said that clothes had worn out sooner than they had expected. It was interesting to Observe the responses of the pupils to questions concerning the fairness Of the distribution among various members of the family of the money spent for clothes. Three-fourths of all the pupils indicated that they thought the sharing in their fam- ilies was Just. The pupils were asked, if they did not think the ar- rangement in their family was equitable, to name the family members whom 97 they believed to receive more or less than a fair share. Table XX shows that almost a fifth of the pupils named themselves as receiving more than their share, while none of them said they had been unfairly treated in this respect. On the other hand, almost a fifth believed that their mothers had had less than a fair share, and some also thought this was true of their fathers. TABLE XX PERSONS BELIEVED BY HOMEMAKING PUPILS TO RECEIVE MORE OR LESS THAN A FAIR SHARE OF THE MONEY SPENT FOR CLOTHING IN THEIR FAMILIES Percentage of'pupils who believed certain family Persons members received More than a Less than a fair share fair share (N = 101) (N = 101) self...OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOC0.... 18 0 Brothers or sisters.............. 10 8 MOther....OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO 1 1? FatherOOOOOOO.00.0.0.0...00...... O 8 TOtal.oooo00.00000000000000000000 29 33 *Some pupils mentioned more than one person as receiving more or less than a fair share. M 2.2.9.9933}. 93; _f_gmily members for clothing. That almost all (Nf the 31 pUpils who were interviewed felt that someone in their families cared what they wore is revealed in Table XXI. More of the girls men— tioned their mothers than any other family member as being the person 98 TABLE XXI FAMILY MEMBERS WHO SEEMED TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT THE CLOTHING AND APPEARANCE OF HOMEMAKING PUPILS Percentage of pupils Family members (N 3 31) One or more family members. .. .............. 9h Mother... ....... ... ........... ... ......... . 71 Fathergooe ooooooo e ooooooooooooooooooooo see. 29 Sisters-e... ooooooo e ooooooooooooooooooo one. 19 Brother....oeoeoeeeeeea...oeeeeoeeeeeeeeeoe 13 who cared how they looked. Many reported that their mothers advised them about style, color, and appropriateness of garments. A goodly number also said that their mothers urged them to look neat and not messy. A few stated that their mothers wanted them to wear what other girls were wearing, and one girl said her mother didn't want her to dress like a certain girl. About a fourth of the pupils said they felt that their fathers <:ared what they wore. No special thing on which the fathers offered Fadvice stood out in the responses given by the pupils. Two fathers preferred pretty clothes, two, plain clothes, and two, clothes that were neat and clean. Two did not want their daughters to wear jeans and one didn't want his daughter to wear anything that made her look older. The sisters, like the mothers, offered advice on style and color, While the brothers objected to shorts and to a leppy appearance. When the mothers were asked if their daughters seemed to care what others in the family wore, 71 per cent of them said "Yes,” as is Shown in Table XXII. About a third of the mothers felt that their \O \0 TABLE XXII FAMILY MENBERS WHOSE CLOTHING AND APPEARANCE SEEHED TO CONCERN HOHENAKING PUPILS Family members Percentage 0f pupils (N = 31) One or more family members..... ....... ........ 71 Mother. ........ .. .............. . ............. . 32 Sister... ...... ....... ...................... .. 32 Brother. ............... . ..................... . 26 Father. ....................................... 6 daughters cared how they looked. The daughters had offered their mothers advice about style and color. One had bought a hat for her mother, while another had made a dress. One of the mothers reported the follow~ ing incident as evidence of her daughter's concern. “My hair used to be curly but then, when it got grey, it wouldn't go right. This bothered Jean and one day she said to me, 'Mother, I'm going to give you a perm— anent and tint your hair.' She did and for a while my hair looked pretty good. Oh, I don't know that it helped my looks such a lot, but it didn't do no harm, and Jean is satisfied." Again, the sisters were said to advise one another on style and color in clothes. Four of the pupils were reported to have made or bought dresses for their sisters. Seven of the eight mothers who indicated that the pupils seemed to be concerned about the appearance of their brothers said that the girls wanted the boys to dress up more and look neater. Disagreements gmgng family members about clothes. Both the pupils and the mothers were asked in the interviews whether or not the pupil had disagreed with other family members, either about her clothes or about their clothes. About a third of the pupils and a half of the mothers said that disagreements had taken place. The writer does not believe that the responses of the parents or the pupils represent accu~ rately the number of cases in which disagreements had occurred. Many 100 times the pupil or the parent, in answer to a.previous question, would have described what the interviewer would call a conflict situation. Yet when the question about disagreements was asked, the reply was that they never had disagreements about clothes in their families. It is possible, of course, that the word "disagreement" means different things to different peOple. The responses which were made, however, do give some indication of the areas of conflict between various family members. It appears that conflicts arose between mothers and daughters because of differ- ing opinions concerning styles and colors which were becoming to the daughter. Some occurred because the daughter wanted to wear garments which the mother thought were too old for her. A few of the arguments reported were related to the cleaning and Care of garments. The conflicts between father and daughter seemed to center around the daughter's wearing of clothes which he thought were too revealing of her figure. Some fathers also objected to the cost of their daughters' clothes. Others felt that their daughters were negligent in taking care of their clothes. The disagreements between sisters seemed to focus around differ- ing preferences for style and color and around the wearing of one another's clothes. One girl stated, "My sister doesn't take care of her own clothes. She likes to wear mine and I don't mind when she takes care of them, but she's always spilling something. She wore my skirt and spilled all over it and mother had to get it dry—cleaned." The brother-sister differences were related to the girl's taking more time in dressing and caring for her clothes than the boy thought 101 she should and to the boy's failure to be as well groomed and as well dressed as his sister thought he ought to be. It should be recognized that no effort was made to determine the seriousness of family conflicts about clothes. The Peer Group and the Teennage Girl's Choice and Wearing of Clothing Desire gi'pupils for gpproval g£.the pger group for their clothes. The homemaking pUpils were asked whether they thought they should often, sometimes, or seldom wear clothes which girl friends and boys liked on them. In Table XXIII, their responses are summarized according to the homemaking classes in which they were enrolled. Generally speaking, TABLE XXIII IMPORTANCE TO HOMEMAKING PUPILS OF WEARING CBOTHES APPROVED BY GIRL FRIENDS AND BOYS Percentage of pupils Person whose approval Homemaking I Homemaking II Homemaking III 1 t t "a” mp" 8” (N - Ie) (N =- 30) (N = 22) Girl friends: Often.... ........ . ........ h9 53 59 Sometimes.... ..... ........ M7 37 36 Total“.................. 96 100 95 Boys: Often.. ................. .. 25 1+7 55 Sometimes. ........ . ...... . 61 53 “5 Total‘.................. 86 100 100 I"The remaining pupils gave "seldom" as their response. most of the pupils at all levels thought it important, sometimes or often, to dress in a manner approved by other girls and by boys. With each advance in class, the proportion of pupils who thought they should often wear clothes liked by boys increased. This would seem to be 102 consistent with the usual increasing interest in the Opposite sex during the teen years. It should also be mentioned that at all class levels the proportion of pupils who thought they should often dress to appeal to boys and girls was greater than the proportion who thought they should often wear what their mothers and fathers liked on them. Influence 9;.the paer-group pp 3h; ggggpggg girl's choice gpg wearing g§_clothipg. The general influence of the peer group on the teenpage girl's choice of apparel can be seen in the fact that four- fifths of the pupils said they obtained ideas for clothes from their friends.2 The mothers' view of this influence was sought by asking, during the interview, whether they thought their daughters were influenced by other girls in school and, if so, by whom. About a fifth of the 31 mothers who were interviewed did not think their daughters were influenced by other girls as far as their clothes were concerned. The two comments which follow are typical of the responses of these mothers. "She knows there is a lot she can't wear because of her figure. She mentions some things she'd like. but she knows we can't afford them.“ "She has a mind of her own on clothes. She likes to come out with something new so other girls will copy her." The four-fifths of the mothers who felt their daughters were influenced by what other girls were wearing were about equally divided in their beliefs as to whether the influence came from particular girls or from the general group. Rather interesting comments were made by mothers who held each point of view. One of those who thought her 20f. p. 76. 103 daughter was influenced by certain girls said, "She looks to what the girls who have more money wear. It means a lot to her to look nice." Another said, "I think you'd say she is influenced by her own friends, and then by what the older girls are wearing. She is growing up so fast." A.mother who thought her daughter was influenced by other girls in general stated, "She started to school with brown oxfords. She came home and said only three girls in her English claSS did not have either saddles or white bucks. She got saddles and has been wearing them ever since. Right now she wants to get a pOplin jacket because pg ggg_el§g_ is wearing corduroy." A further attempt to gain understanding of the influence of peers upon the teen-age girl's choice of clothing was made by asking the home- making pupils to list the names of other high school girls that they wished to dress like. Thirty-seven per cent of all the pupils did so: no per cent of each of the Homemaking I and II classes, and slightly less than a fourth of the Homemaking III class. This may mean that only 37 per cent of the pupils wished to emulate certain other girls in the matter of dress, or it may mean that only 37 per cent were willing to admit their wish. It should be noted that this percentage of pupils is fairly close to the proportion of the interviewed mothers who said that they felt their daughters were influenced in dress by particular girls. At any rate, the names which were given by the pupils were exam- ined from several points of view. The 37 pupils named 52 girls: 3hcf them were named once, 10 were named twice, and 8 were named three or more times. One girl was named as a model by seven of the pupils. Thus, it appears that while some girls were recognized as models in 10h dress by a number of pupils, no single girl or group of girls could be said to be the models for most of the pupils. Of the 52 girls named as models, one-fourth were enrolled in classes in homemaking. A check was also made as to whether the homemaking pupils named, as the persons they would like to emulate in dress, girls who were in the same grade as they or girls who were in a higher grade, and whether or not the girls they named were among their close friends. The result of this examination is given in Table XXIV. It appears that the pupils were more likely to name girls in their own grade than those in a higher grade. RELLTICN BETWEEN GIRLS hgfimD LS LODQLS In DnuSS.LND THm UIRLS TflfilbuhnD THfil Percentage of pupils naming models (a = 3?) Characteristics of girls named as models sGrede in school Same grad higher wr .‘ l— \J 3 as IJUPil narningoOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOgi'o ade than pUpil nonin: 32 fiFriendship Close friend of pupil naming................... 35 Not a close friend of pupil naming............. 5h 1‘0 ,jUd-jnent gj—VOHOOOOOIOOOOOOOOO000.00.000.0'... ll sThis information was obtained from school records. ¢Some pupils named girls from their own grade and also girls ,from a higher grade. ifThis judgment was obtained from the girls' counselor in the high school. If it can be assumed that a high school girl's friends are likely to be amond the girls in her own Crede. then this would seem consistent C) u u.) , with the fact that while four—fifths of the unils said thev got ideas p i d o 105 for clothes from friends, less than half said their ideas came from older girls.3 The judgment concerning the friendship between the girls named and naming was obtained from the girls' counselor in Plainfield High School. It must be recognized that her judgment was probably not in- fallible. In fact, she would be among the first to admit this. Yet, the writer believes that her contact with the pupils as a teacher and a counselor placed her in a.position where she would be likely to have reasonably accurate knowledge of the friendship patterns within the school. If her judgment can be accepted, it appears that these pupils were somewhat more likely to name girls outside their circle of close friends than to name those within the circle. "Choosing gag Wearing Clothing" ig_£h§_Plainfield Curriculum 12.Homemaking Little time had been devoted to the study of choosing and wear- ing clothing in the homemaking classes in Plainfield High School in 1953-5u. Table xxv indicates that in the Homemaking I and II classes, TABLE XXV TIME ALLOTTED TO THE STUDY OF CHOOSING AND WEARING CLOTHING IN THE HOMEMAKING CURRICULUM Time spent in Time spent in study Homemaking class study of clothing of choosing and wearing clothing Days Days Per cent Homemaking I................ 56 M 7 Homemaking II. ............ .. ”9 h 8 Homemaking III..... ....... .. 50 2 N 3 Cf.. p. 76. 106 four days had been spent in such study and that this represented seven and eight per cent of the total time given to the study of clothing in these classes. In Homemaking III class, study of choosing and wearing clothing had assumed an even smaller prOportion of time. The Homemaking I class had given attention to the selection of colors, styles, and textures which were becoming and apprOpriate for the individual. The pupils had studied about the qualities of colors and the effect of one color on another. They had made generalizations concerning the effect of different colors on an individual's apparent size and coloring. They had examined styles from the standpoint of prOportion, balance, and harmony. They had considered the illusions created by different lines and the way in which lines could be used to flatter the individual figure. The textures of fabrics had been thought of in relation to apprOpriateness for specific uses. In this class, too, clothing for pre-school children had been included as a.part of a unit in Child Development. In Homemaking II, the pupils had made a study of fashion trends in style and fabric as they appeared in current magazines. They also made recommendations for colors and styles which were considered most becoming for each individual pupil. The Homemaking III class reviewed the current fashion picture in style and fabric and made a special study of fabrics on the market. 