Students without which skills may find it challenging to spell words correctly?

The correct answer highlights that students who lack orthographic skills may struggle to spell words correctly. Orthography refers to the conventional spelling system of a language. It encompasses the principles and rules that dictate how words are spelled. When students have a solid understanding of orthographic patterns, they are better equipped to encode spoken words into written form accurately.

Students who are unfamiliar with these spelling conventions may confuse similar-sounding words or fail to apply the necessary affixes and letter patterns that guide correct spelling. For example, knowing that the 'i' before 'e' rule applies in certain contexts can result in more accurate spelling. Thus, strong orthographic knowledge is critical for proficient spelling.

While phonology, morphology, and syntactic skills also contribute to reading and writing proficiency, they do not address the specific conventions of spelling as directly as orthographic knowledge does. Phonological skills relate to the sounds of language, morphology involves understanding the structure and meaning of words, and syntactic skills pertain to sentence structure, none of which directly dictate the spelling conventions that orthography encompasses.