The Role of Instructional Guidance in Generative AI-Assisted Learning: Empirical Evidence from Construction Engineering Education

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly used to support self-directed learning, yet student interaction with such systems often remains unstructured, limiting engagement in deeper cognitive processes. This study examines how instructional guidance shapes student and AI interaction in construction education. A five-step prompting framework grounded in Generative Learning Theory (GLT) is introduced to guide learner interaction during review activities. A controlled experiment compares three learning conditions: slide-based learning, unprompted AI-supported learning, and prompted AI-supported learning. Learning performance is assessed using multiple-choice and open-ended tasks, and user experience is measured using the User Experience Questionnaire (UEQ). Performance differences are concentrated on tasks requiring explanation and reasoning. The prompted condition achieves higher open-ended scores, with an improvement of approximately 2 or 3 points on a scale of 18 (p < 0.01), while no significant differences are observed in multiple-choice performance. The unprompted condition remains comparable to slide-based learning. These findings indicate that the effectiveness of AI-supported learning depends on how interaction is structured. The proposed framework provides a basis for integrating learning science principles into generative AI systems for construction education.