107 Opinions g£_PUpils and Parents Concerning "Choosing and Wearing Clothing" i§_the Curriculum ig,Homemaking Both the homemaking pupils and their parents were asked to give their Opinions as to whether the various aspects of clothing should be given more, less, or about the same attention as they now received in the curriculum in homemaking. Their responses with respect to choosing and wearing clothing are reported in Table XXVI. Many pupils and parents TABLE XXVI OPINIONS OF HOMEMAKING-PUPILS AND THEIR PARENTS CONCERNING THE EMPHASIS WHICH SHOULD BE GIVEN TO CHOOSING AND WEARING CLOTHING IN THE CURRICULUM IN HOMEMAKING More emphasis Less emphasis Aspects of choosing and wearing clothing Percentage Percentage Percentage Percentage of pupils of parents of pupils of parents (N e 101) (N = 75)’ (N = 101) (N = 75)‘ Choosing clothes for the teen-age girl to wear............... 60 MS 1 0 Choosing clothes for other members of the family to wear........ 25 25 5 17 *Six of the 81 parents did not respond to this item. thought that more emphasis should be given to choosing clothes for the teen-age girl to wear, while only one pupil and none of the parents felt that less emphasis should be given to this aspect. The one pupil was a member of the advanced class in homemaking. Generally speaking, more pupils and more parents thought that the classes in homemaking should 108 be concerned with the problems of the teen-age girl in choosing and wearing clothing than with the problems of other members of the family, In the free responses as to what should be included in the home- making curriculum about choosing and wearing clothing, the greatest concentration of suggestions from both pupils and parents was in relay tion to colors and lines in clothing that were becoming to the individ- ual. Choice of clothing which is apprOpriate for different occasions was also mentioned. A few persons suggested general planning for the wardrobe and using accessories for more variety in the wardrobe. Some of the parents and pupils also gave their Opinions as to values which they thought it important to emphasize. They believed that the importance of an attractive appearance should be stressed. Some of the parents thought that girls should be taught to make their decisions in terms of their individual coloring, figures, and pocketbooks, rather than in terms of what other girls were wearing. One mother stated her point of view in these words. "I think it would help if someone would try to put across to each girl that what makes one girl attractive doesn't make the next one look equally nice. They should try to dress to cover up their bad points and not be a carbon copy of everyone else. The 13 to 15 year-olds are really in a dither about what to wear to their dances and on dates. At that age they seem to think their mothers are being too hard on them. If they studied these things, there would be a lot less friction between everyone." CHAPTER V BUYING CLOTHING The same plan will be followed in presenting the findings relay tive to buying clothing as was used in the preceding chapter. First, attention will be given to the beliefs and.practices of the homemaking pupils and their parents. Next, a review of the 1953-5h curriculum in homemaking as it related to the buying of clothes will be given, and then the opinions of the pupils and parents concerning the emphasis which should be placed on this aspect of clothing in the homemaking curriculum will be summarized. Beliefs and Practices Relative tg_Buyinnglothing The beliefs and.practices of pupils and parents concerning the buying of clothes will be reported in four categories: (1) beliefs and practices which provide the setting in which purchases of clothing are made, (2) patterns of participation in the purchase of clothing, (3) garments purchased in the past year, and (h) expenditures for clothing. The Setting for the Purchase of Clothing General setting for the purchase 9: clothing. It can be said that the purchase of clothing occurs in a setting made up, at least in part, of the ideas which people have and the practices which they follow in relation to clothing in general. It would seem desirable, at this point, to review some of the beliefs and.practices relative to choosing and wearing clothing which appear to be part of that general setting in ‘\ 110 Plainfield. On the whole, the homemaking pupils thought they should wear clothes that were approved by their parents and by other teen-agers. Generally speaking, the type of clothing which was usually worn by the pupils for different occasions was the type approved by their parents. The appropriateness of clothes for the age, build, and coloring of their daughters was very important to the parents. There was not general agreement between mothers and daughters as to the outfits which were thought to be most becoming to the daughters. In the statements of mothers about the clothes which they did not want their daughters to wear and in the accounts of disagreements about clothes, there was further evidence of differences in the Opinions of mothers and daughters concerning the wearing of specific garments, colors, and styles. Suita- bility of the teen-agers' clothing for the dual purposes of school and good was thought important by many parents. The families tended to meet clothing needs as they arose and provided new clothing for their children for such occasions as the beginning of the school year. A sizeable pro- portion of the families planned for purchasing clothing at sales. The pupils obtained ideas for clothes from many sources, and a number of the parents felt that their daughters wanted too many clothes. While many of the parents desired their daughters to have clothes which were similar to those of other teen-agers, not many thought it was important for them to have as many clothes as other children. About two-thirds of the parents felt that their daughters were influenced by what other girls were wearing and about half of these believed that their daughters looked to particular girls as models. 111 Specific setting for a.purchase g: clothing. It seemed reasonable to believe that in addition to the rather general background in which clothing purchases are made, there was likely to be a specific setting for each individual purchase. It was in the hope that more understand- ing might be gained in this matter, that pupils and parents were asked, in the interviews, to describe the purchase of some garment which had been added to the pupil's wardrobe "since last fall." Two of the mothers said that they could not describe such purchases because they had not participated in the buying of any clothing for their daughters during that period. The remainder of mothers and all of the pupils reported on the buying of some outergarment: dress, skirt, sweater, coat, blouse, shoes. In order to illustrate some of the elements or combinations of elements which entered the purchase of these articles, quotations from a few of the pupils and mothers will be given. The first quotation is from a Homemaking I pupil and illustrates a peer shopping eXpedition along with the stimulation of the market place. "I had pictured this turtle neck sweater in my mind. Then my sister, my girl friend, and I saw some in the store. We all fell in love with them, so we paid a dollar down and a dollar a week. We should have told Mother but we didn't until later." The second quotation is also from a Homemaking I pupil. "I was looking in the catalogue for jeans when I saw this red blouse. I saw some shoes I wanted, too. I was going to order them as I earned the money, but Mother said we might as well order them all in one dose. She paid for them and I pay her from my allowance. If I'd waited until I 112 had the money I wouldn't have had them all yet, but I don't like to owe my folks. It takes some out of my allowance, too." Here the catalogue served to stimulate the girl's desire for certain apparel and the mother approved the purchase to the extent of advancing the money. The daughter had mixed feelings concerning the advantage of having had the clothes and having had to pay for them over a period of time. The mother of a.Homemaking I pupil made the following statement: "I guess you'd say I picked out the dress. Louise didn't exactly like it, She wanted a grey one and this one was blue. but it was the best we could find. We had to get the dress right then because she needed it for the play, We were in a hurry and getting tired and Daddy was waiting for us in the car." Here can be seen the urgency of purchasing a gar- ment at a Specific time, the limited offerings of the market in the eyes of the purchaser, and the feeling of fatigue and the time pressure under which the purchasers were operating. The difference of opinion between a mother and daughter concern- ing the purchase of a coat was related by the mother of a Homemaking II pupil. "Mary wanted a winter coat. She'd never had anything but a handed- down coat (she was the middle child of eleven children), and she wanted a new one. I told her to wait until after Christmas for the sales. She did. Then she found a coat down town for $30.00. I told her she'd have had toxsy that much early in the fall, but she said she'd have had to pay more than that for such a good coat. Anyway, they were having a sale in the catalogue and I sent for a coat. When it came Mary said she didn't like it, that she wouldn't like any but the one down town. I told her we'd just hang the coat up and wait and see. She finally start- 113 ed to wear it." One of the parents mentioned that she allowed her daughter to go ahead with a.purchase of which she did not approve, hOping that the girl would learn from the experience. "Lucy doesn't always see what's practical in clothes. Now, take that pink sweater she wanted. I knew it wouldn't stay clean a day, but she was bound to have it. I said to my husband, 'Maybe if we let her get that sweater she'll learn, and if she learns, it will be worth it.‘ She bought the sweater and she's had to wash and wash it. But you know, I think she still likes that sweater." Some elements or combinations of elements, such as the ones illus- trated above, were reported in relation to almost all of the purchases described by pupils and parents. There is no intent to imply here that the Specific elements described were particularly likely to be present in the buying of clothes. However, it does seem fair to conclude that some such elements were likely to be present. Factors considered.;p_pprchasing clothes for teen-agers., The pupils and their mothers were also asked whether certain factors had been considered in making the purchases which they described. Table XXVII indicates that, of these factors, the ones which were most often given consideration by both mothers and daughters were personal prefer- ences for color and style, the cost of the garment, and its expected use. Quality of fabric and construction were weighed by a smaller prOportion of both groups, and by an even smaller prOportion of pupils than of parents. The comments made by pupils and parents about the consideration given to color preference, style preference, and eXpected uses in the 11h TABLE XXVII FACTORS CONSIDERED IN THE PURCHASE OF OUTERGARHEHTS FOR TEEN-AGE GIRLS Percent e wh c id d f Factors considered in ag ° ons ere actor making purchases Pupils Parents (N 3 31) (N = 29)‘ Cost of garment....................... 30 66 Color preference...................... 80 76 Style preference...................... 7h 62 ExPected use of garment............... 61 66 Care required by garment.............. 39 52 Fit or comfort of garment............. 32 22 Quality of fabric..................... 19 n5 Quality of construction,,............. 16 3h l"Two mothers declined to describe purchases because they had not participated in any. purchase of these garments supports the viewpoint which had been ex- pressed by the total group of parents concerning the importance of these factors in relation to teen-agers' clothes in general.1 The statements most often made about color were that the purchasers had looked for a color which was becoming to the girl and which the girl liked. A few of the pupils said they wanted to try a new color, and one parent said a certain color had been chosen because it wouldn't show the dirt. Styles that were flattering to the girl's figure, that the girl liked, and that were similar to the ones other girls were wearing were the kinds most frequently chosen by both mothers and daughters. About half of the pupils and of the parents said that they had a 1013. p. 94. 115 price range in mind when they went sh0pping for these garments. About a sixth of the reported articles had been bought on sale. That a garment could be washed or that it would infrequently require dry-cleaning were factors considered by about a third of the pupils.and half of the parents. In a few instances the purchasers in- dicated that they realized the garment would be difficult to wash and iron or expensive to keep cleaned, but that they wanted it so much that they bought it anyway. No comment stood out in relation to fit and comfort except the difficulty in getting a good fit because of the girls' figure problems. Fabric and construction that would stand up under wear seemed to be the concern of the persons who said they considered these factors. One girl and two parents said they chose a particular garment because the fabric had an "expensive" look. M3 91 p_1_a:nning for glothing purchases. Another aspect of the setting for the purchase of clothing is the period of time over which a purchase is planned. It will be recalled that somewhat over a.third of the total group of parents said that they often planned about a year in advance for the purchase of large items like coats, and that over a fourth said that this was sometimes true for them.2 In the interviews the pupils and parents were asked for how long a.period of time they had planned to buy the outergarment whose purchase they described. Five pupils and five parents described the purchase of a coat: all five parents reported that they had planned their purchases for between three months and a year, but Zeta. p. 95. 116 only two of the pupils reported this long a planning period. It may be that the parents had done some planning before the daughter was included, or it may be that the parents thought the longer period of time was the preferred behavior and, thus, the preferred answer. For the purchases of dresses, skirts, blouses, and sweaters, about a fourth of the pupils and of the parents reported that they had bought the articles on the spur of the moment without any previous planning. Another fourth had planned their purchases for about a.week: and half, for a.period of a week to a month. Thus, it would appear that purchases of clothes, with the exception of large items, had been.planned over relatively short periods of time. Sources 3: money for the teen—age girl's clothigg. Still another part of the setting for the purchase of the teen-age girl's clothing is the source of the money with which her clothes are purchased. The pupils were asked to indicate whether certain practices with respect to money for clothes were followed often, sometimes, or seldom, in their cases. The "often" and "sometimes" responses are summarized in Table XXVIII. With each advance in class, a larger prOportion of the pupils earned some of the money with which their clothes were purchased. Almost all of the Homemaking III pupils did so. Conversely, the proportion of parents who paid for their daughters' clothes was smaller in the older than in the younger groups. 117 TABLE XXVIII SOURCES FROM WHICH HOMEMAKING PUPILS RECEIVE MONEY FOR CLOTHES Sources of money Percentage 0f pupils for clothes Homemaking I Homemaking II Homemaking III (N = kg) (N = 30) (N a 22) Parents pay for clothes........ 90 7h “6 Pupils use allowance for clothes...................... 5H 147 23 Pupils earn money for clothes.. M9 83 91 Patterns of Participation in the Purchase of Clothing Beliefs 9_f_ pagents _a_ng pppils relgtive pp who shop}; purchase the pppils' clothigg. The parents were asked to indicate whether they thought the clothing for children of various ages should usually be purchased by the parent alone, by the child alone, or by the parent and child together. According to Table XXIX, it was the belief of most of TABLE XXIX PERSONS WHO PARENTS BELIEVE SHOULD PARTICIPATE IN THE PURCHASE OF CLOTHING FOR CHILDREN Percentage of parents who believe Children clothes for children should be selected By parents, By child, By parents and alone alone child, together Children under six (N = 78)*...... 76 0 2h Children from six to twelve (Na80)OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.13 O 88 Teen-age girls (N a 80).... ...... . O 18 83 Teenpage boys (N I 73)............ 1 16 82 *Not all of the 81 parents responded to these items. 118 the parents that until a child reached the age of six, the parents should select his clothing. However, about a fourth of them thought the young child should also be included in the selection process. After a child reached six years of age, most of the parents thought that the selection' of his clothes should be made by the parent and child together. About a sixth of the parents thought that their teen-age sons and daughters should usually be allowed to select their clothes alone. The parents were also asked to name any garments of teen-age ap- parel which should be selected by the teen-ager alone, by the parents alone, or by the teenpager and.parent together. The over-all proportion of parents who named garments was small and yet the responses did give some insight into the thinking of parents on this matter. Over a tenth of them named coats and underclothing as articles which should be select- ed by parents alone. In explanation, it was stated that parents ought to take the responsibility for choosing garments which were expensive or which would have to be worn for a long time. Several of the mothers wrote that as a.matter of convenience they usually purchased "standard" items, such as socks and underwear. Garments of teennage apparel which over a tenth of the parents thought it would be wise for their daughters to choose for themselves were: blouses, dresses, skirts, sweaters, shoes, and undergarments. However, they tended to qualify their statements with such comments as, ”if she will use reason," "with pointers from me," or "with my approval." Garments named by over a tenth of the parents as being ones which should be jointly selected by a teen-age girl and her parents were: coats, dresses, skirts, and shoes. Again, the parents thought that they 119 should participate in the selection of the more expensive items and should give advice on such factors as color and style, washability, and care and time required for upkeep. Table XXX indicates that the pupils were in general accord with the beliefs of their parents as to who should choose their clothing. TABLE XXX PERSONS WHO HOMEMAKING-PUPILS BELIEVE SHOULD PARTICIPATE IN THE PURCHASE OF THEIR CLOTHING Persons who should Percentage of pupils participate in the Homemaking I Homemaking II Homemaki ng III purchase of clothing (N = M9) (N a 30) (N = 22) Often Sometimes Often Sometimes Often Sometimes Parent, alone............. n 25 0 20 0 9 Pupil, alone.............. 1h 59 16 63 23 63 Pupil and parent, together #9 us 30 oo 9 68 Very few of the pupils thought that their parents should often choose clothes for them, but somewhat more of them thought that this was some- times all right. It appears that most of the pupils thought that they should sometimes be allowed to choose their own clothes and that some- times their parents should.participate in the selection. The propor- tion of pUpils who thought they should often choose their own clothes was slightly larger in the advanced class than in the beginning ones. This seems reasonable in view of the age difference in the groups, Prgctices relgtive 3;; patterns 9}; participgtion .131 the purchase a; clothing for teenpggg girls. The pupils were asked to indicate who 120 usually participated in the selection of certain of their garments. As is shown in Table XXXI, over half of the pupils indicated that they usually chose undergarments and scarfs or kerchiefs by themselves, while about half of them reported that they had the help of their parents in selecting shoes, sweaters, and blouses. For over three-fourths of the pupils, the selection of a good dress or a winter coat was a joint pupil- parent project. A relatively small prOportion of the pupils indicated that garments were chosen by parents alone. The articles most often TABLE XXXI PERSONS WHO USUALLY SELECT CERTAIN GARMENTS FOR.HOMEMAKING PUPILS Percentage of pupils for whom garments are usually purchased Garment By pupil By parent By pupil By pupil and alone alone and parent girl friend Panties (N a 99)*........ 69 11 18 2 Scarf or kerchief (N = 95)67 6 16 ll Ankle socks (N I 101).... 56 ll 27 6 Slip (N a 101)........... 51 1” 31 5 Shoes (N 3 101).......... 33 3 55 9 Sweater (N a 101)........ 32 1+ 1+9 16 Blouse (N = 101)......... 28 6 us 19 Good dress (N 8 99)...... 