Developmental Patterns of English Alphabet Knowledge in Chinese–English Emergent Bilingual Children

ABSTRACT This study investigated whether established developmental patterns of English alphabet knowledge observed in monolingual children—namely the first‐name and first‐initial effects, ABC‐order effect, consonant‐order effect, print‐frequency effect, letter‐difficulty factor, and uppercase‐familiarity effect—are also evident among Chinese–English emergent bilingual children in Hong Kong. A sample of 100 children aged 3 to 6 years completed a letter‐name and letter‐sound production task for 26 uppercase and lowercase English letters. Each letter was coded to reflect whether it appeared as the first initial or elsewhere in the children's first names. The analysis incorporated ABC song order, consonant‐order norms, print frequency, and letter‐difficulty values. Logistic multilevel models controlled for the children's age, English oral proficiency, socio‐economic status, and home literacy environment. The ABC‐order effect was marginally supported, whereas the first‐name and first‐initial effects, consonant‐order effect, and print‐frequency effect were not observed. The children were more likely to be familiar with letters with lower difficulty values. Knowledge of uppercase letters significantly predicted knowledge of corresponding lowercase letters. While the uppercase‐familiarity, letter‐difficulty, and ABC‐order effects were evident among the Chinese–English emergent bilingual children, the first‐name and first‐initial effects, consonant‐order effect, and print‐frequency effect differed from patterns observed in monolingual children. These results highlight the importance of considering cultural and linguistic contexts in early literacy development and indicate the need for tailored instructional strategies for bilingual learners.