Prompt Design as Bilingual Mediated Action: A Scoping Review of Arabic L1 Learners of English

Artificial intelligence mediated prompting is increasingly relevant to academic work in Saudi higher education, however the linguistic practices of Arabic first-language learners who interact with these systems in English remain insufficiently synthesized. The aim of this scoping review is to map artificial intelligence mediated prompting and develop evidence informed conceptual framework for future empirical research. The study is significant because Saudi higher education is increasingly expected to prepare learners for artificial intelligence supported academic work, yet the linguistic processes through which Arabic L1 learners interact with such systems remain insufficiently synthesized. The review used a systematic scoping method aligned with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews. Fifty-seven sources were identified through searches of seven academic databases and two gray literature discovery tools. The review identifies converging but uneven evidence: learner-focused studies suggest bilingual planning, revision, and varying degrees of agency, while technical evaluations document language- and dialect-sensitive system performance. These streams inform four provisional mechanisms for future empirical testing.