10 3 73 9 Winter coat (N = 98),,,.. H 2 88 6 *Not all of the 101 pupils responded to all of the items, chosen in this manner were the undergarments: slips, panties, and ankle socks. It is interesting to note that blouses and sweaters, two common articles of school apparel, were the ones which were most often chosen in the company of a girl friend. l 121 The proportion of the pupils in each homemaking class who selected certain garments for themselves, without help from other persons, is given in Table XXXII. For most of the garments, a considerably greater proportion of the advanced than of the beginning pupils made selections for themselves. This did not appear to be the case, however, with good dresses and winter coats. Relatively small prOportions of the pupils at any class level chose these garments alone. TABLE XXXII GARMENTS WHICH WERE USUALLY PURCHASED ALONE BY PUPILS IN HOMEMAKING I, II, AND III Percentage of pupils Garment Homemaking I Homemaking II Homemaking III (N a kg) (N 3 30) (N n 22) Panties.................... 61t 60 91 Scarf or kerchief.......... 53* 70* 77 Ankle socks................ N9 50 82 Slip....................... ”3 “3 - 77 ShoeS...................... 25 23 6“ Sweater.................... 20 33 55 Blouse........... ...... .... 18 27 50 Good dress................. 9* 7 18 Winter coat................ k: 3 5 l"Two pupils did not respond. #Four pupils did not respond. "Three pupils did not respond. Thus, it would seem that the practices which were followed in the selection of clothes for teen-age girls in.P1ainfie1d were, in general, in accord with the stated beliefs of the homemaking pupils and their parents relative to the persons who should participate in the purchase of such apparel . 122 Participation g§_homemakipg_pupils ig_the selection‘gf clothes for other Eggsons. In order that some information might be obtained concern- ing the participation of teen-agers in the purchase of clothes for other persons, the homemaking pupils were asked whether or not they had helped in choosing certain garments for others during the past year. The list of garments included ones which were thought to be commonly given as gifts. Table XXXIII indicates that many of the pupils did take part TABLE XXXIII PARTICIPATION OF HOMEMAKING PUPILS IN THE PURCHASE OF GARMENTS FOR OTHER.PERSONS Percentage Garments purchased for other persons of pupils (N a 101) For mothers, sisters, girl friends: Blouse........................................... 7O Hose............................................. 68 DreSS................. ...... ....... ....... . ..... . 61 Sweater..... ........ ... ....... . ...... ... ........ 6O Slip............................................. 56 scarf or kerohief000000000.0...0.00000...0.000.0. 55 Gloves 01'mitt6n8,,,,,..,,..,,,,,,,..,,,,,,,,.... “1 Pajamas or nightie0000000000000. ..... .00....00000 39 For fathers, brothers, boy friends: Shirt.... .......... .............................. 72 Socks............................................ 70 Tie.............................................. 51 Gloves of mittenS................................ 38 S'eater.......................................... 30 Scarf............................................ 26 PajamBS.......................................... 22 in the selection of these garments for other persons. The garments of feminine apparel which over half of them had helped to select were: 123 blouses, hose, dresses, sweaters, slips, and scarfs. The articles of masculine apparel which a similar prOportion had helped to choose were: shirts, socks, and ties. Garments Purchased During the Past Year 'ggrments purchased ready-Egrwear for teengggg.gigl§. The propor~ tions of the Plainfield homemaking pupils who, during the past year, had obtained certain garments as ready-to—wear purchases and as gifts is given in Table XXXIV. The proportions of pupils who indicated that they had received the garments from any source, made at home or handed-down, as well as by buying them or receiving them as gifts, is also included for purposes of comparison. Six of the garments listed, ankle socks, skirt, blouse, panties, slip and shoes, had been obtained from some source by over 90 per cent of the pupils; and four others, sweater, dress, hose, and coat or jacket, by over three~fourths of the group. In the case of most of the garments, the major proportion of the pupils who had ob- tained a garment at all, had obtained at least one as a readyato-wear purchase. For example, 80 per cent of the pupils said they had acquired a dress and almost three-fourths of this group indicated that at least one dress had been purchased ready-teawear. In fact, for only three garments, housecoats or bathrobes, aprons or smocks, and suits, had less than half of the pUpils who obtained them bought them ready-to-wear. The pupils were not asked to distinguish between gifts of clothing which they had received from members of their immediate families and from persons outside their families. In view of the fact that giving gifts of clothing was a common family practice, it is probable that some of the 12M TABLE XXXIV GARMENTS OBTAINED DURING THE PAST YEAR As READY-TO—WEAR PURCHASES AND AS GIFTS BY HOMEMAKING-PUPILS (N = 101) Percentage of pupils who obtained garments Garments From any As ready-to-wear As gifts source* purchases Ankle socks............. 96 90 13 Skirt................... 95 66 8 Blouse.................. 9“ 63 15 Panties................. 93 8“ 12 Slip.................... 91 76 19 Shoes................... 91 89 2 Sweater................. 85 62 19 DreBS................... 80 56 3 Hose.................... 80 67 20 Coat or jacket,,,,,,,,,, 77 70 7 Pajamas or nightie,,,,,, 72 MI 19 Scarf or kerchief,...,.. 72 M1 35 Jeane................... 71 68 2 Gloves or mittens,.,,,.. 67 36 3O Slacks or shorts,,,,..,. 61 NS 2 Housecoat or bathrobe,,, N9 1h 17 Apron or smock,,..,,,.,. he 13 15 Hat..................... ”2 29 5 Suit.................... 30 11+ 0 *Obtained as ready-to-wear purchases, gifts, made at home and handed— down. garments which were reported as gifts should actually be considered as purchases of ready-to-wear. However, while it is probable that the pro- portion of pupils who received garments as gifts Can, in general, be considered to swell the proportion who obtained ready-to-wear garments, two cautions should be placed on this interpretation. First, some of the garments reported as gifts may have been made at home, and second, 125 some of the pupils reported that they had received certain garments both as gifts and as readyatoawear purchases. Scarfs or kerchiefs, gloves or mittens, hose, slips, sweaters, and pajamas were the articles of apparel most commonly received as gifts by the Plainfield homemaking pupils, Places lg which articles 2§.clothing for family members were purchased, Because it was considered important to learn where, as well as whether, articles of clothing had been purchased, the parents were asked if certain garments had been bought in the past year in Plainfield, in other towns, or by mail. A substantial proportion of the parents had patronized each of the three: local stores, outuof-town stores, and mail-order houses. All of the 81 parents said that some apparel for women and girls had been purchased locally; four-fifths indicated that such purchases had been made in other towns, and somewhat over half had ordered garments by mail. Only 70 of the parents responded to the sec— tion of the questionnaire which dealt with clothing for men and boys. In a few instances, this was because the family group did not include any masculine members. In other cases, it may have been that the par- ents failed to see a relation between clothing for men and boys and the curriculum in homemaking, and therefore, omitted the section. Of the 70 parents who did respond, all had purchased some clothing for men and boys in Plainfield: over two—thirds had gone to other towns to do so, and a half had ordered garments by mail. Table XXXV indicates the proportions of parents who reported that specific garments for women and girls had been purchased in these various places. Again, the prOportion who reported that garments had been obtained 126 TABLE XXIV GARMENTS FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS PURCHASED IN PLAINFIELD, IN OTHER TOWNS, AND BY MAIL DURING THE PAST YEAR.BY FAMILIES OF HOMEMAKING PUPILS (N = 81) Percentage of parents who reported that garments were obtained Garments From any As ready-to-wear purchases source* In.Plain- In another By field town mail [me sockBOOOOOOOO......CCCCOO 100 82 22 19 Panties.......OIOCOOOOCOOOOOOCO 100 83 25 26 Slip or petticoat.............. 100 75 30 26 Shoes...o........o.0....o.ooooo 100 88 38 7 Blouse....ogoooooooo...o0000000 98 83 he 22 SkirtOOCOIOOOOOOOCOOO0.00000... 98 70 1+0 22 Hose.........OOOCOOCCCOOOCCOOOO 91+ 85 20 11 Dress other than house dress... 93 56 52 17 Scarf or kerchief.............. 91 8“ 21 h Jeans.0-0....0....00.0.o.oso... 90 79 12 15 Pajamas or nightie.... ...... ... 90 N6 20 25 sweater....-......COOOOOO...... 89 63 35 19 coat or jmketOOCOCCOOOOOOQUOOO 88 1‘? nu 19 Gloves or mittens.............. 86 69 19 7 Slacks or shorts............... 69 M2 16 12 House dress.................... 63 “1 12 11 Housecoat or bathrobe.......... 61 21 15 15 HatOOOOOCCOOOCOOCOOO00.0.0.0... 59 38 20 1+ Suit........................... 33 1h 12 7 l"Purchased ready~to-wear and made at home. from either ready-to-wear or made-at-home sources is included for pur- poses of comparison. It can be noted that some of each of the garments were bought in all three places. In the case of every garment, a larger proportion of parents reported that it had been purchased locally than reported it had been purchased out-of~town. For some garments, however, 127 ifllis difference was very small; dresses other than house dresses, coats oz? jackets, and suits were acquired in local stores and in out-of—town stuores by almost equal proportions of families. The garments for which over a third of the parents reported that they had gone out-of—town were: sweaters, skirts, blouses, and shoes, in addition to coats or jan2kets, and dresses other than housedresses, The garments which were orniered by mail by a fourth or more of the families were panties, slips, tund.pajamas or nighties. Thus, it appears, that the garments for girls and women which were most commonly purchased in out-of-town stores were (yutergarments in which fashion was likely to be an important considera- tion. Those most commonly purchased by mail were undergarments in which fashion was not so likely to play an important role. It should, however, 'be noted that in a fair prOportion of families, garments which are usual- ly considered fashion items were purchased from mail-order houses. A similar report on the garments purchased for men and boys is given in Table XXXVI. The same general statements can be made for these garments as was made for those of women and girls. Some of each of the garments were bought in Plainfield, out-of-town, and by mail. All but two of the garments had been purchased locally by a larger proportion of families than had gone out-of—town for them. Almost twice as many parents reported buying suits in out-of—town stores as reported buying them locally. Bathrobes were bought in.Plainfield and in other towns by about equal prOportions of families. Three garments had been.pur- chased out-of—town by more than a third of the families: dress shirts, sport shirts, and coats or jackets. Those articles which had been ordered by mail by a fifth of the families were undershirts or shorts, dress 128 TABLE XXXVI GARMENTS FOR MEN AND BOYS PURCHASED IN PLAINFIELD, IN OTHER TOWNS, AND BY MAIL DURING THE PAST YEAR BY FAMILIES OF HOMEMAKING PUPILS (N = 70)"I Percentage of parents who reported that garments were obtained Garments From As ready-to—wear purchases source In Plain— In another By field town mail Socks............................. 97 9“ 29 1h Overalls or jeans................. 93 36 20 16 Gloves or mittens................. 91 89 1h 7 ShoeS............................. 91 93 26 7 Undershirts or shorts............. 91 79 19 20 Dress shirt....................... 8“ 61 3h 20 Coat or jacket.................... 83 56 36 20 Separate trousers or s1acks....... 80 M9 29 17 Sport shirt............ ......... .. 80 50 3M 17 PajamaS................. ..... 71 36 16 16 Tie............................... 61 57 17 3 Suit.............................. “7 17 30 1 sweateroeee0ee...eeeeeeeeee-eeeoee “6 31 11 10 Bathrobe.......................... 2h 9 10 9 l"Eleven‘parents (h from Homemaking I, 2 from Homemaking II, and 5 from Home- making III) did not respond to the section of the questionnaire dealing with men's and boys' clothes. #Purchased ready-to—wear and made at home. shirts, and coats or jackets. For Plainfield families, the undergarments and dress shirts can probably be considered rather standard items. It would be interesting to know whether the coats and jackets which were purchased in out-of-town stores were different in their style require- ments from those ordered by mail. That is, were work jackets more prev— alent in one group than another? 129 The responses of the parents also revealed that clothing for the families of the Plainfield homemaking pupils had been purchased during the past year in 17 towns and five states. However, only two of the towns were mentioned as sources of clothing by any appreciable number of parents. These towns had.populations of approximately 100,000 and 50,000 and were within 30 miles of Plainfield. Three~fourths of the families had bought clothing in the larger town, and a fifth, in the smaller. Thus, these two towns should.probably be considered as impor— tant supplements to Plainfield as shepping centers for clothing for the people of that community. The fifteen other towns were each mentioned by only one or two parents. They ranged in population from about 1,000 to over 1,000,000 and in distance from Plainfield from 10 miles to 135 miles. The most distant town was a small one of 2,000 pOpulation. The five states which were mentioned were Alabama, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, and Texas. It would seem probable that the purchasing of clothing done in these centers was, for the most part, incidental to other activities such as visiting or vacationing; that is, a trip was probably not made to these towns or states for the specific purpose of purchasing clothes. EXpenditures for Clothing for the Teen-age Girl Yearly expenditures for clothing. Both the pupils and parents were asked whether they had kept records of expenditures for clothes and whether they knew approximately the amount which was epent for the pupils' clothes in a year. Table XXXVII indicates that such record 130 TABLE XXXVII HOMEMAKING-PUPILS AND PARENTS WHO KEPT RECORDS OR HAD KNOWLEDGE OF THE ' AMOUNT OF MONEY SPENT FOR CLOTHES IN A.YEAR Percentage Percentage Record or knowledge of expenditures of pupils of parents (N: 101) (N = 81) Kept records of expenditures for clothes...... 13 11 Knew the approximate amount spent in a year for pupil's clothes................... 27 Ml keeping was not a common practice among the homemaking pupils or their parents, for only slightly over a tenth of each group reported following this practice. However, larger proportions of both grOUps, a fourth of the pupils and two—fifths of the parents, thought they knew about how much was spent in a year for the pupils' clothing. When the parents were asked whether they thought their daughters ought to be aware of the amount of money spent for clothes for them, almost three-fourths of them replied, "Yes." The homemaking pupils were asked, if they knew, to tell the ap- proximate amount of money which had been spent for their clothes during the past year. Twenty—seven of the pupils answered this question. The proportion of pupils who did so was greater in the advanced classes than in the beginning one; about a sixth of the Homemaking I pupils, a fourth of those in Homemaking II, and half of those in Homemaking III replied. The amounts which were given ranged from $15.00 to $u25.oo. The following method was used in arriving at a judgment as to whether the amount given was reasonably accurate. The following informa— 131 tion for each pupil was assembled from the questionnaire which she had filled out: the garments which she said she had obtained in the past year as ready-to-wear purchases or made at home and the amount of money which she said she would expect to pay for certain garments. Using this information and such other impressions as had been obtained during rather brief contacts with the pupils and with some of the parents, the writer made a judgment as to whether the amount given by the pupil was low, probably accurate, or high. The homemaking teachers were then given the information which had been assembled along with the investigator's judg. ments and were asked to indicate whether or not they agreed. It was pointed out to the teachers that they had observed the pupils over a longer period of time and had more information concerning the volume of clothing which the girl possessed than had the investigator. The teach, ers agreed with the investigator's judgment for 19 of the 27 pupils. In cases of disagreement the teacher's judgment was accepted as likely to be the more accurate. 