Task A2 | R

​ esearch plan 
🔎 What? 
 
❗Why? 
 
Construct a research plan, which states and prioritizes the  You want to identify valuable sources of information to 
primary and secondary research needed to develop a solution  provide input for your project (now and later) and you want to 
to the problem.  make sure you balance your research efforts over the different 
areas of research that are needed.  

⚙ How? 
 
Adjust and extend the provided partial research plan in order to: 
● Identify​ primary and secondary sources that you could consult in order to be a knowledgeable designer in this project, 
ready to design and create. Use the following prompts: 
○ You can make observations, do measurements and experiments. 
○ You can interview (experienced) experts or other stakeholders in your project. 
○ You can survey your target audience. 
○ You can consult secondary sources. 
● Describe​ what you want to learn from each of these sources in detail. 
● Prioritize​ the importance of each part of your research (you may not have time to do it all!). 
● Research​ and find out the answers! P ​ resent​ all research notes from your research in the table below. This section can 
contain pieces of text directly copy-pasted from sources, results of surveys, photographs, transcripts of interviews etc. 

Research Plan + Research 

Research questions  What is the answer?  Where could I find  Prioritization 
an answer?   * = Good to 
What type of  know   
source is it?  ** = Useful   
Primary or  *** = Directly 
useful   
Secondary? 
**** = Vital  
 

PROPERTIES:  ● Cotton is prized for its comfort, easy care,  Online   *** 
[***] What properties (or  and affordability and is ideal for clothing,   
bedding, towels, and furnishings. ​(Cotton  Cotton Fibers and 
characteristics) of a fabric 
Fibers)  its Properties 
determine what you can do with  ● Characteristics of Cotton Fibers and  (secondary) 
it?  Products   
○ Comfortable to wear   
○ Natural, cellulosic fiber  Fabric 
○ Absorbs water and “breathes”  Characteristics for 
○ Slow to dry  Garment 
○ Resists static electricity build-up  Manufacturing 
○ Wrinkles easily  (secondary) 
○ Can withstand heat, detergents, 
and bleach 
○ About 20% stronger when wet 
than dry 
○ Will shrink unless treated 
○ Can be damaged by mildew 
○ Can be damaged by prolonged 
exposure to sunlight ​(Fabric 
Characteristics) 

DEFINITIONS​:  1. Fabric is a product that is used to make  Online   

● What is a ​fabric​?   clothing as well as other garments. Fabric   
is often made of cotton, polyester, nylon,  Laundry First 
 ● What are ​textiles​?  spandex, rayon, linen, wool and many  Primary 
● What are ​garments​?  others.1   
2. Textiles refer to any piece of woven fabric,  Dictionary 
and an example is clothing. "any cloth or  secondary 
goods produced by weaving, knitting, or 
felting.”2 
3. Garments are articles of clothing, the most 
common fabric that they are maybe of is 
Cotton. A garment is a type of textile made 
of fabric. 

MANUFACTURING  1. Cotton textiles are made by farmers first     

● How are cotton textiles  deseeding cotton and cleaning it. The fibres   
are then aligned. They are then spun and   
made?  
woven into fabric cotton. They are then  How is cotton 
● What are the basic  spun into a yarn to use for garments.  made? 
joining and assembly  2. There are many options to attach pieces of  Secondary 
methods​ to attach  fabric together. Sewing is the most   
pieces of fabric  common, done by hand or machine. Other  Alternative 
alternatives are Fusing, Welding,  Methods of Fabric 
together? 
Adhesives and Molding.  Joining 
  Secondary 
 
 

TECHNIQUES AND TOOLS  1. Trace the seams with chalk. ...  What is a pattern   
FOR MAKING  2. Spread out the pattern paper. ...  (Wikipedia) 
3. Flatten the original garment on top of the 
● How do you draw a 
paper. ... 
sewing ​pattern​? What  4. Trace around the perimeter of the largest 
are the key features of  area. ... 
a good pattern?  5. Repeat for the back and the smaller pieces. 
● What​ materials and  ... 
6. Sketch a seam allowance. ... 
tools​ do I have 
7. Cut out the pieces. 
available for making my   
product? (see Appendix 
A below) 

CLIENT INFORMATION  1. Myself     

● Who could I design for?   2. Female, CIS, Middle schooler 
3. Favorite colour, navy blue/black 
● What group (​target 
4. Clothing style: Styley, edgy. 
audience​) does this  5. Usual garment choice: crop top, 
person represent?   high-waisted shorts and belt. 
● What material  6. Room style: Blue, kpop…, messy 
properties or aesthetic  7. Ideal room style: Neat, kpop…, modern, 
black/light grey/blue. 
factors need to be 
taken into account for 
this client? (What kind 
of colours and style do 
they like?) 

