The conception and theory of agency as self-regulation that is contained within Bandura's social cognitive theory is examined and elaborated in the context of the relevant philosophical history of ideas and through consideration of recent work in theoretical developmental psychology. Implications for self-regulated learning in classrooms are considered. In particular, it is suggested that the understanding of agency contained within social cognitive theory as elaborated herein might be developed as an alternative to conceptions of self-regulation and agency within constructivist and socioculturalist theorizing in educational psychology. However, the classroom application of such an alternative would require a much less dualistic and teacher-directed form of teaching than suggested in much past and current social cognitive work on self-regulation.