0n the basis of these judgments, five of the pupils were consider- ed to have given amounts which were high: three, low; and nineteen, reasonably accurate. The range in the amounts which were considered reasonably accurate was from $25.00 to $200.00. It is recognized that the treatment of these data was subject to the error of human judgment. However, the following summary statements would seem to be justified. A goodly prOportion of the pupils who said that they knew about how much money had been spent for their clothes in a year were able to state an amount which seemed reasonably accurate. Other pupils gave amounts which, in all probability, were higher or lower 132 than the actual amount of money expended. Within the amounts of money accepted as accurate, there was a fairly wide range in the amounts ex- pended in a year for clothing by different pupils, EXpecggg costs for zggious gprments. An effort was made to ob— tain information concerning the price ranges within which the pupils and parents expected to buy garments by asking each of them to give the approximate amount which they would expect to pay for certain articles of teen-age apparel. The pupils were encouraged not to reSpond to this section of the questionnaire unless they knew with certainty the amount that they would expect to pay. For none of the nine garments were there responses from all the pupils or all the parents. A few pupils and parents omitted the section entirely; others did not make responses for specific items. A few parents said they did not give amounts for cer- tain items because they usually made them at home and were not familiar with the current market prices. The persons who did not respond seemed to be divided about prOportionately among the three classes in homemaking. Table XXXVIII is a summary of the responses of the pupils which includes for each garment: the median in dollars of the amounts which the pupils said they would expect to pay, the range for the middle half of the pupils, and the total range in the group. It would seem that with respect to the amounts of money which they expected to pay for certain articles of apparel, the Plainfield homemaking pupils were a relatively homogeneous group. Fifty per cent of the pupils estimated amounts within a range of 20 cents for ankle socks, 25 cents for panties, $1.00 for slips and blouses, $1.50 for shoes, $3.00 for sweaters, $M.OO for dresses, and $10.00 for coats. On the whole, the estimates appear to the writer 133 TABLE XXXVIII MEDIAN AMOUNTS OF MONEY AND RANGE IN fiOUNTS WnICH HOMEMAKING PUPILS EXPECTED TO PAY FOR CERTAIN ARTICLES OF TEEN—AGE APPAREL Median Interquartile Total Article of apparel amount in range in range in dollars dollars dollars Ankle socks (N = 93)*......... .u9 .39 - .60 . Panties (N 3 8h).............. .59 .MS - .70 .25 ‘ Slip (N a 87)................. 2.98 1.98 3.00 1.00 - Blouse (N - 93)............... 2.98 2.00 3.00 1.00 — - Sweater (N - 8h).............. ”.50 3.00 5.98 1.98 - M \J'l I <3ru-q§o\ncnnana 88888888 Good dress (N a 89). .......... 9.98 7.98 - 12.00 2.98 - l . Winter coat (N n 80).. ...... .. 30.00 25.00 - 35.00 10.00 - 7 . Shoes (N - 95) ..... . ..... ..... 6.00 5.00 - 7.50 2.50 - 1 . *For no garment did all of the 101 pupils estimate an amount that they would expect to pay. to be those of a group of peOple who were fairly conservative in their expenditures for clothes. Since homemaking class, or more probably age level, had appeared to be related to some other aspects of the clothing problem, it was thought desirable to determine if there were differences in the amounts of money which the Homemaking I, II, and III pupils expected to pay for various garments. In order to do this, the amounts estimated by the pupils in each class group were tabulated in two cells; the median and above in one cell, and those below the median in the other. From these data chi-squares were computed. As is revealed in Table XXXIX, for only three garments, slip, blouse, and good dress, did the chi-square value indicate a difference in the responses of the class groups which was significant at either the .05 or .01 levels. For these three garments, 131; TABLE XXXIX AMOUNTS OF MONEY WHICH PUPILS IN THE HOMEMAKING I, II, AND III CLASSES EXPECTED TO PAI FOR CERTAIN ARTICLES OF TEEN-AGE APPAREL L I;— Article of apparel and Number of punils 2 expected cost in dollars X Homemaking I,Homemaking II,Homemaking III Ankle socks (N = 93) .M9 or over.. ..... ........ 26 18 11 under ,h9......... ....... . 17 ll 10 .51 Panties (N = 8M) .59 or overeseoeooeoeeeeoe 23 1h 10 under .59....0000000000000 15 12 lo .65 Slip (N = 87) 2.98 or over.............. 13 17 18 under 2.98...... ..... ..... 25 10 M 13.88* Blouse (N = 93) 2.98 or over.............. 17 15 18 under 2.98.00.00.000000000 27 13 3 22.70. Sweater (N a 8M) h.50 or over.............. 15 13 1“ under h.50................ 23 12 7 u.06 Good dress (N = 89) 9.98 or overOCOOOOOOOCOOOO 16 12 18 under 9.98................ 26 15 2 36.61" Winter coat (N = 86) 30.00 or over. ....... ..... 18 15 12 under 30.00000000000000000 21 13 7 1.5” Shoes (N = 95) 6.00 or over.............. 26 15 15 under 6.00.... ..... ....... 20 13 b 1.78 l"Significant at the .01 level. for which more of the advanced pupils expected to pay higher prices than did the less advanced ones, the differences reached the .01 level of 135 significance. It may be that differences in the amounts of money which older and younger girls expect to pay for these particular articles of apparel can be partially explained in terms of a relation between prefer- ences for certain types of garments and a develOping concept of femininity. The problem of whether there was a difference in the amounts which the pupils and the parents said they would expect to pay for certain garments was approached in two ways. First, the responses for the group of parents and for the group of pupils were treated in the same manner in which those for the pupils at different class levels had been treated. The resulting chi-square values did not indicate that for any garment there was a significant difference in the costs estimated by the pupils and by the parents. In the second approach to this problem, the difference was computed between the cost estimated by a pupil and by her parent. When this dif— ference was 3 per cent or less of the cost estimated by the parent, the pupil and parent were considered to be estimating the same amount. For example, if a pupil said she eXpected to pay $.98 for an article and her parent said $1.00, it was believed that they had the same amount of money in mind. It was thought that this adjustment would allow for sales tax and for common practices in price setting. Table XL reports the similar- ities and differences in the costs which were estimated by pupils and parents. Perhaps the first thing to be noted from this table is that for no article were there responses from all of the 81 pupil-parent pairs. By way of explanation, it should be added that for each garment there was representation from each homemaking class in the complete responses. The number of responses for the various garments ranged from 35 to H2 out of a possible R3 in the Homemaking I group. In Homemaking II 136 TABLE XL DIFFERENCES IN THE AMOUNTS OF MONEY WHICH HOMEMAKING PUPILS AND THEIR PARENTS EXPECTED TO PAY FOR CERTAIN ARTICLES OF TEEN-AGE APPAREL Range of difference in dollars in the amounts a pupil and her parent expected to pay Percentage of Article 0f Pupil-Tare“t For the half of For all pupil- teensage pairs who pupi1~parent pairs parent pairs apparel expected t0 Pay with smallest the same amount* differences Pupil to Pupil Pupil to Pupil higher lower higher lower Ankle socks (69 pupildparent pairs) 23 .07 - .06 .65 — .Eb Panties (63 pupil-parent pairs) 27 .15 - .1H 1.51 - .60 Slip (65 pupil-parent pairs) 32 .50 - .50 2.98 - 1.50 Blouse (70 pupilaparent pairs) 30 .50 ~ .50 1.30 — 2.00 Sweater (6h pUpil-parent pairs) 19 1.00 — 1.00 h.00 - 3.00 Good dress (66 pupil-parent pairs) 20 1.00 — 1.00 9.00 — 8.00 Winter coat (0)4 pupil—parent pairs) 16 5.00 - 5.00 20.00 - 20.00 Shoes (73 pupil-parent pairs) 16 1.00 - 1.00 3.50 - 5.00 *Differences of 3 per cent or less based on a parent's estimated cost were tabulated as the same. 137 there were from 19 to 23 responses out of a possible 26, and in Homemak— ing III, 7 to 9 out of a.possible 12. The picture of the amount that individual pupils and their parents eXpected to pay for certain articles of teen-age apparel appears, in general, to be one of agreement. Sixteen per cent of the pupils estimated the same cost as their parents for winter coats and shoes. An even higher prOportion of pupils agreed exactly with their parents on the cost of other garments, reaching almost a third in the case of slips and blouses. When differences did exist, for at least half of the cases they were relatively small. For example, 50 per cent of the pupils estimated an amount within $.07 of that esti- mated by their parents for ankle socks. For slips and blouses, half of the pupils gave expected costs within $.50 of their parents. Only in the case of winter coats did the differences for the half of the pupil- parent pairs with the smallest differences extend beyond a range of $1.00. That there were some pupils who differed substantially from their parents in their Opinions as to how much they would eXpect to pay for various garments is indicated by the total range in differences for all pupil— parent pairs. "Buying Clothimg" 12 the Plainfield Curriculum ig_Homemakiqg As is indicated in Table XLI. a relatively small amount of time had been devoted to the study of buying clothing in the homemaking classes in Plainfield in 1953-5“. About a week had been spent in such study in the Homemaking I classes, and about two days in each of the Homemaking II and III classes. 138 TABLE XLI TIME ALLOTTED TO THE STUDY OF BUYING CLOTHING IN THE HOXEMAKING CURRICULUM Time Spent in Time spent in study Homemaking class study of clothing of buying clothing Days Days Per cent Homemaking IOOOOOOOUUOOOOOOOOOODOO 56 5 Homemaking II..................... “9 2 Homemaking III.................... 50 2 47 L’xo The pupils in Homemaking I had studied about the characteristics and wearing qualities of cotton and nylon undergarments which were made of woven or knitted fabrics. They had also given attention to factors to be considered in the purchase of full length hose. They had tried to become more intelligent purchasers of fabrics for garments to be made at school, giving consideration to the various characteristics which affect the wearing quality of a fabric, learning about the different weaves by which fabrics are made and about the finishes which are applied to them, and learning to identify such commonly used cotton fabrics as: broadcloth, chambray, denim, flannel, gabardine, pique, and seersucker, among others. The Homemaking II pupils compared the costs of ready—to—wear garments with those made at home. They also gave consideration to the purchasing of wool and synthetic fabrics for garments to be made at school. The major concern of the Homemaking III pupils, in this respect, was the purchasing of suitable fabrics for a garment to be made. They III! I I'll; I‘ll I All] paid.particular attention to the characteristics of such synthetics as nylon, dacron, dynel, and orlon. Opinions 2; Pupils and.Parents Concerning "Buying Clothing" $3 the Curriculum 1p Homemaking The Opinions of the pupils and of the parents concerning the emphasis which should be placed on buying clothing in the curriculum in homemaking are to be seen in Table XLII. A relatively large prOpor- tion of both pupils and parents thought that more attention should be given to buying clothes for the teen—age girl than is now given, and none believed that less attention should be accorded this aspect. It would appear that both pupils andjparents were more interested in having teen-age girls study about buying clothing for themselves than for other family members. TABLE XLII OPINIONS OF HOMENAKING PUPILS AND THEIR.PARENTS CONCERNING THE EMPHASIS WHICH SHOULD BE GIVEN TO BUYING CLOTHING IN THE CURRICULUM IN HOMEMAKING More emphasis Less emphasis Aspect of buying clothing Percentage Percentage Percentage Percentage of pupils of parents of pupils of parents (N = 101) (N =- 75» (N - 101) (N -- 75)* Buying clothes for the teen-age girl............ 70 56 O 0 Buying clothes for other family members........... 29 19 1h 16 *Six of the 81 parents did not reapond to this question. ssssssssssss 1N0 The free reSponses of pupils and parents as to what should be studied relative to buying clothing included: judging the difference between good and poor quality in materials, judging when a garment is. well made, judging when a garment is a good value for the money, and learning the meaning of labels and trademarks on fabrics and garments. The comments of pupils and parents concerning the importance of such study ran in the following vein: Most teen—age girls buy some of their own clothes now and will continue to buy clothes for themselves and for other peeple. Therefore, it is important for them to learn how to get value for money spent. It is also important for them to learn to get clothes that are attractive for peOple and that will be liked by them. CHAPTER VI 111.th G CLOTHES The general plan for this chapter which is concerned with the making of clothes will be the same as that for the two preceding chapters. A review of the beliefs and practices of the homemaking pupils and their parents, a description of the 1953-5L curriculum in homemaking, and a summary of the opinions of pupils and parents with respect to the homemak— ing curriculum, each in relation to making clothing, will be presented in that order. Beliefs and Practices Relative to Making Clothing The beliefs and practices of the homemaking pupils and their parents in relation to the making of clothing will be reviewed in four areas: (1) homemade garments as a source of clothing for family members, (2) number and type of garments made at home, (3) making over and altering clothing as a part of home sewing, and (h) reasons for sewing or not sewing. Homemade Garments as a Source of Clothing for Family members Homemade clothing in the wardrobes of family members. It will be recalled that 60 per cent of the pupils in homemaking reported that they had obtained some homemade clothing in the past year.1 A somewhat higher proportion of the parents (73 per cent) indicated that in their families l . . 01., p. 03. 1&2 some garments for women and girls had been made in this period. however, only a third of the parents stated that this was true of garments for Inen and boys. Thus, it appears that in this respect the picture in Plainfield was similar to that revealed by the Bureau of human hutrition ., . . . . . . 2 and nome economics research relative to family clothing supplies. In ‘the majority of families, some home sewing was done, and the greater part of that sewing involved the making of clothes for women and girls. Garments mcde at home for family members. Table XLIII shows the prOportions of families in which garments had been made at home for women TABLE XLIII CEBMENTS WHICH HLD BELN hADfi Hf HOME FUR WOMEN AND GIRLS Percentage of families in Garments for women . . . p which garments were Obtained (N = 81)__ and girls From any By making them source* at home Ankle SOCKS....................... 100 h PantieS........................... 100 2 Slip or petticoat................. 100 20 Blouse............................ 98 Ah Skirt............................. 9C he Dress other than house dress...,.. 93 32 Scarf or kerchief..............,,. 91 l Pajamas or nightie................ 9O 35 Jeans............................. 90 -- Sweater........................... 89 h Coat or jacket.................... 88 S Gloves or mittens................. 66 ll Slacks or shortS.................. 69 19 House dresseS..................... 68 27 housecoat or bathrobe............. 61 12 Apron or smock.................... 59 b2 Hat............................... 59 u Suit.............................. 33 6 *Purchased ready-to-wear and made at home. “Zer., pp, 31-32. 1113 and girls during the past year. The proportions of parents who reported that a garment had either been purchased or made at home is also included in this table for purposes of comparison. It will be noted that each of the garments, with the exception of jeans, had been made at home in at least one family. however, only six of the garments had been made in over a third of the families which reported obtaining such garments dur- ing the year. These articles were: blouses, shirts, house dresses, other dresses, pajamas, and aprons or smocks. Only one of these, aprons or smocks, had been made at home by over half of the families who had acquired them during the year. The picture concerning the prOportions of homemaking pupils who had secured various homemade garments during the year did not differ greatly from the prOportiomsof families in which such garments had been acquired, with two exceptions. Only h per cent of the pupils had obtained homemade slips, and only 13 per cent, homemade aprons or smocks. It is the belief of the writer that it was probably the little girls in the families for whom the slips were made, and that it was the mothers who. acquired the aprons. The prOportions of families in which various garments had been made for men and boys are reported in Table XLIV. Only for pajamas does the prOportion of families in which the garment was made at home approach being a third of the families in which the garment was acquired during the year. Sport shirts were made in about a.fourth of the families who obtained them. 1M; In th'se Plainfield families, then, it appears that both for women and girls and for men and boys, home sewing was concentrated in a few general types of garments. TABLE XLlV Gilt-iml‘il‘s WHICH HhD BEEN InihDE AT H01“ r'OR l-uz‘N AND BOYS Percentage of families in ‘ J- . . . - " Garments for men which garments were obtained (N = 70)‘ and bovs From any By making them sourceif at home SOCKSOOOOCOOOOOOOOOO0.0.00.0....... 97 1' Overalls or Jeans 93 6 Gloves or mittens.................. 91 7 Undershirts or shorts.............. 91 a Dress Silirt........................ 8h b» Coat or jacket..................... 63 9 Separate trousers or slacks........ 80 1 sport Sklirt.......OOOOOOOOOOOOCOOO. 60 1? Pajama‘SOOOOOOOOO......OOOOOOOOOOOOO 71 23 Tie.’0............OOOOOOOOOOCO0.... 61 l Batrlrobe........O.........000...... 2b l .3" -... ‘ . . . . ”eleven of the 81 parents did not reSpond to the section of the question- naire dealing with men's and bo;.rs' clothing. #Purchased ready—to-wear and made at home. Numbers and Types of Garments hade at Home While the preceding section dealt with the prOportion of families in which home sewing was done, this section will give attention to the quantity and general type of home sewing done in the families of the Plainfield homemaking pupils . its Number _o_f_‘ garments made .3359. home. The information concerning the numbers and types of garments which had been made by various persons was obtained by asking both the pupils and the parents to list the articles which they had made at home during the past year and to tell from what material (fiber) each garment had been made. The reports which some of the pupils and some of the parents made were probably inaccurate due to their inability to recall all of the garments that they had made in a. This was, perhaps, more likely to be the case for persons In year's time . who had made many garments than for those who had made only a few. fact, five of the mothers simply said they had made too many garments to remember and they did not even attempt to make a list. This probable inaccuracy should be kept in mind as Table XLV is reviewed. This table TLB LE XLV THUNDER OF Gigi; LENTS MLDE AT HOE-IE IN A TEACH BY HOL'M‘L.KING PUPILS 13.14:.) BY THEIn. PIiiEmTS humber of garments made at home Pupils and parents . , hedian Interquartile Total range range Homemakingl U1 =h9)............... 