Beyond tool use: Tracking the evolution of generative AI literacy among university students through a process-oriented investigation

This study addresses the gap between the theoretical framework of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) literacy and its practical development, by investigating how university students in the humanities acquire and refine GenAI-related knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Through a 16-week intervention structured into three progressive phases, 16 students engaged with multiple GenAI tools while developing competencies in research and academic writing. The data collection included structured GenAI dialogues, periodic questionnaires, reflective assignments, and in-depth interviews. The findings revealed three interconnected dimensions of GenAI literacy development. Students internalized and recreated GenAI knowledge through practice, developed sophisticated prompt engineering skills grounded in metacognitive abilities including a critical awareness of their own values and learning goals, and evolved from viewing GenAI as a mere tool to seeing it as a context-sensitive partner requiring both exploration and caution. Notably, students learned to craft personalized GenAI workflows, critically evaluate GenAI outputs, and establish ethical boundaries that preserved their intellectual growth. This study extends the current GenAI literacy frameworks by empirically demonstrating how knowledge, skills, and attitudes coevolve through sustained engagement. This suggests that effective GenAI literacy education requires iterative practice, metacognitive development, and exposure to diverse tools to ensure that GenAI serves as a catalyst for creativity while maintaining human agency in learning.