If a student is struggling to match letters with their correct sounds, they are likely having problems with what?

When a student struggles to match letters with their correct sounds, they are primarily encountering difficulties with graphophonic cues. This concept involves understanding the relationships between letters (or groups of letters) and the sounds they produce. Graphophonic cues are crucial for effective decoding, as they enable students to sound out words and recognize the phonetic structures of language.

In this case, grappling with the correspondence between letters and sounds indicates a lack of proficiency in utilizing these cues. If a student cannot accurately identify the sounds associated with specific letters, it becomes challenging for them to effectively read and decode words, which can impact their overall reading development significantly. Mastering graphophonic awareness is fundamental for literacy, as it lays the groundwork for further reading and comprehension skills.