Low academic motivation is a problem in education. The aim of this study was to determine the significance of cultural beliefs and social values as predictors of academic motivation. Using multiple linear regression, the 100 students selected through stratified sampling, it was found that the determinants, accounting for 31.9% of the degree of influence, significantly predict the criterion variable. The Sociocultural Theory of Cognitive Development was affirmed. Other variables may be explored to account for the unexplained variance in academic motivation, and emerging themes may be identified as potential variables referred to above.