Fashion Design and Technology Programmes and Influence on Strategies Deployed in Construction of Ghanaian Traditional Costumes in Technical Universities, Ghana
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Date
2024-03
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Publisher
Kenyatta University
Abstract
Higher National Diploma (HND) fashion design programme is designed to equip fashion
design students (FDSs) to be versatile, high calibre personnel in the field of fashion
design in both local and foreign costumes. This study aimed to investigate the strategies
employed in construction of Ghanaian traditional costumes (GTCs) in the technical
universities (TUs) fashion design and technology programmes (FDTP) in Ghana. The
construction of more foreign costumes over GTCs in the HND fashion design and
technology programmes, is now the major problem facing the authorities of TUs in
Ghana. Many studies have been done on traditional costumes in most developed
countries over the years, but only few have been done on GTCs. Inversely there were not
enough study found on CGTCs in Ghana and the need of emphasis of GTCs over western
costumes during the three years HND fashion design and technology programme in TUs
in Ghana. This study was guided by the following objectives: To establish the
competencies of lecturers of fashion design on CGTCs, to examine fashion design
Module content on skills acquisition on construction of GTCs, to investigate the
processes employed in construction of GTCs in fashion design and technology
programme in the TUs, and to establish perceptions of students and lecturers of fashion
design on construction of GTCs. The study adopted convergent mixed method design.
Target population was 1265 comprising head of departments (HoDs), lecturers and
students. Simple random sampling was used to select six universities from the ten TUs.
Purposive sampling was used in sampling 24 lecturers of fashion design including HoDs,
and Proportion sampling was used to sample 306 FDSs. Total sample size was 330. Data
collection tools were questionnaires for lecturers and students, Interview guide for HoDs
and observation checklist on availability of GTCs in the TUs. Both quantitative and
qualitative data was gathered in the study. Quantitative data was entered, cleaned and
analysed using SPSS 22.0 software. Descriptive statistics, frequencies, percentages,
means and standard deviations was used to analysed Likert scales data. Multiple
regression was used to test hypotheses 1to 5 at P≤ 0.7 alpha level of significance and all
were rejected. Skills of lecturers of fashion design and technology on CGTCs, Module
contents use in CGTCs, Processes employed by lecturers and perception of students and
lecturers of FDT on construction of GTCs using standard multiple regression. Themes
were used to summarise Qualitative data using interpretative and coding techniques. The
results showed that 80.6% of the respondents were female, more than 76% of the
lecturers had masters and PhD and were all trained in fashion related courses, acquired
skills from practicing FDT also qualify to lecture programme. Majority 96.7% of the
students studied fashion subjects in high school. The result also has it that fashion design
and technology syllabus (FDTS) does not specify CGTC as an objective and needed to be
reviewed. Majority of the students and lecturers of FDT could not differentiate between
the syllabus and course outline. The lecturers employed ready-to-wear production
processes in teaching CGTCs. Both students and lecturers demonstrated highly positive
perceptions towards GTCs however, there were numerous challenges such as inadequate
infrastructure, lecturers limited skills on CGTCs, outdated syllabus GTDs among others
impeding the construction of the costumes. The study also developed a training manual
for GTCs construction. The study concluded that addressing the challenges can enable
more CGTCs during and after graduation from the FDT programme. The study
recommended that more research should be carried on the production of GTCs to
promote preserve cultural and the traditions of the nation’s ancestral costumes.
Description
A Thesis Submittited in Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Award of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Fashion Design and Marketing in the School of Law, Arts and Social Sciences, of Kenyatta University, March 2024.
Supervisors
1. Gladwell Mbugua
2. Samson Rosana Ondigi