Publication Details
Abstract
The purpose of this paper was to develop a clothes sizing system for designing pre-school uniforms using anthropometric data from Rivers State, Nigeria. Guided by eleven objectives, eleven research questions, and seven hypotheses, the study adopted a combination of survey and Research and Development (R&D) designs, conducted in four phases. The population included 129,960 respondents: 2,127 pre-school teachers, 127,047 pre-school children, 266 tailors, and 520 parents. A sample of 1,267 respondents was selected using a multistage sampling technique: 819 respondents for phase one (327 teachers and 226 parents randomly selected, and 266 tailors included for needs assessment) and 400 preschoolers randomly selected for body measurements in phase two. Purposive sampling was used to select 12 user models and 36 judges for prototype evaluation. Data collection instruments included the School Uniform Needs Assessment Instrument for Teachers, Parents, and Tailors (SUNAITPT), the Standard Anthropometric Data Chart (SADC) for pre-school children, and the School Uniform Design Assessment Instrument for Judges (SUDAIJ). Data were analyzed using One-way ANOVA at a 0.05 significance level. Findings indicated that pre-school children need uniforms that offer protection, durability, comfort, safety, easy movement, attractiveness, flame resistance, washability, and shrinkage resistance. Preferred attributes included various fabrics, bright colors, and aesthetic designs. Uniform sizes were categorized into three groups using basic block patterns for shirts, tops, skirts, jackets, pinafores, and ties. Twelve prototype uniforms were designed, meeting aesthetic and expressive attributes. The study recommended that Nigerian garment stakeholders use these findings to create functional, aesthetic, and expressive pre-school uniforms. The developed size chart, sizing system, and block patterns should be adopted, and the pattern drafting method should be published for broader knowledge sharing.