Abstract
With the change of social paradigm, the number of child care facilities is increasing and, accordingly, demand for sportswear for preschool children is also growing. Considering this trend, the present study purposed to subdivide the preschooler' sportswear market, which is currently using uniform design, and diversify the images of preschoolers' sportswear utilizing information on preschoolers' sportswear market, to produce high-quality sportswear of reasonable price, and to induce the development of various materials and designs. The results of this study are as follows. First, according to the result of paired t-test on the current image of preschoolers' sportswear and its future image to be promoted, among 22 items of sportswear image, the scores of comfortable and active images were highest. According to the results of factor analysis, five factors were identified, and kindergarten directors gave the highest score to plain image for preschoolers' sportswear and the lowest score to elegance image. This suggests that there should be active and diverse approaches to sportswear design. When the mean score of factors was compared among preschoolers' sportswear image to be promoted in the future, high-class elegant image got the highest score and was followed by functional image. In addition, lively and neat image got the lowest score. Second, when we analyzed the correlations between the five factors of image identified through factor analysis and three groups formed through cluster analysis in order to classify buyers based on the current images of preschoolers' sportswear and future images to be promoted, kindergarten directors were found to emphasize functional image currently in selecting sportswear for their children but to promote elegant image for future sportswear.
