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Abstract

In this study 223 children in kindergarten through Grade 5 were surveyed about their school clothing: their typical and preferred style of dress, their feelings about their clothing, and their role in clothing acquisition and care. The contribution of selected demographic variables to children's self-perception and to management of appearance was examined. By and large, children expressed highly positive feelings about their school clothing. Shorts or long pants with a T-shirt were the typical school clothing of boys and girls. Age was associated with more differences in self-perception and management of appearance than any other variable. Children in kindergarten through Grade 3 reported more positive feelings about the clothing they were wearing on testing day and appraisals of their own clothes vis-à-vis their friends' than did those in Grades 4 and 5. The latter group reported more shopping in specialty stores, more “mom and I” purchasing, and more clothes washing and ironing than did younger children.

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Children of Elementary School-Age and Their Clothing: Development of Self-Perception and of Management of Appearance

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