1 0-24 0-18 Homemaking II (1‘: =30).............. 3 O -S O -12 Homemaking III (N =22)............. 3 0-8 0-26 All homemaking upils (r; = 101) ..... 3 O - S O - 26 Parents (1"I =76 %................... h 0 -10 0-61 *Five of the hi parents reSponded that the garments they had made were too numerous to remember. indicates that there was a great difference in the numbers of garments made by individual pupils and by individual parents, ranging from none 11‘16 to 26 for the pupils, and from none to 61 for the parents. It further indicates that for the homemaking classes and for the parents, a. fourth or more of each of the groups made no garment at home. Moreover, the number of garments made in a year by the majority of the pupils was not large. It did appear that the advanced pupils were more likely to make a. greater number of garments than were the beginning ones. However, when chi-square test of significance was applied for the pupils at the different class levels who had made three (the median) or more garments and who had made less than three, the differences did not prove to be statistically significant. The garments which were made by Types pf garments made it home. the pupils and by the parent who had done the most home sewing give an interesting view of the type of garment construction which was done in The Homemaking I girl the homes of the Plainfield homemaking pupils. h blouses, 7 skirts, who had done the most sewing had made 18 garments: All were made of 2 dresses, 2 pajamas, l Slip, 1 suit, and 1 weskit. cotton fabrics, except for a wool skirt and a rayon tafetta dress. Eleven of the 12 garments made by the Homemaking II pupil who had made the most garments were constructed of cotton fabrics: h blous s 2 skirts, She had also made a wool skirt. The home- 2 shirts, 2 aprons, 1 dress. making III girl who had made 26 garments had made 12 aprons, lO skirts, The blouses were of nylon fabric and all 2 baby dresses and 2 blouses. Included in the 61 garments of the rest of the garments were of cotton. 12 aprons, l3 dresses, the mother who had made the most garments were: 12 pajamas , 6 skirts, 6 shorts, 5 blouses, 3 shirts, 2 blouses and 2 slips. it? Orma*wool_:skirt and another of wool and orlon, two nylon blouses, a nylon sligi, armi an orlon dress were the only non-cotton garments among them. Inlet there was a preponderance of cotton garments among those made at kunne by both the homemaking pupils and their parents is shown in Tatflxa.XLVI. About 90 per cent of the 3h? garments which had been made by inns pupils and an eQual prOportion of the Shh which had been made by tune parents were constructed from cotton fabrics. It should be mentioned TABLE XLVI VLnIOUS thMLNTS MLDE BY HOAEHLKING PUPILS AND BY PLREHTS FnOM FABRICS OF COTTON AND OF OTHLR FIBERS Percentage of garments Percentage of garments made by pupils (N = 339) made by parents (N = Shh) Garments Cotton Other Total Cotton Other Total fiber* fiber* Skirt................. 27 5 32 12 3 15 Blouse................ 21 l 22 '13 3 16 DreSS................. ll h 15 15 3 18 Apron................. 15 - 15 15 - 15 Shorts, slacks........ S - S h - h PajamaS............... h - h b - 8 Shirts................ 3 - 3 10 1 ll housecoat, duster..... 2 - 2 2 - 2 Slip.................. 2 - 2 2 l 3 Suit.................. 1 . - l l - l OverallS.............. - - - 2 - 2 PantieS............... - - - é - 6 Totals? .. ,. . . . . . . . . 91 10 101 90 13 103 *Wodl,silk, or synthetic fibers. #Toufls exceed 100 per cent due to rounding. let the accuracy of the information with reSpect to the fiber content the fabrics may be limited by inadequate knowledge of fabrics on the :rt of the reSpondents. however, the writer believes that the pupils nd parents would be likely to know whether or not a given‘fabric was a otton one even though they might not be able to distinguish among other fibers with any degree of accuracy. Table XLVI also reveals that over four-fifths of the garments made by the homemaking pupils were concentrated in four types of apparel: skirts, blouses, dresses and aprons. These four articles made up almost two-thirds of the garments which had been made by the parents. By far the greater prOportion (75 per cent) of the garments made 'by the homemaking pupils had been made for the pupils themselves. Mothers and sisters were most often the other persons for whom the pupils sewed. 1 few pupils said that they had made garments for a brother, a grand— mother, a cousin, or a friend. One girl said she had made clothes for underprivile ged children . Making Over and Altering Clothing The data relative to the families in which garments had been alter- ed or made over were secured from the parents in response to a request to list the garments they had made over or altered during the past year and to describe the extent of the project. Fifty-eight per cent of the El parents reported some alterations or make-overs. Over half of those which were described consisted of lengthening or shortening skirts, dresses, slacks, and coats or coat sleeves. The remainder included more 1249 extensive remodeling, such as making a child's coat from an adult's coat or making a child's overalls from a skirt. The homemaking pupils were asked to check whether they often, sometimes, or seldom, took responsibility for making various adterations in their clothing. hlmost two-thirds of the pupils indicated that they sometimes or often lengthened or shortened their skirts, while less than I“ a third reported that they did other types of remodeling. Therefore, it would seem that the most common type of alteration of clothing in these Plainfield families was adjusting the length of garments. More complex types of alterations or make-overs were reported by fewer pupils and parents. heasons for Sewing or Not Sewing at Home Both the pupils and the parents were asked, if they had sewed in the past year, to tell why they had, and, if they had not done so, to tell why they hadn't. Tables XLVII and XLVIII are based on their free reSponses to these Questions. It appears from Table XLVlI, that the reasons for sewing most commonly recognized by the pupils who had sewed in the past year were that they liked to sew and that they saw this as p d. way of getting clothes that they needed or wanted. I-iany of the parents who sewed also rec0gnized that they did so because they liked to. many in this parent group viewed home sewing as a means of getting clothing more economically. Two further reasons for sewing which were mentioned by the pupil group were completing a h-H project and learning how to sew. kelativel few of the upils or arents mentioned soecificall that the y r p i y sewed in order to get color, style, or fit which the ready-to-wear market did not provide in garments. TLBLd XLVII RAASONS FOfi SEWING GIVLN BY HOMAALKIHG PUPILS AND PARENTS NYC HAD SEHED AT MOME IN THE PAST YAAE Percentage Percentage Reasons for sewing of pupils of parents (h = 6b) (h = 52) Enjoy sewing, sew for recreation.............. 58 37 To get needed or wanted clothes............... 25 6 To get clothes for less money................. 16 h2 To complete a h-H preject..................... 1h -- To learn how to seW........................... 13 ~- To get desired colors or styles in clothes.... 9 6 To get better fitting clothes................. 3 h To get clothes that are different from . those others are wearing................... 3 ‘- To get better quality clothes................. -- 10 To make use of unwearable garments............ -- 8 Totals*................................ lbl 113 fiTotal exceeds 100 per cent because some persons gave more than one reason. As is shown in.Table XLVIII, lack of time for sewing was the reason given by almost all of the parents who had not sewed during the past year. Almost two-fifths of these parents gave the further explanation that it was because they worked away from home that they did not have time to sew. Just over a third of the pupils indicated that they didn't have time to sew; a similar prOportion said they did not enjoy sewing. About a fourth of the pupils and of the parents said that their failure to sew during the past year was because they didn't know how to sew very well. That their sewing machines were not in good running order was stated by a fifth of the parents. TLnLh XLVIII hEASOB FOR LOT SEWING GIVEN BY HOMQMLKING PUPILS LND PrheNTS WHO th nOT SSHdD DUhth-THE PAST YgAh Reasons for not sewing Percentage Percentage of pupils of parents (N = 37) (N = 29) Didn't have time to seW......................... 35 97 Don't enjoy sewing, prefer to do other things... 35 1h Don't know how to sew well...................... 2h 29 Didn't have money for fabric.................... 5 -~ Don't have sewing machine in running order...... 3 21 Mother does my sewing or daughter does our sewing........................................ 3 7 Don't like to wear what I make.................. 3 -- Have been having trouble with eyes or have been ill-000.000.00.000........OOIOOOOOOOOOOOOO -‘ 1L: Can buy clothes as economically as they can be ma‘dGOOOOOOOO0000......OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO00...... -- 3 .fi _— Totals§......OOOOOOOOOOIOOOOOOO00.0.0... 1063 185 ”Total exceeds 100 per cent because some persons gave more than one reason. "Making Clothing" in the Plainfield Curriculum in homemaking ____-£ —_ _- It is clear from Table XLIX that most of the time which was spent in the study of clothing in the homemaking classes in Plainfield in 1953- Sh was devoted to the constructing of garments. In Homemaking I, almost three—fourths of the total time allotted to clothing was spent in this manner. The prOportion of time in Homemaking II and in Homemaking III which was given to this aSpect of clothing was even greater. TABLE XLIX The; ALLOTTED TO The STUDY or turn-ta CLOTHING IN The wormarxnm cumacuwn M Time Spent in Time Spent in study Homemaking class study of clothing of making clothing Days Days Per cent Homemaking I 56 bl 73 Homemaking II.............. b9 to 82 Homemaking III............. 50 bl E2 In each year in homemaking, every pupil made one or more garments. These garments were selected on the basis of the pupil's wardrobe needs as she saw them, her abilities in clothing construction, and her personal desires. In'Table L, the garments or combinations of garments which were constructed by the pupils in the different classes are shown. It will be noted that a large prOportion of the members in each of the classes made skirts or blouses,or both. The variety in types of garments was greater in the advanced classes than in the beginning one. The prOportion of pupils in the advanced classes who made garments which are usually considered more difficult to construct, such as suits and dresses, was larger than in the beginning class. All but one of the garments made by the pupils in homemaking I were made of cotton fabrics such as: broadcloth, chambray, corduroy, denim, embossed cotton, flannelette, plissé crepe, percale, and terry cloth. Three-fourths of the garments made in Homemaking II were construct— ed of such cotton fabrics. The other fourth was made of such fabrics as: rayon gabardine, wool flannel, and wool and orlon jersey. Of the garments TEQLE L GLhMENTS MhDE LS CLLSS PhOJLCTS BY PUPILS IN TEL hOMEMLKIKG CLASSES DURING i9S3-Sh Garments or combinations Percentage Of pupils of garments Homemaking I homemaking II homemaking III (N = D9) (w = 28)* (w = 21)* Skirt and blouse or weskit.... 2h 21 33 Skirt or skirtS............... 35 lb 2t Duster, beach coat............ lo -- S Blouseoooooooooo00.000.000.000 lo 7 S DreSS......................... 10 29 lb Slacks and blouse............. h -— -- Jumper and blouse............. -- 7 -- PejmaSOoOOOQOOOQOOooooooooooo ..- 7 S SUitOo000.000.09.0000000000000 -.. b S SlaCkS........OOOOOCOOOCOOOOOO -- h _- Pajamas and skirt............. -- h 5 Pajamas and Sllj-I‘tooooooooooooo ..- h -- Dress and blouse.............. -- -- 5 Totalsi"................ 99 101 101 J,” '1 o o o -— 0 Two of the Homemaking II pupils and one of the homemaking III pupils were not enrolled in homemaking during the semester in which clothing construction was done. #Totals do not equal 100 per cent due to rounding. constructed by the homemaking III pupils, almost three—fourths were of non-cotton fabrics, including in addition to those listed above: rayon . . I taffeta, rayon satin, rayon serge, and nylon plisse. In each of the classes, emphasis was placed on using time and material economically and on using construction processes which were apprOpriate for garment and fabric and likely to result in a well fitting garment. At each class level, also, an effort was made to encourage the lSt pupils to become increasingly independent and self-reliant in garment construction. Opinions of Pupils and Parents Concerning "Making lothing" lg the Curriculum in homemaking As can be seen in Table LI, relatively more parents than pupils thought that greater emphasis should be placed on the study of making garments for teen-age girls than was currently the practice in the curriculum in homemaking. On the other hand, a few pupils and a few parents thought that this aSpect of clothing should receive less attention than it had. Both pupils and parents appeared to be much less concerned with having the girl make garments for other persons in the family than they were with having her learn to sew for herself. TABLE LI OPINIONS OF HOLEMLKING PUPILS AND IHaIR PARENTS CONCSRNING‘IHL EMPHLSIS WHICH SHOULD dd GIVLN TO flLKING’CLOTHLS IN The CURflICULUM IN HOKEMLKING More emphasis Less emphasis hapect of making Percentage Percentage Percentage Percentage clothes of pupils of parents of pupils of parents (N = 131) (w = 75%? (N = 101) (m = 75)»; Making clothes for teen- age girlS............. 39 S9 8 3 Iaaking clothes for other family members........ 15 lo 30 25 *Six of the El parents did not reSpond to this section. Of the Specific suggestions from pupils and parents for the study of making clothing, a number were related to the development of desirable habits of work: doing well whatever is done and finishing what is started. Others related to the develOpment of judgment concerning the choice of garments to be made. Still others concerned the develOpment of skill in Specific construction processes, such as skill in fitting garments or skill in setting in a zipper. Several pupils and parents suggested that more advanced garments, like tailored suits, be made in Homemaking III. R few pupils and parents also thought that the pupils should be taught to make over garments. It was in relation to the teaching of clothing construction that a few parents, recalling their own days in similar classes, made sug- gestions for teaching methods. For example, one mother thought it would be desirable to divide the pupils into groups according to their past experiences in sewing. Another suggested that each girl make a set of samples of the various construction processes. More of the parents made suggestions for the study of making cloth- ing than made suggestions for any of the other aSpects under consideration. CHAPTLE VII CLhIhG FOd LED dsPhlhIhG-CLOTHIKG The same general plan will be used in presenting the findings relative1x>carjng for and repairing clothin g as has been used in preserIt- jingtlmse relative to the other aSpe ects of clot} mi ng. First, the beliefs ‘ and practices of the lomem“.in" pupi is Then, the attention which was given to care and repair of clothing in the curriculum in homemaking during l953-5b will be reported, and, finally, the Opinions of the pupils and their parents in regard to the study of this aSpect of clothing will be given. to Caring for and Beliefs and Practices} elati h Mirino Clo Ytliiw‘ The beliefs and practices of the pupils in homemaking and their parents will be reported in three categories: (I) the care and repair of clotldihr'which was done at home by various members of the families (2) faCili ties Wlich the homemalm in; arki (3) tllee feelings of various family menbers concerning the care and repair of clofidng. Care and Repair of Clothing by arious'hemhers of that amilies va>.anproaches were made to the problem of finding out who took :area of“thea<3lothes of these Plainfield families. The parents were ask i7 and their parents will be reviewed. pupils had for storing their clothes, ‘ GO. 157 to<fleckvmewer various tasks were usually done by the different famihy mahmrs,amithe pupils were asked to check whether they often, some- ‘fimes, \u In general, the practices which were usually followed in relation to participation of various persons in the selection of apparel for teen- age girls appeared to be in accord with the Opinions Of pupils and par- ents in this matter. Undergarments and scarfs were usually purchased alone by over half of the pupils. Shoes, sweaters, and blouses were selected with parents by about half of the pupils. Over three-fourths of the pupils usually had the help of their parents in choosing good dresses and winter coats. The proportion of pupils who selected garments alone was greater with each advance in class level except in the case Of winter coats and good dresses. Over half of the pupils helped in the selection Of garments for other persons: blouses, hose, dresses, sweaters, Slips, and scarfs for women and girls, and shirts, socks, and ties for men. gers. Nearly all of C ‘» Garments purchased ready-tO-wear for een-a the pupils had Obtained some ready-tO-wear apparel during the past year. Each Of the following garments had been acquired by 90 per cent or more Of the pupils: ankle socks, Skirts blouses, panties slips, and shoes. 