Students who lack knowledge of which area may have difficulties with vocabulary comprehension?

Understanding vocabulary comprehension is deeply tied to the knowledge of semantics, which refers to the meaning of words and phrases in a language. When students lack semantic knowledge, they struggle to grasp the meanings of words, which is fundamental to understanding texts and engaging fully with them. This deficit can hinder their ability to interpret and make sense of the vocabulary they encounter, ultimately affecting their overall reading comprehension.

In contrast, knowledge of phonology (the sounds of words), syntax (the structure of sentences), and orthography (the conventional spelling system of a language) plays important roles in reading but does not directly address the comprehension of vocabulary meanings. While these areas are crucial for reading fluency and word recognition, semantic knowledge is specifically concerned with understanding what words mean, making it the critical area in question for vocabulary comprehension challenges.