Assessment of Textiles and Clothing Academic Programs in the United States

Abstract

This project sought to establish baseline data about textiles and clothing in higher education settings. All academic units with four-year programs were included in the population. Characteristics of the unit, curricula and faculty were obtained through a 1991-92 mail survey (78% response-see Volume 13 #3 for a description of the sample and research methods). There are 51 (36%) Category I (doctoral level), 56 (39%) Category IIA (comprehensive) and 24 (17%) Category IIB (general baccalaureate) institutions offering programs in textiles and clothing. The numbers of faculty yet to complete the terminal degree, the proportion of faculty who completed the highest degree held within the last decade, the number of untenured doctoral degree holders, the observation that almost half (48%) of all faculty had been appointed within the last decade and that close to four out of five had been promoted to the current rank within the last decade, and that approximately half of the faculty have yet to earn tenure, established an issue of concern. ITAA should make an ongoing commitment to professional development of the membership. A productivity index was calculated for each textiles and clothing program based on numbers of journal articles, theses and dissertations each year per FTE faculty. In descending order, the most productive were:(1) Tennessee, (2) Cornell, (3) Ohio State, (4) Oregon State, (5) Nebraska, (6) Missouri, (7) Illinois, (8) Oklahoma State, (9) Iowa State, and (10) Louisiana State.

Research Trends in Textiles and Clothing: An Analysis of Three Journals, 1980–1999

“…Additionally, they have been content analyzed by other researchers interested in research trends and productivity in textiles and clothing research (Chowdhary & Meacham, 1983Lakner, Paff, & Din, 1997;Oliver & Mahoney, 1991), allowing us to build on existing published research. Finally, Laughlin and Kean (1996), in their investigation of U.S. textiles and clothing programs and faculty, found that CTRJ was the most frequent publication venue in the field, followed by FCSRJ, underscoring their importance as publication sites for textiles and clothing research.…”

“…In 1982, CTRJ was established (Joseph, 1982), and by 1991-1992, it was the most frequent publication site for U.S. textiles and clothing researchers (Laughlin & Kean, 1996). Focusing only on CTRJ, Oliver and Mahoney (1991) examined articles published in the first seven volumes to determine publication trends.…”

Millennial generation and fashion education: a discussion on agents of change

“…Some books with sustainability agenda include Hethorn and Ulase Kadoph's Textiles, 11th ed., a textbook on textiles includes sustainability content in every chapter (Kadolph, in press). In a study conducted by Laughlin and Kean (1995), textiles was one of the seven curricular elements that were most frequently included in textiles and apparel programmes.…”

The Managerial Competencies of the Apparel Designers, A Study based on Industrial View

“…The designers of apparel industry were categorised as "Proactive", Impact Factor (JCC): 7.2092 NAAS Rating: 3.38 manufacturers; increasingly savvy consumers; and increased reliance on technology ). University C & T programs have equipped for merchandising careers in the retail industry for decades (Garner & Buckley, 1988;Laughlin & Kean, 1995). More C&T merchandising personnels aspire to careers in retailing as buyers, managers, or small business owners.…”