title: Meta-analysis of the reliability and validity of Part B of the Index of Work Satisfaction across studies.
abstract: Nurses' job satisfaction is a crucial factor in health care organizations. This study uses meta-analysis for reliability generalization and synthesis of construct validity of Part B of the Index of Work Satisfaction (IWS), a measure of job satisfaction. Meta-analysis was performed including assessments of study quality and descriptive coding of studies. Rater reliability was assessed for all coding and extraction of data. The mean reliability of Part B scores of the IWS based on 14 studies was .78 (df = 13, p < .05). The mean score reliability was .77 for university settings, .73 for community/acute care hospitals, .77 for multi-site studies, and .90 for other settings. For studies rated high and low quality, the mean score reliability was .77 and .83, respectively. Scores on Part B of the IWS correlated -.38 with turnover intent, .60 with organizational commitment, and -.53 with job stress. Scores on Part B of the IWS are reliable for measuring job satisfaction of nurses across samples. Construct validity needs additional testing.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, USA. gzangaro@aol.com
authors.forename: George A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Zangaro
authors.forename: Karen L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Soeken
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D009740:Nursing Staff / Q000523:psychology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*