Abstract:
The purpose of the study was to find strategies for
secondary school students in Zimbabwe to improve their
work in garment design and production. Maximum
variation sampling was employed to select 26 schools,
whilst 52 students and 26 teachers were randomly and
conveniently selected for the study respectively. A time
study was done for a basic skirt to estimate the time taken
to complete specified operations in design and production.
Data was analysed through descriptive statistics and
ANOVA. The result showed that the observed average time
to make a skirt when students were in their normal school
environment was 2014 minutes. Further, the results showed
that the average time taken in an improved environment
was 449 minutes and 167 minutes using the whole-garment
and sectionalisation methods of production respectively. It
was concluded that the work output of secondary school
students can be improved from a minimum of one to a
maximum of 6 clothing items per term within the
curriculum time provided and in a well-resourced learning
environment. It was concluded that the whole garment
method of production would be the best to use in schools as
students would need to practise all garment design and
production operations to acquire the necessary skills useful
to start their own tailoring work or for employment in the
clothing industries. The findings imply the Ministry of
Education in Zimbabwe on the transformative impact that
comprehensive improvements in the practical learning
environments could have on improving the work output of
students in garment design and production.
