PROMPT LITERACY AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF ACADEMIC WRITING COMPETENCE AMONG NIGERIAN ENGLISH LANGUAGE STUDENTS: A STUDY OF NASARAWA STATE UNIVERSITY, KEFFI

Abstract

This study examined the level of prompt literacy possessed by English language students of Nasarawa State University, Keffi, and the extent to which prompt literacy contributes to their academic writing competence, using a descriptive survey research design. The population comprised undergraduate students of the Department of English and Literary Studies, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, from which a sample of 200 students was drawn using proportionate stratified random sampling across the 100 to 400 levels. Data were collected using a structured, four-point Likert questionnaire administered through Google Forms. Validity was established through expert review, while reliability was established through Cronbach Alpha coefficient computation following a pilot test (α = 0.78). Data were analysed using mean and standard deviation, guided by a decision rule in which mean scores of 2.50 and above indicate agreement. Findings revealed a high level of prompt literacy among the sampled students (cluster mean = 3.00, SD = 0.93) and indicated that students perceived prompt literacy as making a substantial contribution to their academic writing competence (cluster mean = 3.05, SD = 0.92). Students were most confident in constructing clear prompts and least confident in sequencing multiple prompts to progressively develop a piece of writing, while they perceived the strongest AI assisted gains in idea generation and the least pronounced gains in overcoming writer’s block. The study concludes that AI tools should support, rather than replace, the fundamental cognitive processes involved in academic writing, and recommends targeted instruction in advanced, multi-step prompting strategies within English language education.