Academic motivation has been a mushrooming issue in educational research. Geared under social cognitive theory, this study was designed to investigate the dynamics of students' academic motivation. A qualitative approach and a grounded theory were employed in this study. One-hundred-and-two students (henceforth, participants) from teacher training and education program were recruited. Data were obtained from focus group discussion. In addition, in-depth interviews were done to four selected participants. Trustworthiness was gained from repeated checking of the data categories and verification was done to assure the internal data consistency. The results of this study suggested that students' academic motivation was dynamic, moving from amotivation condition to intrinsic motivation which was affected by social support, goal orientation, achievement anxiety, and self-efficacy. This study concluded that academic motivation was dynamic and ongoing process. This process was influenced by intrinsic and extrinsic factors.