Perceived social support, self-esteem, and academic performance among students with visual impairment in Ethiopian middle schools

Students with visual impairments frequently encounter academic challenges influenced not only by instructional accessibility but also by psychosocial factors. Although inclusive education policies have expanded access for students with disabilities, critical gaps persist in understanding how psychosocial factors influence academic performance in Ethiopian middle schools. This study investigates the relationships among perceived social support, self-esteem, and academic performance in middle school students with visual impairments in Ethiopia. A descriptive cross-sectional survey design was utilized. The participants were 50 students with visual impairments enrolled in five governmental middle schools in Dessie City Administration, selected through a census sampling approach. Data were collected using self-report measures of perceived social support and self-esteem, in combination with school-based academic test scores. Descriptive statistics, Pearson product–moment correlations, and multiple regression analyses were performed. Both perceived social support and self-esteem were positively and significantly correlated with academic performance ( r = .49 and r = .54, respectively; p < .01). When combined together, these variables accounted for 39.7% of the variance in academic performance (R² = 0.397), and the regression model was statistically significant, F(2, 47) = 15.48, p < .001. Self-esteem exhibited a stronger standardized association with academic performance (β = 0.42) compared to perceived social support (β = 0.34); nonetheless, both predictors were independently significant. The mean perceived social support score was 41.02 (SD = 13.86), the mean self-esteem score was 27.10 (SD = 5.76), and academic performance had a mean score of 65.48 (SD = 11.60). These findings suggest that psychosocial factors are significantly associated with academic performance among students with visual impairments. Although causal inferences cannot be made, the results underscore the potential value of supportive social environments and positive self-esteem in inclusive middle school settings.