| The current study sought to examine the reliability, validity, and dimensionality of a new 31-item rating scale of work-family fit. The development of the work-family fit scale was consistent with the conceptualization of a theoretical framework about the work-family interface, the work-family fit model. The reliability of the work-family fit scale was assessed by internal consistency and test-retest reliability, the validity of the scale was tested by concurrent, criterion-related validity, and the bi-dimensionality of the scale was examined through confirmatory factor analysis.; The data for this study were collected through two waves of a mail survey from 225 men and women, who were mostly working parents of young children in dual-earner families. Survey packages were sent to the parents of children and the employees at three day-care centers and a laboratory preschool. Participation in this study was entirely voluntary. The participants were instructed to complete the questionnaires independently and return them to the investigators in the stamped, addressed envelopes provided. It took about 20 to 30 minutes for a respondent to complete the questionnaire for the first wave of the study and 10 minutes for the second wave.; The findings of this study supported good reliability, validity, and the bi-dimensionality of the work-family fit scale. They also revealed meaningful associations of work-family fit with negative work-to-family spillover, family-to-work spillover and crossover from spouse's work, as well as the work and family outcome measures, such as family functioning, job satisfaction, and work productivity. These findings, furthermore, supported some of the hypotheses of the work-family fit model, challenged the pervasive notion of “work-family conflict” underlying the majority of current work-family research, and suggested that the work-family fit perspective was more illuminating than the work-family conflict notion in understanding the complexity of the work-family interface. |