3 9 Sweaters, dresses, and hose had also been purchased for the majority Of the pupils. Only aprons and smocks, housecoats or bathrobes, and suits had been acquired ready—to-wear by less than half of the pupils who Obtained them in the past year. Suits had been handed down to many Of the pupils who had acquired them. Most of these families purchased clothes in Plainfield and in other towns as well. Over half of the families shOpped for clothes by mail. All garments for women and girls were purchased in Plainfield by 20h a larger prOportion of families than purchased them in other towns; this was also true for all garments for men and boys except suits and bath- robes. There appeared tO be a greater tendency to go out-Of-town for garments in which fashion was likely to be one Of the selection factors. ‘The garments which the families appeared to be most likely to order by mail were undergarments or standard items. The two large cities located near Plainfield should probably be considered as supplementary sources Of clothing for the families Of this community since so many of them said they had made purchases Of clothes in these cities during the past year. Expenditures for clothing. Very few of the homemaking pupils or their families indicated that they had kept records of expenditures for clothing. Lbout a.fourth Of the pupils thought they knew about how much had been Spent for their clothes in a year and gave an estimated amount. In the judgment of the homemaking teachers and the investigator, over two-thirds of these pupils indicated an amount which was probably accurate. The range in the amounts SO considered was from 925.00 to $200.00 The homemaking pupils appeared tO be a relatively homogeneous group with respect to the amounts Of money they said they would expect to pay for various garments. The interquartile ranges in estimated costs for garments were: from $.39 to p.60 for ankle socks, from $.h5 to $.70 for panties, from $1.98 to $3.00 for slips, from $2.00 to h3.00 for blouses, from $3.00 to $5.96 for sweaters, from $7.98 to $12.00 for good dresses, from $25.00 to $35.00 for winter coats, and from $5.00 to a7.50 for shoes. Generally Speaking, the pupils appeared to be aware Of the costs Of articles Of apparel and to be in ag eement with their parents con- cerning the amounts they would expect to pay for certain garments. For slips, blouses, and good dresses there was a statistically significant difference in the auounts which the pupils in the beginning and advanced classes expected to pay, the advanced pupils estimating the higher amounts. Making Clothes Homemade clothipg in the wardrobes Of family members. In almost three—fourths Of the families some home sewing had been done for girls and women. however, in only a third had garments been made for men and boys. gelatively few types of garments had been.made in a third or more Of the families which had Obtained such garments in the past year, and all of these were for women and girls: blouses, skirts, house dresses, other dresses, pajamas, and aprons or smocks. The only garments for men and boys which had been made at home in a fourth or more of the families who Obtained them were pajamas and Sport shirts. r1 Number and types of ggrments made at home. Lhere was a wide range in the number of garments made in a year by individual pupils and by individual parents, from none to 26 for pupils and from none to 61 for parents. Over a fourth of all the pupils and Of all the parents had made no garments at home in the past year; the median number Of articles made by the pupils was three and by the parents, four. There was not a statistically significant difference in the numbers of garments made at home by the pupils in the beginning and advanced homemaking classes. hinety per cent of all the garments made at home by pupils and by parents were made Of cotton fabrics. The great majority of ll the garments made both by pupils and by parents were skirts, blouses, dresses, and aprons. host of the articles made by the pupils had been made for themselves; only a few had been made for mothers, sisters, or other persons. altering and making over clothes. In a great many Of the families, there was alteration or making over Of clothing. The most common type of alteration reported both by pupils and parents was the lengthening or shortening Of garments. In some of the families, make-overs such as making a child's overalls from a skirt were done. Reasons given for sewipg g: for not sewing. many Of the pupils and parents who sewed said they did so because they liked to. These arents viewed home sewin(7 as a wav of ettina clothes more economicallr p b v w J 9 9.» while the pupils saw it as way Of getting the garments that they needed or wanted. Some pupils said they sewed in order to learn how. Relatively few pupils or parents looked on home sewing as a way of securing color, style, or fit in clothes which the ready-to-wear market did not provide. Lack of time for sewing was a reason given by nearly all of the parents who did not sew at home. Many of the parents further explained that it was because they worked away from home that they did not have time. Not having time and not liking to sew were reasons which were each given by about a third of the pupils. About a fourth Of the pupils and of the pare ts said they did not sew because they did not know how to sew well. Caring for and Repairing Clothing Care and repair pf clothes at home. In theselflidjdield families, nearly all care and repair of clothes was done at home by various family members. The single exception was in the case of dry-cleaning. For the most part, it was the mothers, assisted by their teen-age daughters, who usually assumed responsibility for caring for the clothing of the fami- lies. Few men or boys participated in any of the tasks save for the shining of shoes. host of the teen-age daughterS'sometimes, and in some cases often, washed and ironed their own clothes, laundered their own sweaters, and did their own mending. It should be noted here that the reason most often given by pupils for discarding sweaters was that these garments had Shrunk or faded. Relatively few girls darned ankle socks either for themselves or for other members of their families. however, a large prOportion of the pupils did assist with the family washing and ironing. Very few commonly did the family washing or ironing alone or mended clothes for other persons in their families. Facilities for storing clothes for teen-aye ggrls. all of the homemaking pupils reported that they had some dresser Space for storing their clothes and most of them had a dresser which they alone used. however, less than half of the pupils had a closet which they alone used, and about a seventh of them had no closets and used hooks or rods in their rooms instead. Many of the pupils kept their good coats in halls or hall closets which were shared by the entire family, and their work coats in backrooms, 208 sheds, or stairways. Only a third of the pupils kept their shoes in special bags, racks, or boxes. The remainder said their shoes were kept on the floor; many named a.Special place on the floor. Sweaters and undergarments were, for the most part, stored in dresser or bureau drawers. There was no evidence concerning the adequacy of storage space for either the clothing of the teen-age girls or of other family members. Feelings of family members concerning the care of clothing. Parents, in general, preferred for their daughters to wear garments which were washable and easy and inexpensive to care for. Over half of them thought it very important to be able to wash their daughters' blouses and undergarments along with the family washing. Many parents believed that their daughters were sometimes careless about hanging up their clothes and many pupils indicated that their parents had given them reminders in this connection. Relatively few parents thought that their daughters Spent too much time on their clothes. The "care-of—clothing" tasks which some pupils liked to do, others disliked. Washing and ironing were the tasks most often enjoyed, and mending and darning were those least often enjoyed. However, about a third of the pupils did not indicate that there was any such task that they particularly disliked, and a slightly higher proportion did not name any that they particularly liked. The Clothing Area.of the Curriculum in Homemaking and the neliefs and Practices f the Pupils and Their Parents Almost all of the Plainfield pupils in homemaking and their parents indicated reSponsibilities and concerns in the areas of choos- ing and wearing, buying, and caring for and repairing clothinc. Yet little time or emphasis had been given to the study of these aspects of clothing in any of the homemaking classes during l953-5h. The greater part of the time and attention had been devoted to the making of garments, an activity in which at least a fourth of the pupils and a fourth of the parents had not engaged during the past year and for which many more had taken only limited responsibility. In this section the teachings in homemaking in each of the aspects of clothing will be examined in relation to the beliefs and practices. of the pupils and parents as they appeared in this study. hention will be made of common areas of reSponsibility and concern which were not part of the curriculum in homemaking. The purpose here is to report the situation as it seemed to be. In a later section attention will be given to some implications of this study for further development of this area of the homemaking curriculum for Plainfield. Choosing and Wearing Clothing Curricular emphases ip l9S3-Sh. The greatest curricular emphasis in choosing and wearing clothing appeared to be in the selection of colors and styles which were becoming to the individual, and in using colors and lines to create illusions to make the figure appear more like 210 the ideal figure. The study of beliefs and practices revealed that this was an area.of great concern to both pupils and parents in relation to the choice of apparel for teen—agers. The study of current fashion trends in the advanced classes would also seem consistent with the turning of this age group to newSpapers and magazines for their ideas for clothes. A question.might be raised here concerning whether the curriculum in homemaking served to stimulate the pupils' desire for more clothes, a desire which the parents did not entirely approve. There was little evidence in this study save that slightly less than half of the pupils said they obtained ideas in home- making classes for clothes they would like to have. However, there was no evidence that the curriculum in homemaking sought to gain understand- ing on the part of the pupils for the problems that a family faces in meeting its requirements for clothing. - The selection of clothing for pre-school children was a curricular emphasis for which the present study revealed no information concerning related beliefs and practices of pupils or parents. Areas gf_§pparent responsibility and concern not incl ded i he 195315h curriculum. There was little evidence that the family setting for the choosing and wearing of clothing had been recognized in the cur- riculum in homemaking. Attention had not been given to differences of Opinion either within or among families concerning the becomingness or apprOpriateness of certain attire for teen-age girls. The various pat- terns of planning for clothing and the timing for replenishing wardrobes had not been seen from the point of view of the family. Not much consideration had been given to the analysis of clothing needs in terms of various purposes or the dual school-good purpose which was part of the thinking of many Plainfield families. It may be that some consider- ation had been given to this in the selection of a garment to be made. Nor was there apparent attention to the peer setting for the choice and wearing of clothes and its particular pressures on teen—agers in their efforts to conform and yet be individual. Buying Clothing Curricular emphases 22 l9S3-Sh. The curricular emphasis in the *——O buying of clothes had focused on the selection of undergarments for teen- age girls. This would seem to have been apprOpriate since undergarments were obtained by pupils almost universally in the period of a.year and since they were garments which pupils often purchased by themselves. The emphasis on the purchase of fabrics for garments to be made was, of course, centered on a very real problem in the school situation. The findings of this study did not include Specific information concerning the usual reaponsibility of teen-age girls or parents for the selection of yard goods. Lreas of apparent responsibility and concern not included in the lggé-EE curriculum. Understanding of the total shOpping situation in terms of ultimate values sought, of the interaction of the participating persons, and of Specific pressures or hindrances at the time of purchasing had not been a consideration of the homemaking curriculum. ho attention had been given to the planning for total expenditures for clothing or to recording such expenditures. While keeping records of expenditures was not a common practice among either the pupils or their families, many parents thought it important for their daughters to have knowledge of how much money was Spent for their clothes. Even in reSpect to the pur- chase of undergarments, there was little evidence that there had been study of the cost of garments in relation to value. hor had the buying of other garments which were commonly purchased for these teen-age girls or other persons and in whose purchase they were likely to participate been considered. The problem of ShOpping by mail, which was common pro- cedure in many families, had not entered the study of buying. Making Clothing Curricular emphases in l9S3-Sh. The making of garments was the _- aspect of clothing on which much attention had been centered in all three classes in homemaking. The types of garments which were made in the home- making classes were, for the most part, the types of garments most com- monly made in the homes. For example, in each of the homemaking classes a large prOportion of the pupils made skirts and blouses, garments which were made in a.larger prOportion of these Plainfield families than any other garments. Dresses and pajamas, garments which were made at school by many pupils, had also been made at home in about a.third of the fami- lies. house coats and suits were garments less commonly made at home which had been made by some of the pupils in homemaking. Many of the garments made at school were of cotton fabrics: near- ly all in Homemaking I, three-fourths in homemaking II, and a fourth in m [.1 b.) homemaking III. Cotton was the fabric which also predominated anong the garments made at home. All of the homemaking pupils made garments for themselves at school. Most of the garments which they made at home were also for them- selves. Information was not collected in this study with reference to home practices in use of time and material or various construction processes in home sewing. Lreas of apparent resppnsibility and concern not included 1 the 1953-5h curriculum. In many of the amilies there was some alteration or making-over of garments. However, few individuals and no class groups worked on this problem at school. Caring for and hepairing Clothing Curricular emphases in 1933-5h. The attention in the homemaking ~ \ classes to preferred procedures for the hand laundering of undergarments and sweaters would seem to be in harmony with the responsibility for these activities assumed by the great majority of the pupils. The consideration which was given to pressing and other care required by different fabrics would also seem to fit with the participation of the teen-age girl in assisting with the care of the family clothing. The making of equipment for the more efficient storage of clothing might be looked upon as con- 1" 0) (D tributing to the solution of problems in the a of hanging up clothes and keeping them neat and in order. This, it will be recalled, was an area in which the behavior of many of the pupils did not always please their parents. 21h Lreas f gpparent resppnsibility and concern not included in the . ,J‘ , ‘ l _‘ h . .‘ I _L c 1 1953f23 curriculum. There was no eVidence that attention to proelems and procedures in doing the family laundry was part of the curricular activity in Plainfield. Some, but not much, raCOgnition h ad bee n given to the total problem of storing clothes of the teen-agar. It will be recalled that this investigation did not yield information relative to adequacy of storage facilities for the clothing of teen—age girls or their families. Ooinions of Home »cPin~ Pufils and Their Parents He 1: tiv to the Clothiig Jr:a of the Curriculum in homema hinge The Opinions of the homemaking pupils and their parents concerning whether the various aSp ect 3 01 clothing Should receive more or less emph aSi s than they currently received in the curriculum in homemaking are summarized in Table LX. The proportions of pupils and parents who re- Sponded that they thought the emphasis should be "about the same" as that in the present curriculum are not included in the table. For the most part, a majority of the pupils and a majority of the parents recommended 0 1 . mphaSis 0 given to each aspect of clothing in relation to the (’9 (D that more problems of the teen-age girl; however, just under half of the parents thought that the teen-ager's choice and wearing of clothing should re- ceive more attention, and just under two—fifths of the pupils thought the making of clothes for themselves should be given greater emphasis. The prOportion of pupils who thought greater attention should be given to the maxing of articles of teen—age apparel was considerably less than the proportion of parents who t} ou ht this would be desirab e. T}1is su;.:aests OPINIOQS 03 nofifiilhING PUPILS LND inglfi PinaNTS CUKCJhNIHG’T‘ HHlCP SHOULD bd GIth TO VLnIOUS LSPQCIS OF TH; Sfblf OE ....- F1: ‘v ..3 lie.-Jl_l' L1 LX in Tm CUi-utICULhi-z IN k-lOghl‘hi’Ili‘i‘rf 215 JD fiflPHhSLS CLOlHING ASpectS of the study of clothing (a = 101) (m = 7.5)* Kore emphasis Less emphasis Percent- Percent- age 01 age of pupils parents 4-— Percent- Percent— age of pupils "- 9 age Oi parents‘ h. = 101) (A = 75)“ Choosing and wearing clothes: Choosing clothes for teen- age girlS..................... Choosing clothes for other family memberS................ Buying clothes: Buying clothes for teen-age girlS......................... Buying clothes for other family members................ Making clothes: making clothes for teen-age girlS......................... haking clothes for other family members................ Caring for and repairing clothes Caring for and mending clothes for the teen-age girl......... Caring for and mending clothes for other family members...... so 2‘5 39 15 73 to F) 0') 30 lb 17 lo 13 I §i not included. -"_Only 75 of the El parents responded to this item. The prOportions of pupils and parents who reaponded "about the same" are that the pupils may have been more aware of the present curricular em- phasis on the making of garments than were the parents. Or it may sugges 216 that some of the pupils Were less interested in learning to sew than their parents were in having them learn. The aspect of clothing for teen-age girls for which the greatest prOportion of parents recommended 1 increased emphasis was caring for clothes; that for whicn the greatest prOportion of pupils recommended increased emihasis was the buying of clothing. Few pupils and fewer parents thou; should be given to any of the aSpects of clothing as they related to the teen-age girl. Generally speaking, there was less enthusiasm on the part of both J the pupils and the parents for the study of clothing in relation to other members of the family. is has previously been mentioned, in the l953-Sh homemaking curriculum such study had been limited to one day in which the pupils in Homemaking I considered the selection of clothing for pre-school children. Thus it would see that when the pupils and parents said they desired either "about the same" or "less" emphasis on clothing relating to other family members, they probably meant that problems of clothing for family members other than teen-age girls should not have a place in the homemaking curriculum. There may be several reasons for this lesser concern on the part of both pupils and parents for the study of clothing in relation to other family members. Some family situations were probably not such that the pupils normally took reaponsibility for the clothing of other members of the family. Or perhaps many of the pupils had not yet accepted an image of a housewife role for themselves, and thus were not ready to think in terms of family problems. The parents may have seen reaponsibility for the clothing of family members as a part 217 of their own role and may have felt that for the school to be concerned with such problems was an encroachment upon their prerogatives. Or the parents may have felt that if their daughters learned to take reaponsi- bility for their own clothes now, they would be able to apply these learnings in later life. There is some support for tie idea of a prob- able relationship between the emphasis desired by pupils and parents for the study of the various aSpects of clothing for family members and the extent to which the teen-age girls currently assumed responsibility for these aSpects of the family's clothing. For example, many pupils assisted in caring for the family's clothing, and this was the one aSpect of clothing for which more than a third of the pupils and of the parents were desirous of having more curricular emphasis. On the other hand, few pupils made garments for persons other than themselves, and a rela- tively small prOportion of either pupils or parents wanted greater emphasis in this area. In their free reSponses relative to curricular emphasis on the various aSpects of clothing, both pupils and parents mentioned present and future responsibilities of the pupils in the buying and the care of clothes. They said in effect: girls buy clothes now and will continue to do so, they need to learn to get value for money Spent; if girls learn to care for clothes they can be of more help to their mothers now and also become better prepared for later life. The free responses con- cerning the choosing and wearing of clothing reflected the preoccupation of teen-age girls with their own appearance and the concern of their parents that they learn to choose clothes that are becoming and ~ 215 U apprOpriate for them. The suggestions in relation to making clothing tended to center around the develOpment of desirable habits of work, of judgment in deciding what garments to make, and of skill in construction processes. As the total picture of pupi and parent Opinion relative to the various aSpects of clothing is viewed, it would seem that the desire for more emphasis on choosing and wearing, buying, caring for and repairing clothing is readily understandable in terms of common reaponsibilities and concerns in these areas and the slight attention which was accorded them in the curriculum. It is, however, more difficult to understand the desire for more emphasis on the making of clothes. It may be that skill in garment construction is looked upon as a skill which is handy to have, whether or not it is a commonly used one. Or it may be that many parents do not accept the move from home production of clothes to factory pro- duction as a completely desirable one. Or the image which people have of a homemaking class may be one which includes the construction of garments and it may be difficult for them to think in other terms. It should be noted here that individual persons were not asked to make a decision concerning the relative importance of the study of the various aSpects of clothinn k.‘ . It would appear that the tendency of both pupils and parents was to want more of everything. This raises an obvious problem in relation to the time available for the study of clothing. It would be interesting and helpful to know what aspects of study pupils and parents would think it most important to include in the curriculum when the reality of time limitation was faced. [\J H ‘9 is was pointed out in the preceding chapter in relation to the» curricular suggestions of particular persons, it would also be helpful to know the bases upon which pupils and parents made their decisions concerning whether more, less, or about the same emphasis should be given to the study of various aspects of clothing that is, what they con- ceive as the role of the school and as the role of the home in such education. Some Implications of the Study for Further Development of the Clothing area of the Plainfield Curriculum in homemakinv “mm-Q In this section, the writer has again tried to assume the role of a local homemaming teacher as she did in looking at the cases of indivi- dual pupils. The present curricular emphases in clothing have been examined in relation to the activities and beliefs of pupils and parents, and the ideas of pupils and parents concerning the emphases which they thought desirable in this part of the curriculum in homemaking have been studied. What are some of the implications which seem to follow for the further develOpment of the clothing area of the Plainfield curriculum in homemaking? Perhaps the first point which should be noted is that many pupils and parents were desirous of having more emphasis in all t1e aspects of clothing. Ls has been mentioned, this creates a problem in relation to the allotment of time for the study of clothing in the homemaking cur- riculum. One might say, since there is apparently great interest in having more attention given to clothing, the total allotment of time for 220 that study should be increased. however, the attitude of pupils and parents in Plainfield concerning the relative distribution of time among the different a ass of homemaking is not known. They might, for example, say that they also wanted more study of child develOpment, meal planning and preparation, nutrition, home furnishings, and so forth. From the point of view of the leadership group in homemaking education, it would probably be considered undesirable to increase the total amount of time given to study of clothing; this group has long sought to gain a more equitable distribution of time for the many areas of homemaking in the secondary curriculum. If the total time devoted to the study of clothing in the curricu- lum is to remain about the same (and perhaps it is safer to assume that it should until there is a clearer directive from pupils and parents concerning its importance in relation to other aSpects of homemaking), ‘there would still seem to be several possibilities. The homemaking teacher might examine the efficiency of her teaching :in the area of garment construction.‘ Is it necessary to Spend as much ‘time to learn to construct garments? If more economical methods of ‘teaching were found, more time might be freed for emphasis on other aspects of clothing. Another possibility might be to work with pupils and their parents in analyzing their requests for more emphasis in all the aSpects of clothing in the light of time limitations and also in the light of their current beliefs and practices relative to clothing. It would be interest— ing and helpful to the teacher to know their reaction to what appears as a diaperity between the curricular emphasis in clothing and their re- Sponsibilities and coicerns in that area. It might be that pupils and parents would be willing to work with the teachers in trying out some different curricular patterns than the existing one. Parenthetically, the writer would like to comment that the general good will of the parents toward homemaking classes and the homemaking teachers as ex- pressed in their written comments and in interviews would seem to provide a good foundation for work of this type in Plainfield. It is recognized that the solution of the problem concerning the relation of desired emphases to available time is a basic one in this instance. It further appears that the conception of pupils and parents as to the role of the school in such education may also be a crucial one in further development of the curriculum in this area- However, the writer would like to indicate a few points at which the findings concern- ing the beliefs and practices of pupils and parents would seem to have implication for the Plainfield homemaking curriculum, if that curriculum is to focus on the activities and problems of the families, to take‘ cognizance of social changes affecting the family, and to rec0gnize the home as part of the learning situation. Greater relative emphasis would be placed on problems of choosing and wearing, buying, and caring for and repairing of clothing since they are almost universally problems of these Plainfield families. Lesser emphasis would be placed on the construction of garments since this is not as commonly a problem of the families, nor as important a source of their clothing 0 ° Pupils would be encouraged to view their problems in the choice and wearing of clothing in relation to the problems and views of other members of their families and associates. They would be encouraged to examine differing points of View concerning what was considered appro- priate and becoming for wear. here, understanding would be sought for such differences as Susan Oliver's non-acceptance of jeans and for Edith Cole's preference for plain, neat, tailored things. Pupils would be encouraged to analyze their wardrobe needs in relation to their activities and to their resources for clothes. Since handed—down garments were probably a source of garments for a number of pupils, some attention might be given to simple alterations and make- overs. however, a teacher would need to give recognition to two things: the dislike of many of the pupils for handed-down or made—over garments, and the high degree of skill and creativeness which is often necessary in the making over of garments. Greater attention would be given to keeping records of expenditures for clothing, particularly among those pupils who are reaponsible for the purchase of their own garments. This is proposed on the basis that many parents thought their daughters ought to know how much was Spent for their clothes rather than on the basis of commonness of current practice. More consideration would be given to the relation of cost and value in the purchasing of garments, particularly in relation to those garments which the pupils commonly had a part in selectinr such as, their under- a) garments, blouses, sweaters, and shoes. Since more of the advanced pupils usually purchased various garments alone, the study of buying might be 223 particularly meaningful for them. That some of the pupils, like hartha Emery, had very little to spend for clothes while others had more liberal amounts at their command would be kept in mind. Plainfield, the nearby cities, and catalogues would all be recognized as places where peeple Shep. Some attention would be given to the many factors which appear likely to be involved in the purchase of garments. More attention would also be given to problems in the care of the teen-ager's own clothes and in assisting with the care of the family's clothes. It should be recalled here that the greatest approval of atten- tion to family clothing mat ers was in this area. , no doubt, other curricular implications in these data. C. .1 Furthermore, it may well be that other persons might interpret some of them in another way. The important thing to note here is that if the clothing area of the homemaking curriculum in Plainfield is to be in harmony with the values of families and the activities of homes in that community, than the homemakin; ..3 (D p.) F 0 [5+- 0 H) O (D H }_ a O F ’) U] (17 curricular offerings in homemaking in tie .nd practices A o; the pupils and their families as revealed in these or similar data. In such comparisons, implications for the curriculum can be seen and from ) them action can be planned. Ls has a ‘eady been indicated, there are points at which the homemating teachers may well call upon the pupils and parents to assist in making decisions concerning the next steps to be taken in the further develOpment of the curriculum in homemaking. BIBLIOWHY 22b BIBLIOGRAPHY lexexander, hargaret, "The high School Clothing Curriculum, " Journal of Home Economics, Db: 701-3, November, 195 2. £.Ifinw3 Clara Brown, The Effectiveness of the Iii gh School Program in home Economics, 1 heport_ of a P‘ive- lear _Study of iwentv hinnesota Schools. Minneapolis: University of 1.innesota Press, 1952. 319 pp. EBaurr, Estelle, "Psychological Analysis of Fashion hotivation," Archives gf Ps chologv, No. 171, June, l93h. 100 pp. ESixidle, Gwendolyn Tucker, and Lilly Hester Spencer, "Family Back:round and Interest as Basis for Clothing Instruction, " Journal of home Economics, b6: 105-6, February, l9Sh. E3Lureau of the Census, U. S. 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Unpublished Master's thesis, Michigan State College, East Lansing. 19h9. 631 pp. 226 ILaudner, Charlotte, "A Study of Home Sewing Practices of Mothers of hinth Grade Homemaking Girls in Selected Communities." Unpublished.ha Hster 8 problem. hichiga on State College, East Lansing, 1952. 3h pp. licnnroe, Day, "imaking the Teaching of Clothing.hore Realistic, " Journal of Home Economics, hS: 6Lo-SO, movember, 1953. Idcbyner, Louisa 3., "The Clothing Practices of a Selected Group of Kansas Senior High School Girls." Unpublished.haster's thesis, Kansas State College,Idanhattan, l9bh. 55 pp. C3‘IDonnell, Beatrice, T% ing a Look atE filat Girls and Boys Do in Homemak- ing Classes in Grades 2 -12“ inghichigan. East Lansing,— Michigan: School of Education and School 01 home Economics, Michigan State College in Cooperation with the State Board for Vocational Education, June, 1953. 126 pp. (DiEfice of Education, U. S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, Home, School, and Community-Experiences in the Ho memakino Program, Vocational Division.Bulletin ho. 252, home Economics Education Series .29. 'Washington, D. C.: Superintendent of Documents. 1953. 69 pp. ELaid, Doris Jean, "A Study of the Clothing Practices of Urban High School Girls." Unpublished.laster's thesis, Virginia Polytechnic Instituteg Blacksburg, 1951. 59 pp. Iiichardson, harigene, "A Study of the Clothing Planning, Selecting and Buying Practices of homemaking I Girls in.hcimbursed Schools in Selected Areas." Unpublished.haster's problem, Michigan State College, East Lansing, 1953. 120 pp. hOsencranz, Mary Lou Lerch, "A Study of Interest in Clothing Among Selected Groups of harried and Unmarried Young Women." Unpublished.haster's thesis, Michigan State College, East Lansing, 19b8. 209 pp. Siilverman, Sylvia 3., Clothing and Pppearance, Their Psyghological Impli- cations for TeeneAge Girls, Contributions to Education No. 912. New York: Bureau of Publications, Teachers College, Columbia.Univer- sity, 19h5. lho pp. :313afford,lvol,P P‘unctioning Pro~ram of Home Economics. New York: John'hi 11ey and Sons, Inc., 19h0. .559 pp. ‘"~-----, Fundamentals in Teaching Home Economics. Second edition; New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1932. 4390 pp. S‘tepat, Dorothy L., "A Study of Clothing and Appearance Problems in Rela- tion to Some Aspects of Personality and Some Cultural Patterns in a Group of College Freshman Girls." Unpublished Doctor's dissertation, New York University, New York, 19h9. 132 pp. 227 EPtone, Gregory P., and William H. Form, "mural-Farm and Local Community Differences in Clothing Inventories and Clothing Preferences." Unpublished manuscript for an Agricultural Experiment Station bulletin, East Lansing: hichigan State College, 1953. 61 pp. EStxane, Gregory P., William H. Form, and Hazel B. Strahan, "The Social Climate of Decision in ShOpping for Clothes," Journal 2: Home Economics, homo-o8, February, 19511. Van Bortel, Dorothy Qreey, and Irma. h. Gross, "A Comparison of Home hanagement in Two Socio-Economic Groups," Technical Bulletin No. 2h0. East Lansing: Agricultural Experiment Station, hichigan State College, Ppril, 19Sb. 50 pp. -V¥1r1 Syckle, Calla, "Practices Followed by Consumers in Buying 'Large- Expenditure' Items of Clothing, Furniture, and Equipment," Technical Bulletin No. 2bh. East Lansing: Agricultural Experiment Station, Michigan State College, June, 1951. Lo pp. Tflaxrner, W} Lloyd, Democracy in Jonesville. New York: Harper and Brothers, litast, James, Plainville, E.§.§. Eew York: Columbia University Press, l9h5. 238 pp. I"1:11.1zlamson,IMaude,and.I-1ary S. Lyle, Homemaking Education in the High School. New York: Appletoanentury-Crofts, Inc., 19§EL—_H23 pp. 'hfiomen's Bureau, 0. S. Department of Labor, The Status of'Women in the United States, 1953, women's Bureau Bulletin NO. 2E9. Washington, D. C.: Superintendent of Documents, 1953. 