ABSTRACT
The utility of any research fundamentally comes down to two main elements: sampling and measurement. In the domain of work and family a substantial literature has amassed on the later topic. Researchers have introduced several measures of key concepts in the work-family literature, such as work-family conflict (Carlson, Kacmar and Williams, 2000; Kopelman, Greenhaus and Connolly, 1983; Netermeyer, Boles and McMurrian 1996), work-family enrichment (Carlson et al., 2006), positive spillover (Hanson, Hammer and Colton 2006), role balance (Marks and MacDermid, 1996), work- and family-role salience (Amatea et al., 1 986), and work-family balance (Carlson, Grzywacz and Zivnuska, 2009). Several chapters have characterized and critiqued measures available to work and family researchers (Bellavia and Frone, 2005; Carlson and Grzywacz, 2008; MacDermid, 2005). Against this backdrop, comparatively little research attention has been given to sampling in the work and family literature. Where attention to measurement is essential for validly assessing key concepts, attention to sampling is essential for choosing appropriate analysis techniques and for making generalizations beyond study samples (Kalton, 1983).
