Psycho-Social Predictors of Life Orientation among Visually Impaired and Sighted Undergraduate Students

That visual impairment is significantly correlated with low self-efficacy and low self-esteem is an assertion that is not being contested, but the manner in which self-efficacy, self-esteem and locus of control influences the life orientation of the visually impaired is the crust of this study; an inquiry into the moderating effect of sight in the relationship of self-esteem, self-efficacy and locus of control with life orientation. The study employed a cross-sectional survey designed to sample two hundred and one (201) undergraduate students of University of Ibadan and Federal College of Education (SPED), Oyo, of which one hundred and one (101) of them were sighted while the remaining hundred (100) were visually impaired. A structured questionnaire made up of the Generaiized Self-Efficacy Scale, the Locus of Control Behaviour Scale, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the Life Orientation Scale was used for data collection. Result indicated that self-esteem and self-efficacy significantly jointly predicted the life orientation of undergraduates (F (2,183) = 7.463, P <.01, R2 = .073). Self-esteem and self-efficacy significantly independently predicted life orientation of the undergraduates [(B = . 106, p <. 05), (B = .180, p <.05)] respectively. This means that, besides having a complementary influence, an undergraduate’s self-esteem and self-efficacy can independently determine his/her life orientation. However, sight did not significantly moderate the relationship of self-esteem and self-efficacy with life orientation among visually impaired and sighted undergraduates (F(3,182) = .167, p>.05, R2 = .001), inferring that sighted and visually impaired undergraduate.” have their experience of life orientation influenced similarly by self-esteem and self-efficacy. hence, self-esteem and self-efficacy should be the focus for improving the life orientation of hath sighted and visually impaired undergraduates.