Understanding Textiles through Active Learning: The Wardrobe Project

Active learning requires higher student involvement in the learning process and can include activities such as group work, projects, discussions, and hands-on activities. The purpose of this research is to determine whether active learning has a positive impact on students’ understanding of fiber categories and their use in apparel products as well as assess students’ perceptions of active learning in a group setting. The project took place in an introductory textiles course where students worked in groups to analyze the fiber content of clothing in their wardrobes. Each group generated a report which provided a summary of their analysis. To analyze the student experience, students were given a questionnaire before and after the completion of their project. Overall, the active learning project positively contributed to students’ understanding of fibers and their use in apparel garments. Furthermore, students expressed a positive attitude about the active learning project

Students\u27 attitudes toward and use of university digital collections

University historic costume and textile (HCT) collections are facing pressure to offer digital collections online. As more universities begin to push for open access content, libraries, special collections, and HCT collections are increasingly focused on providing online access to materials. Museums were resistant to new website technology due to their philosophy that real artifacts hold higher esteem than virtual objects; however, museums and other collections are finding that meaningful websites have become essential to fulfilling their educational mission (Saiki, 2010). This proposed research seeks to better understand the attitudes, behaviors, and use of university digital collections and among college students

University Collections Online: The Student Perspective

Many university costume and textile collections face challenges regarding accessibility and are now trying to make collections more accessible and visible by providing access online. The purpose of this research is to better understand the attitudes of students who use these collections online and the features that make them successful. A total of six focus groups were held at two universities that possess historic costume and textile collections. The responses were open-coded which resulted in several themes including reasons to visit the online site, using the collection as a resource, desired website features and technology, and comparing in-person versus online perceptions of collections. University collections focus on education; therefore, students expect online collections to be information driven. In addition, it is important to understand the role of technology in enhancing students\u27 experience when developing a university collection online

Technology Vs. Teachers: Student use of university digital collections and role of Teachers

There is a push to incorporate digital technology in pedagogy techniques today. Currently, the challenge is in assuming that building a digital presence will guarantee use especially since many university collections struggle with under-utilization. The purpose of this research was to better assess the acceptance and use of technology as it relates to the use of university digital collections, specifically, historic costume and textile collections. Data was collected using a random national sample of 400 students through a survey service and analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling. The results indicate: (1) promotion by faculty and librarians is key to the use of digital collections by students; (2) emphasizing the necessity of using these collections for class activities, assignments, and research projects is an important motivational factor; (3) while students are familiar with technology, they often do not understand how to use these digital tools to support their own learning

Waterproof dress : an exploration of development and design from 1880 through 1895

The entire thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file; a non-technical public abstract appears in the public.pdf file.Ph. D. University of Missouri--Columbia 2009.Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on Feb 16, 2010).Vita.Dissertation advisor: Dr. Laurel Wilson.Waterproof dress had an important role in the late nineteenth century. Heretofore little research has been done to examine the development and design of this apparel sector. The three types of waterproofing techniques used and developed in the nineteenth century included oil or paraffin, chemical, and rubber solutions. The rise leisure and consumption contributed to the growth of waterproof dress allowing people of all classes to benefit from the protective apparel. This research explored the technology and design of waterproof dress by collecting related patents between 1880 and 1895. These patents were compared with catalogs and periodicals from the same time period to better understand what innovations made their way to consumers. The patents helped to identify the problems with waterproof apparel that manufacturers sought to resolve. In addition, the patents assisted with clarifying the target consumers for specific apparel types. The research also revealed the longevity of the gossamer or lightweight rubber garment that experienced at least two decades of success. Overall, this research emphasized that waterproof dress was very important in the lives of many consumers toward the end of the nineteenth century.Includes bibliographical reference

Using Theory of Reasoned Action to Explore Slow Fashion Consumer Behavior

Apparel industry is morphing with new retailers encouraging their consumers to build smaller, simpler and longer lasting wardrobes. This is in line with the evolving consumer attitude, especially among Millennials who are increasingly expecting transparency from their clothing brands and are willing to pay more for clothes that last longer. The purpose of the current study was to explore underlying dimensions of slow fashion as elicited from a survey of Millennials and its impact on slow fashion purchase intention based on adapted Theory of Reasoned Action. Data was collected via an online survey (n=218). The findings of this study support the current retailing trends: (1) consumers want sustainable products and not just socially responsible companies; (2) Social Media does not influence Subjective Norms; (3) Attitude towards slow fashion also influences subjective norms and (5) Purchase intention is influenced by attitude, subjective norms and the beliefs towards the sustainable product

Comparing shopping channel preferences: Hispanic and Caucasian consumers

The Hispanic consumer has become increasingly important with a purchasing power of over $1 trillion (Fahmy, 2010). Additionally, Hispanic consumers are continuing to show this buying power online and most recently it has been through their presence on social media. Despite the mounting evidence of Hispanics’ growing impact and influence on the retail market both traditional and non-traditional, research has lagged behind, and little has been done to investigate this group in terms of their multi-channel shopping behaviors. This research seeks to examine the influence of fashion involvement, fashion consciousness, and shopping enjoyment on Caucasian and Hispanic consumers’ selection of shopping channel

Achieving success in historic research: The importance of research methods and theory

Historic research is an important area of exploration in the field of fashion and textiles. It is important, however, to ensure that historical research maintains a high level of quality by utilizing sound methodology and theory. This panel seeks to address the role of methodology and theory in historical research and discuss how these can be better implemented and communicated to improve research productivity, presentations, and publications

Slow Fashion Movement: An Exploratory Study

The retail industry currently is dominated by fast-fashion spurring overconsumption where consumers buy more than they need, leading to fashion waste. Fast fashion leaves a pollution footprint, with each step of the clothing life cycle generating potential environmental and occupational hazards. There is a growing movement of “ethical consumerism” with consumers demanding that the goods they buy be made in ways that do not harm the environment or the workers who make them. This is materializing into a new movement counteracting the increasing demand for fast fashion – the “Slow Fashion” movement. The purpose of this study was to explore consumer perceptions of the slow-fashion movement using semi-structured interviews which will be utilized to create a survey which then can be tested with a larger sample set. After analysis of the interviews, the following themes emerged: slow fashion characteristics (related to consumer lifestyles), slow fashion influencers (i.e. social media, fashion designers, magazines), and facilitators to slow fashion purchase (i.e. money, product quality, country of origin, availability of information, corporate social responsibility). The analysis of interviews indicates that even though consumers are willing and ready to accept the slow fashion lifestyle they currently do not possess adequate knowledge on slow fashion to make an informed purchase decision. Slow fashion is still at its introductory phase; however, there is definitely more interest and awareness among consumers about ethical behavior and its consequences

Understanding Textiles through Active Learning: The Wardrobe Project

Active learning requires higher student involvement in the learning process and can include activities such as group work, projects, discussions, and hands-on activities. The purpose of this research is to determine whether active learning has a positive impact on students’ understanding of fiber categories and their use in apparel products as well as assess students’ perceptions of active learning in a group setting. The project took place in an introductory textiles course where students worked in groups to analyze the fiber content of clothing in their wardrobes. Each group generated a report which provided a summary of their analysis. To analyze the student experience, students were given a questionnaire before and after the completion of their project. Overall, the active learning project positively contributed to students’ understanding of fibers and their use in apparel garments. Furthermore, students expressed a positive attitude about the active learning project.</p