Bridging The Gap: How Prompt Writing Skills Influence The Quality Of Literature Review Writing In Higher Education
Abstract
Effective academic writing, particularly literature review writing, remains a critical challenge for students in higher education. Recent pedagogical discussions have emphasized the value of prompt writing skills as a means to enhance clarity, structure, and critical engagement in academic texts. This study investigates how prompt writing skills contribute to the quality of literature review writing among postgraduate students. A comprehensive review of existing literature revealed a growing recognition of writing prompts as cognitive and metacognitive tools in academic writing instruction. The study employed a quantitative descriptive survey design involving 120 postgraduate students (62 females and 58 males) from education and social science departments at three public universities in Pakistan. The respondents ranged in age from 23 to 35 years (Mean = 26.4, SD = 2.9). A structured questionnaire assessed two key domains: (1) students’ prompt writing skills, and (2) the quality of their literature reviews based on academic criteria such as coherence, synthesis, analytical depth, and citation practices. Descriptive statistics revealed that the mean score for prompt writing skills was M = 3.87, SD = 0.56, while the mean score for literature review quality was M = 3.75, SD = 0.61 (on a 5-point Likert scale). The results of the Pearson correlation analysis indicated a significant positive relationship between prompt writing skills and literature review writing quality (r = 0.68, p < .01), suggesting that enhanced engagement with prompt-based writing strategies leads to higher academic writing performance. The discussion highlights that students who regularly employed writing prompts demonstrated better organization, stronger critical evaluation of sources, and improved academic tone. The study concludes that structured prompt writing instruction can serve as a transformative pedagogical intervention to improve academic writing proficiency and literature review outcomes in postgraduate education. Recommendations are offered for curriculum designers and educators to embed prompt-based practices in research methodology and writing courses to strengthen scholarly writing.
Keywords: Prompt Writing Skills, Literature Review Writing, Academic Writing, Higher Education, Writing Pedagogy, Descriptive Statistics, Pearson Correlation.
