DEVELOPING GENAI LITERACY IN ENGLISH ACADEMIC WRITING: A PEDAGOGICAL FRAMEWORK FOR UNIVERSITY EFL STUDENTS

Abstract

The rapid integration of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) into higher education is transforming the processes through which students plan, produce, revise, and evaluate academic texts. For learners of English as a foreign language (EFL), GenAI tools offer valuable opportunities for linguistic support, feedback, idea development, and revision. At the same time, unrestricted or uncritical use may lead students to outsource essential cognitive processes and create a gap between the quality of the text they produce and the writing competence they have actually developed. These developments highlight the need to move beyond technological competence toward a broader understanding of GenAI literacy in academic writing. This paper examines the emerging concept of GenAI literacy in EFL academic writing and proposes a preliminary pedagogical framework for its development among university students. Drawing on recent research on AI literacy, GenAI-assisted EFL writing, critical AI literacy, learner autonomy, and responsible technology use, the paper conceptualizes GenAI literacy as an interconnected set of competencies involving understanding, purposeful use, critical evaluation, ethical decision-making, and reflection. The proposed framework is organized around seven interconnected stages: understanding the writing task, independent planning, purposeful GenAI use, critical evaluation of AI output, informed decision-making, independent revision, and reflection. Rather than positioning GenAI as a replacement for student writing, the framework conceptualizes it as a potential learning scaffold while preserving students’ cognitive engagement, agency, and authorship. The paper argues that explicit pedagogical guidance is necessary to help EFL students develop productive and responsible relationships with GenAI in academic writing. The framework provides a conceptual basis for future empirical research and contextual adaptation within Uzbek higher education.