New Directions for Measurement in the Field of Work, Aging and Retirement

Research on work, aging and retirement has reached a level of maturity as indicated by an established base of empirical findings and an increasing number of empirical studies on these and related phenomena. Given the development of the field, it is a good time to critically reflect on the measurement of core theoretical constructs that inform our understanding of work and aging and of retirement-related processes. Moreover, given the increasing popularity of studying aging at work and retirement, refocusing attention on the measurement of core constructs will help further advance these areas of research. The purpose of this special issue is to challenge the use of existing measures and measurement techniques and provide new advancements and directions for measurement, broadly defined, in the field of work, aging and retirement. This special issue features 8 scholarly articles that focus on: (1) innovative measurement instruments, (2) applying new techniques to address old problems, and (3) improving existing measures. In this special issue editorial, we derive key lessons learned from each of the 8 articles. We also offer practical recommendations for ways that these lessons may be incorporated into the design and execution of future research.