ABSTRACT
Social cognitive theory relies upon the belief of the human agency, where the person, behavior, and the environment work in a reciprocal fashion. Instructional applications of social cognitive theory involve models, self-efficacy beliefs, and self-regulated learning (SRL). The theory of SRL explains and describes how individuals with diverse social backgrounds and qualities of education are able to learn and achieve competence on designated tasks. This chapter integrates both the developmental and cyclical approach to self-regulatory training by situating the cycles of self-regulation within the levels of attaining self-regulatory competency. Researchers have identified individual behaviors, cognitions, and key processes in which self-regulated learners engage during three phases of SRL such as forethought, performance, and self-reflection. In order to develop self-regulatory competence, teachers guide their students through four levels of SRL development such as observation, emulation, self-control, and self-regulation. Students who reach the fourth level of SRL are ready to independently apply their skills to the demands of the twenty-first century.
