PROMPT ENGINEERING COMPETENCE AND AI-ASSISTED ACADEMIC WRITING QUALITY AMONG ESL LEARNERS

This study examined prompt-engineering competence and AI-assisted academic writing quality among 81 ESL learners at Cagayan State University–Aparri in SY 2025–2026 using a descriptive-correlational design. It assessed prompt skills—clarity, specificity and precision, contextual/guiding information, and sequencing/iteration—and evaluated AI-generated texts for content, organization/coherence, grammar and language accuracy, vocabulary, task relevance, and citation/structure. Data came from a validated instrument and performance-based assessment. Results showed learners were generally competent in prompt engineering and produced high-quality AI-assisted academic texts. Most profile variables did not significantly affect outcomes, though academic strand, monthly allowance, general weighted average, and type of AI tools used showed significant differences. All prompt-engineering components were highly and significantly correlated with all dimensions of AI-assisted writing quality. The study concludes prompt-engineering competence critically enhances AI-assisted academic writing and recommends a structured instructional guide to improve learners’ prompt construction and output quality. Implementation should include practice exercises and assessment rubrics for sustained improvement.