26 pp. I“fiybourn, Marjory, "Family Centered Clothing Course," Journal 2E Home Economics, hh3627-28, October, 1952. PLPPLJ‘IDIX Letter tg_the Superintendent 2f Schools in Plainfield February 8, 195h s- Er. Thomas Parker Superintendent of Schools Plainfield,QMichigan Dear Mr. Parker: Those of us in homemaking education have long been concerned about what should be taught in relation to clothing in high school homemaking classes. we believe that part of the answer may be found in what people in the com- munity do and believe about clothing. For my doctoral dissertation, I should like to study the clothing prac~ tices and beliefs of the homemaking pupils and their families in Plain- field and to give consideration to what meaning this information may have for the homemaking curriculum in your community. To collect the informa- tion, I am thinking in terms of using one questionnaire to be answered by the homemaking pupils and one to be answered by their parents. These are to be followed by interviews with a few of the parents and students. The latter part of March is the time that I expect to be ready to work in the school. Should permission be granted for me to do this study in Plainfield, I will of course want to talk with you, Mr. Jones, hrs. Jackson, and.Hiss Evans about further arrangements. You may wish to talk with me further before deciding whether to grant my reguest, and if so, I shall be glad to come to Plainfield at your COD? venience. For example, you may wish to know:more about the type of information which peOple would be asked to give. I shall appreciate hearing from you as soon as possible. Yours sincerely, Amy Jean Holmblade *All names are fictitious. 229 , Letter tg_the Homemaking Teachers in Plainfield February 6, l95h hrs. Roberta Jacksonfi hiss Louise Evans Homemaking Teachers Plainfield, Michigan Dear Roberta and Louise: You know, of course, that I have been trying to get a study under way. Things are at a point now where I should like to make some definite plans for moving ahead. I should like to study the clothing practices and beliefs of the home- making pupils and their families in one community and to give considera- tion to what meaning this information may have for the homemaking curricu- lum in that community. If you would be willing to have me, I should like to work in Plainfield. I am writing hr. Parker to make the official request and he will probably talk to you about it. I thought I'd like for you to have a little advance warning so that you could have thought it over and talked it over before he talks with you. To collect the information about the clothing practices and beliefs, I plan to use two questionnaires, one for parents and one for students. Then I should also like to interview a few parents and students. I should also like to talk with you about the clothing area of the home- making curriculum . I hOpe to have the trial questionnaires and interview questions ready by February 2h so that all the supervising teachers can check them and I can make revisions before using them in the community during the latter part of March . If there are any things you‘d like to ask, please call me collect or write me. Sincerely, Pmy Jean Holmblade *kll names are fictitious 230 Letter 33 the Supervising Teachers in Homemaking for Michigan State College I n Request for Help To the Supervising Teachers: The problem for my dissertation has develOped to one of finding out what the families of a community do and believe about clothing, with the idea that this information will be helpful in develOping the local home— making curriculum. Four devices have been develOped for use in obtaining information about beliefs and practices concerning choosing and wearing, buying, making, and caring for and repairing clothing. I shall appreciate it if you will look through the two questionnaires and the two interview forms and give your reactions to them. You may write your comments right on the forms. 1. Will you please check whether you feel this information would be helpful to a homemaking teacher? 2.'Will you also: a. indicate questions or directions which are not clear, b. add any suggestions for other questions, c. indicate any questions which you think pupils and parents might interpret as prying, d. indicate any questions which you think parents or pupils would not be likely to answer honestly? The questionnaire for parents is too long. Will you.p1ease indicate which questions you think might be omitted? Thank you very much. Lmy Jean Holmblade 231 COHHEHTS MLDE IN INTHODUCIHG-THE "CLOTHING QUESTIONNAIRE FOH HIGH SCHOOL STUDENBS" TO THE HUHEHLKING CLLSSES IN PLPINFIELD hIGH SCHOOL As homemaking teachers, we give a great deal of thought to what should be taught about clothing in the homemaking classes. we think that if we had a better idea.of what you high school girls think and do about clothes, we could do a better job of teaching. Therefore, we are asking you to help us by filling out this questionnaire. It is not a test. It is just a set of questions which ask how you feel and what you do about clothes. we hOpe that you will answer the questions carefully and that your answers will give just as accurate a picture of what you do and how you feel about clothes as you can possibly give. Let us look at the questionnaire. 1he first question asks where you get ideas for the clothes you would like to have. 'We could have asked that question, and then, just left a blank for you to fill in your answers. But in order to make the questionnaire easier for you to check, we made some guesses about where you get your ideas for clothes and have asked you to check "yes" or "no" for each of them. If our guesses do not include the places where you really get your ideas, will you please write them in. As you go through the questionnaire, if the answers which are (T) given don't seem to describe what you do or fe;l, will you pleas' write in words or sentences to give a clear picture of what is true in your case. If you have any questions as you go along, please be sure to ask them. Either (name of homemaking teacher) or I will help you. 232 COMMENTS hLDS IN GIVING THE "CLOTHIHG QUESTIONNAIRE FOH PAHENTS" TO THE HIGH SCHOOL PUPILS TO TIKB HOME TO THEIR PAHHNTS You helped us very much yesterday when you answered the "Clothing Questionnaire for High School Students." Now we are going to ask you for help, again. Because we thought that we would not have a complete picture of the high school girl and her clothes until we had some idea of what her parents thought and did about the family's clothes, we are asking you to take this questionnaire home to your folks. The letter to your parents explains what the questionnaire is about and why we are sending it. It also suggests that your parents may want you to help them in filling out the questionnaire or that they may want to do it alone. Either way will be all right. If you do help your parents to fill out the questionnaire, will you please be sure that the answers give their ideas; you see, you've already given us yours. How let's go through the questionnaire so that you can see what the questions are like and can ask any questions that you may have. You will notice that question 10 on the first page asks whether you are careless about hanging up your clothes. In a high school in New Jersey many of the girls said that their parents thought they were care- less about this, and we just wondered whether the parents in Plainfield thought that about their children, too. You will notice that on page 3 we ask your parents the same ques- ‘tion.that we asked you about how much you would expect to pay for certain Ekrticles of clothing. 'We did this because we weren't sure that you'd 233 know about the cost of all of them. Will you please tell your parents that we will appreciate their help very much? Please tell them, too, that if there are any questions they can't answer or would rather not answer, just to leave them blank. Will you please return the questionnaires to (name of homemaking teacher) by next Wednesday, or sooner, if you can? 23h WILL YOU PLEASE GIVE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION ABOUT YOURSELF? Name How old are you? When is your birthday? What homemaking class are you in (I, II, III)? Where do you live? In the country 3 In town What is your father's (or guardianas) occupation? Does your mother work away from home? Full-time 3Part~time 3H0 If she does, what does she do? How many sisters do you have? Please give the names and ages of those who live at home: Names: Ages: How many brothers do you have? Please give the names and ages of those who live at home: Names: Ages: Where do you get your spending money? My parents give it to me as I need it: YES hO I have an allowance. ’ES HO I earn it. YES NO Other: List the clubs to which you belong: List the school or community activities that you take part in regularly: 233 CLOTHING QUESTIONNAIRE 1011 HIGH SCr IOOL 51111131113 Name These are some questions “lion ask Whit you think and do about Clothes. . Q ‘ 1 " ' ‘ -V ,_. s .‘- _ _-. - ~ .g - {I . .‘ \ ,'~ 3. . r. -‘ 3 C}1 St (1’; :»\,J. 1.x"\.‘7‘- «LP-vi ‘x‘JLL «.2 'u') l"a -I13L. / OIRLCll 3: Kirk K the column mii }e num171w1 d statements“ Please answer all t r‘-"'L~ ..M-sm—w. .um—z -., us..- ,. Where do you, 1.15119]-1;,r get 1s for clat} " es you would : ,.-.‘. ‘ 1 "‘ -‘ ...—14...“. lfihe to have? m“ _— Ma— Y. Ull‘ '2?" .Lilkj 1“-) l. Fiflixhhs —--.- w..— . ....- .— .... Hum-‘3‘.“ db-«mkp-u‘ kw O r—-—« 4 f“ \ C—L b—‘u-J .. T‘ r l - 1 e s -— -1>-——<——{. ----j-—-1»---’ : i I F , A .. ... .. 4}» — L. YO”; uting clfss (J. 3" ’JJ. e I..L.I“i.(.) T. i3ata]> -‘ — -. . JELCQLLUUS. 2h? Letter to Parents of Homemaking Pupils Plainfield High School Plainfield, Michigan harch 2h, l95h Dear we are giving serious thought to what should be included about cloth- ing in the high school homemaking classes and would like to ask for your help. we feel that if we had a better idea of what families do and believe about clothing we could do a better job in our teaching. For example, if we knew how important home sewing was in families, we would have a better idea about whether to stress making clothes in school. If we knew what clothes were bought ready-to-wear, we could teach about buy— ing these clothes. If we knew how much families expect to pay for their daughter's clothes, we would know what price range to include in our study of buying. If we knew some of the things that were im- portant to you about your daughter's clothes, we could give attention to these things. Therefore, we are asking you some questions about the clothing for your family. You and your daughter may want to work tOgether in answering them or perhaps you would rather do it alone. Either way is satisfactory. Your daughter has already filled out a questionnaire giving her ideas. we would like this one to give us yours. You may be sure that whatever you say, we will keep in confidence. On the last page of the questionnaire, we are asking you to make some suggestions for what you think should be included about clothing in the homemaking classes. we will be most grateful for your suggestions. Will you please return the questionnaire to school by your daughter before Wednesday, March 21. Yours sincerely, (Mrs.) Roberta Jackson (Miss) Louise Evans homemaking Teachers 2u8 CLOTHING QUESTIONNAIRE FOR PARENTS Name Different people have different ideas about clothes. These are some questions concerning what you do and believe about clothes for your family. DIRECTIONS: Mark X in the column which best describes what you do or believe. What is of importance to you about your daughter's Tome-s"? —— GREAT SOME LITTLE 1. That her clothes are suitable for her age 2. That she wear clothes that are similar to the ones other girls are wearing 3. That she have as many clothes as her friends h. That her clothes are becoming to her build and coloring 5. That her "good” clothes will be suitable for school when they are no longer new 6. That her clothes can be worn both for "good" and for school 7. That her clothes are of good enough quality to hand down Other: What d2_you think about your daughter's clothes OFTEN SOMEm SELDOM and appearanCEY TIMES 8. Is it all right for her to wear current fads if they are becoming to her? 9. Is it all right for her to wear current fads even though they are not becoming to her? 10. Is she careless about hanging up her clothes? 11. Does she want too many clothes? 12. Does she spend too much time on her clothes? 13. Does she Spend too much money for clothes? Other: 4- 2&9 “mat is of importance to you about the care your ‘ w _ daughter‘s Clothes require? QR“AT SOME LITTLE 1h. That her clothes do not require frequent dry cleaning 15. That her underclothes can be washed with the family washing 16. That her blouses can be washed with the family washing Other: How does your family plan for clothes? OFTEN SOME“ SELDOM TEES 17. we plan for clothes as we need them 18. we plan about a year ahead for large items (like coats) for the different members of the family 19. we decide about how much money each one in the family can Spend for clothes for the year 20. we plan to get some new clothes for the child- ren for the beginning of school in the fall 21. we plan to get new clothes for family members for holidays (Easter, Christmas) 22. we plan on giving gifts of clothing to family members for birthdays or Christmas 23. we plan to make use of handedmdown clothes 2h. we plan to buy clothes at year-end or month- end sales - Have you had difficulty in planning for clothes? OFTEN SOME- SELDOM 25. Has it been hard to foresee what clothes would be needed? 26. Have the children outgrown clothes sooner than you expected? 27. Have clothes worn out sooner than you thought they would? -3- Who do you think should select clothes for chIIdrcn? 28. Who should select clothes for children under six years old? 250 Parents alone Parents and child together Child alone 20. Who should select clothes for children from six to twelve? 30. Who should select clothes for teen-age girls? 31. Who should select clothes for teen-age boys? 32. If there are some garments that you think you should choose for your teen-age daughter, please tell which ones 33. If there are some garments that you think your teen-age daughter should be allowed to choose by herself, please tell which ones 3h. If there are some garments that you think you and your teen-age daughter should choose together, please tell which ones {ow much would you expect ready-to-wear clothes for your daughter to cost? DIRECTIONS: write what you would consider a reasonable price to pay for these clothes. Articles of clothing 35. Ankle socks cost Approximate 36. Blouse 37. Winter coat 38. Good dress 39. Panties ho. Slip hl. Shoes h2. Sweater 4,. Were the clotves which your family obtained during the past year (since Iast harc17 boufiht ready-to~wear or made atlhome? DB'EEC ‘PIOI‘J S: Mark K in the column which tells how these clothes were obtained. If, for example, two blouses were bought in flahflfleld and one blouse was made at tome you should mark X in both the "In.Plauu1eld” and the ”Made at home” columns. Families will not be likely to have obtained every garment on the list. If you have not obtained a garment during the year, leave the column blank. Bought ready-toewear Wbmen93 and n “Ih Made girl's Plannfield another By mail at home Clothing town 1L3 . M; . 1L5 . ho . h7. Coat or jacket H at Scarf or kerchief House dress Other dress Skirt Blouse Sweater Suit Slacks or shorts Jeans Apron or smock Housecoat or bathrobe Slip or petticoat Panties Pajamas or nightie No se Ankle socks Shoes Gloves or mittens Other: Fbught readywto-wear Men's and Boyis n ’In hade clothing Plakfiield another By mail at home town 63. Coat or jacket l_, 6h. Suit 65. Separate trousers or slacks 66. Dress shirt 67. Sport shirt 68. Overalls or jeans ; 69. Sweater 70. Gloves or mittens 71. Undershirts or shorts 72. Socks 73. Pajamas 7h. Shoes 75. Tie 76. Bathrobe Other: 77. In whai towns other than Plainfhfldd have you bought clothes during the past year? Do you and your daughter know how much is Spent for her CIOLNQSE 78. 79. 80. 81. Do you keep a record of how much your family Spends for clothes? p. A L3 Do you know about how much is spent for your daubhter‘s clothes in a year? Does your daughter know about how much is Spent on her clothes in a year? Do you feel that she should know this? New muqh sewing have you done during the past year (since last March)? 82. Please list the garments you lave made durihb the past year, giving the number made and kind of raterial used. Example: 2 cotton aprons, l rayon skirt. 33. Please list the garments that you rave altered or made over during tie past year. Example: shortened cotton shirt, made child 3 coat from aiuLt's coat. ‘ ~ \‘ D .' . . .1 .. Nhat are your reasons lor sexing or not sewinb? 8h. If you did not sew last year, please tell wiy you didn‘t. 85° If you did set last year, please tell why you did. Who takes care of tie clothes in your family? .I. _-—— ~ T" r IAN?“ .r,,_ a» ’ _ ‘ H _,,_' - . .....' ‘ JIaECfIrhS: Ila}..{ the columns itich tell thicl usuelly do these things. Herr tia l];izig ties in your iarily " ' .‘-‘:_.’ (l0 CGCh H >— f) f‘ H .— ...) l 'H .A.’ \ i-J '0 >1 y... .4 ”‘I J hot Done at heme by: Caring for clothing done 16 1 a Xother Father age age Other } ".0 me be if g ir .1. 86. washing 87. Ironing D 88. Pressing noel clothes 99. Rbshinfi SWeaters 90. Dry cleaning 91. leiding or darning Shining shoes \0 F0 0 Retoving spots or stains \O K») o Ctier: ...7- 25h What should your daughter study about clothing in homemaking classes? WiII you please give your opinion on whethor’tie—follouing tiihgs Should be given more, less, or about the same attention as in the tomemfiking classes? Will—you also give a think it is important to explosise scout each of them? they are now given few ideas for what you — *‘1 Caring for clothes hORE BAKE LESS 9h. Caring for and mending her own clothes ' 9S. Caring for and mending clothes for others in the family Choosing and wearing clothes MCRE SAX“ LESS 96. Choosing clothes that are (ttractive and suitable for ier to wear 9?. Choosing clothes that are suitable and attractive for other family members Racing clothes MORE SAL“ LESS 98. Making clothes for lerself 99. Making clothes for others in the family Buying clothes MORE BANE LESS 100. Making wise choices in buying clothes for herself 101. Making wise choices in buying clothes for others in the fan 13’ Working out disagreements about clothes ECHE SALE LESS 102. working out family disagreements about clothes in satisfactory ways PLEASE GIVE ANY OTHER SUGGESCICNS ON THE BACK CF THIS SHEET CLCTHIIG IKJEH‘TEV WIFE HI”H SCKCCL STUDEETS . w ' Kaine iiilJI'C E) S r ,r o v... _ ,1,- . w,- , .1. _. leer in lOmCl‘nlnfl iclcgnunc Convenient time for calling on rarent Directions 10? reachiny hone ., .t ... n. a ‘. \-‘ .‘n '1 “L in ‘, ., j ‘34. . l. nest people huUU .o‘e clco.‘n o -t they line at ma.1 n.c :_ \ . ‘ ‘ V‘h ‘ -0 1 ~. ‘ - ‘ ‘ ‘ J. ,1 ,.- l. ‘-—‘ : q ‘ ‘ _s 1 L . r~ ‘,_ .7,‘ l- ( ct :rt. «Lieu of .OLI Cvquuu do fol ltue U0 ‘Jar last. rues WIQL; (1“l_u',v‘ii -lous; or Wlac,s (n4 lo ;e to go rec? JOEL?) O o .——.a 7‘ w (1‘ ‘ _. H A I ‘._J L V“ . ‘3 r- --‘ ‘e-\ \ - ‘ r.‘ /w . < - r. _1- \~. EJ. ' t .LO (:1