1
​"A Beginner's Guide to the Different Kinds of Fabrics and How to Clean Them."
​Laundry First​, www.laundryfirst.sg/
a-beginners-guide-to-the-different-kinds-of-fabrics-and-how-to-clean-them/.
Accessed 12 Feb. 2020.
2
​"Textile." ​Dictionary​, www.dictionary.com/browse/textile?s=t. Accessed 12 Feb.
2020.
  
 

A2 Assessment 
Level  Descriptor  Typical features of student work 

0  The student does not reach a standard described by any of the descriptors below. 

1-2  The student ​states​ s​ ome​ research needed to  ❏ A limited amount of sources and information is stated which 
develop a solution to the problem, ​with  makes it difficult to find the answers to the research 
some guidance​.  questions. Some sections were incomplete. Be sure to review 
your work for completeness. 
❏ There is only one type of source used in your research. Both 
primary and secondary sources are needed. 
❏ You did not prioritize your research in your planning. 
Prioritization is important to organizing your research. 

3-4  The student ​states​ the research needed to  ❏ Some sources and information are stated which makes it 
develop a solution to the problem, ​with  challenging to find the answers to the research questions. If 
some guidance.  you identify more sources, you will have a broader 
understanding of the research questions. 
❏ There is only one type of source used in your research. Both 
primary and secondary sources are needed. 
❏ You did not prioritize your research in your planning. 
Prioritization is important to organizing your research. 

5-6  The student ​constructs​ a research plan,  ❏ A number of sources and information are stated. You 
which s​ tates​ and p
​ rioritizes​ the primary and  demonstrated that you can find the answers to the research 
secondary research needed to develop a  questions. Even more appropriate sources would strengthen 
solution to the problem, ​with some  your understanding. 
guidance​.  ❏ There are a few types of sources used in your research. 
Having a good variety of sources allows you to get 
information from different viewpoints. 
❏ You prioritized your research in your planning. 

7-8  The student constructs a research plan,  ❏ An effective number of sources and information are stated. 
which s​ tates​ and p
​ rioritizes​ the primary and  You demonstrated that you can find the answers to the 
secondary research needed to develop a  research questions from a number of relevant sources. 
solution to the problem i​ ndependently​.  ❏ There is an excellent variety of types of sources used in your 
research. Primary and secondary sources provide a broad 
understanding as you move forward. 
❏ You prioritized your research in your planning. This will help 
keep you organized in preparing for the next step of the 
criterion. 

   
Appendix A: Tools and Materials (primary source) 
For this project, you will be provided with the materials and tools listed below. The list is not exhaustive but gives a good idea of 
what is reasonably available. It is up to you to figure out how to use and process them. You will have to make sure you understand 
the properties of the materials and tools you choose in order to make smart design choices for your product. 
 

Fabric and materials you need to provide yourself 

● Anything you can reclaim from garments otherwise thrown away. This will not be provided. You need to bring it in from 
home. 
● Straps, buckles, buttons etc that you can reclaim from garments otherwise thrown away. 
● Do not buy fabric! 
 

Tools and materials provided by school 

● Thread (polyester and cotton and waxed) 
● Eyelets  
● Studs 
● Rivets 
● Snap fasteners 
● Velcro (sew-on and stick on) 
● Anything you request that is approved by the teacher. 
● Fabric glue 
● Contact adhesive (Elmer’s multi-purpose spray adhesive) 
● Sewing machine (Brother JA1450NT) 
● Needles 
● Seam ripper 
● Fabric shears 
● Rotary cutter 
● Hole punch 
● Rivet/eyelet setter and die