This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of reflective journaling on nursing students' affective awareness toward learning and academic self-efficacy.The study was conducted as a randomised controlled experimental study between April and June 2026 at the Faculty of Health Sciences of a university in eastern Turkey. The study population comprised first-year nursing students during the spring term of the 2026-2027 academic year, whilst the sample consisted of 113 students (reflective journal group = 56, control group = 57), determined by power analysis. The 'Affective Awareness Scale for Teaching' and the 'Academic Self-Efficacy Scale' were used to collect the data.