A DEVELOPMENTAL PLAN FOR THE FASHION MERCHANDISING CURRICULUM

The problem of this study was to identify curricular content for fashion merchandising at the secondary level in North Carolina. The problem also included the demonstration of a method of curricular development that consulted each group served by that curriculum.;Three groups were identified as those served directly by the fashion merchandising curriculum. Those groups were fashion merchandising teachers at the secondary level in North Carolina, graduates of the fashion merchandising program who pursued a career in retailing, and employers in fashion merchandising who had been associated with the fashion merchandising curriculum and who employed graduates of the program.;Names of the selected graduates and employers were obtained from a survey of fashion merchandising teachers. The task listing was then mailed to the three groups--teachers, graduates, and employers. Respondents were asked to rate the importance of each task to a fashion merchandising curriculum at the secondary level.;Responses of the three groups were analyzed to determine areas of agreement and disagreement. Each of the groups had differing opinions concerning curricular content. In general, those tasks performed by salespeople tended to receive the highest ratings. There was little difference in the ratings of importance attributed to those tasks performed by assistant buyers and department managers. Teachers attributed the most importance to the entry-level skills while employers attributed the most importance to the management and decision-making skills.;A survey of fashion merchandising teachers at the secondary level in North Carolina was conducted to determine the job titles most frequently held by fashion merchandising graduates. Job analyses were conducted for the three most frequently identified positions. Results of the job analyses were utilized to create the task listing that served as the survey instrument for this study.;Results of the study indicated that perceptions of the importance of specific tasks to the fashion merchandising curriculum may vary among the groups served by that curriculum. Therefore, when possible, each group should be consulted in the revision of the curriculum. Data collected from those groups served by the curriculum should be considered as valuable input, but judgments of educators familiar with the needs of a particular group of students should carry major weight in curricular decision-making.