How does comprehension differ from decoding in reading?

The distinction between comprehension and decoding is fundamental to the reading process. Comprehension refers to the ability to understand and make sense of the text. It involves interpreting meanings, drawing inferences, and connecting ideas within and outside the text. Readers who comprehend well can engage with the material, analyze it, and extract relevant information or themes.

Decoding, on the other hand, involves the ability to translate written symbols (letters and words) into their corresponding sounds. This process requires phonemic awareness, the ability to recognize the sounds in words and their corresponding letters (graphemes). Through decoding, a reader can pronounce a word, but understanding its meaning requires comprehension to occur afterward.

The correct answer highlights this difference effectively by articulating that comprehension is about understanding the text's meaning whereas decoding is focused on the mechanical aspect of translating written text into spoken words. This distinction is crucial for educators when teaching reading, as both skills are necessary for proficient reading but serve different purposes within the reading process.