Toward Prompt Literacy in AI-Assisted EFL Writing: A Conceptually Driven Narrative Review

Abstract

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly used in English as a foreign language (EFL) writing for idea generation, planning, drafting, feedback, revision, and editing. However, its educational value depends not only on model capability but also on the quality of learners’ interactions with AI. This conceptually driven narrative review examines how prompt literacy has been conceptualized, its core dimensions, its role across the writing process, and its pedagogical and research implications. A transparent review procedure was used to synthesize 46 recent empirical studies and review papers published from 2023 to early 2025. The findings conceptualize prompt literacy as a multidimensional competence encompassing operational, strategic, evaluative, metacognitive, and ethical capacities. These capacities enable learners to define writing goals, obtain useful support, evaluate AI-generated outputs, preserve authorial voice, and integrate feedback responsibly. The review argues that prompt literacy should be treated as an explicit pedagogical objective rather than an incidental technical skill. It proposes an integrative framework linking learner conditions, prompt literacy dimensions, writing-process functions, and educational outcomes, while offering a clearer conceptual foundation and a practical agenda for instruction and future research in AI-assisted EFL writing.