A comparative summary of selected data from 1972 and 1977 Tennessee Extension Clothing Practice Checklist Surveys and amounts of Tennessee Extension Supervisory District I staff time spent and clientele contacts made by counties in fiscal year 1972 and fiscal year 1975

This comparative study dealt with analysis of Clothing Practice Checklist Survey data from 1972 and 1977 and Tennessee Extension Management Information System (TEMIS) information for FY 1972 and FY 1977 for the 21 counties in Tennessee's Extension Supervisory District I with headquarters in Jackson, Tennessee. Study purposes were to characterize District I audiences randomly selected and interviewed in the clothing surveys, identify improvements in practice use, compare old and new useful sources of clothing and textile information cited, summarize types of contacts homemakers reported with Extension, determine shifts in time expended and contacts made in weaker practice-related TEMIS clothing subjects, and identify clothing subjects emphasized. Characteristically, the 562 interviewees in 1972 and the 620 in 1977 differed somewhat regarding educational level, clothing equipment owned, nature of audience and percent employed. They were similar in ages. Twenty-nine 1972 Survey practices were cross-walked into the seven TEMIS primary clothing subjects. Two were found to be "weak" practices (i.e. used by 60 percent or fewer of the audiences), namely: "Clothing Records," and "Clothing Management and Planning." While improvement: was noted in percent of homemakers using "Clothing Records," little or no agent time or contacts were reported in 1977. Little extension teaching emphasis and no improvement in homemaker use were noted in FY 1975 for practices related to "Clothing Management and Planning." "Clothing Production and/or Construction" continued to receive highest emphasis in agent time spent and contacts made with clientele, though it was already a "stronger" subject. Almost equal percents of homemakers in 1977 cited Extension publications and Extension agent as helpful sources of clothing information. Homemakers most frequently mentioned "Meetings," as their contact with Extension. Telephone, office visits and newsletters also were listed.