Assessing the reliability of a self-structured questionnaire for analysing university sports governance and structure in India

The purpose of this study was to assess the reliability of a self-structured questionnaire developed to analyze the governance and structure of university sports in India. The questionnaire comprised 46 items across seven domains, including governance, competition structure, resource mobilization, financial considerations, sports ecosystem, scientific support, and promotion of AIU sports. Reliability testing was conducted using Cronbachs alpha to evaluate the internal consistency of the instrument. The analysis, performed on a sample of 32 sports directors from universities across India, yielded a Cronbachs alpha coefficient of 0.885, indicating good reliability.The results demonstrate that the questionnaire is a robust and reliable tool for measuring key constructs related to university sports governance and management. While most items contributed positively to the overall reliability, a few items with lower corrected item-total correlations highlight opportunities for future refinement. As the university sports structure in India is evolving and undergoing modifications, this tool reflects the present state of governance and management and is best suited for application in the current context.This study underscores the importance of combining statistical rigor with expert judgment in the iterative development of research instruments. The findings provide a validated tool to support evidence-based decision-making and strategic interventions aimed at improving university sports governance in India. Future research should focus on validating the questionnaire across larger and more diverse samples to further enhance its generalizability and applicability.