Reflective journals are one of the most popular strategies for promoting reflective
practice in nurse education. Whilst evaluations have been conducted, there remains a
lack of substantive research about their value and appropriate usage. In this study the
grounded theory approach was adopted in order to explore undergraduate student
nurses' perceptions of reflective journals. A combination of data collection methods
including participant observation, interviews and journal documents were used to
locate the process and actions involved in documenting clinical practice. Using the
analytic procedures of grounded theory, a core category named playing the game was
identified.
In order to manage conflicts experienced in clinical practice, students engage in two
distinct stages ofjournal writing. These are using a personal diary as a means of selfexpression,
expressing yourself and a further stage that involves producing the work
for assessment, writing the right thing. The interplay between these two stages
allows the students to develop valuable insight and engage in developing a broader
perspective in order to make sense of their social world.
The study suggests it is important to position the role and value ofjournal writing in
nurse education with clarity of purpose and recognition of its limitations. The study
supports the use of a staged approach to journal writing, which encourages students
to keep two separate documents: a personal diary and a professional journal. The use
of reflective journals provides a medium for dialogue of and with nursing practice
that involves the description, interpretation and evaluation of role performance of
self and where appropriate other practitioners in the care process. The implications of
these findings both in terms of nurse education and continuing professional
development are discussed
