Calvin Demonstrates a lack of internal motivation towards his learning, showing little "care" about his academic success or mastery. Rather than engaging with his schoolwork for understanding, he often treats tests and assignments as an opportunity for entertainment or rebellion. This is present is his absurd test answers where he prioritizes creativity and humor over accuracy. For example, Calvin regularly fills in nonsensical and imaginative responses on his exams. He clearly values the rise he gets out of the teachers over his grades or education. This suggests that his motivation is not oriented toward learning itself, but toward eliciting a reaction. In these moments, his behavior strongly aligns with external motivation, as his actions are purely decided by some result he wants to come out of them, whether it is attention, surprise or disapproval.
At the same time, Calvin thrives on autonomy and strongly resists externally imposed structure. He takes pleasure in “doing the correct thing in the wrong way,” following the letter of instructions while subverting their intended purpose. His creativity becomes a tool for asserting independence rather than a means of engaging meaningfully with learning tasks. For instance, when assigned straightforward schoolwork, Calvin often reframes it through elaborate fantasies, sarcasm, or intentional misinterpretation, using humor as a way to reclaim control over situations where he feels constrained. This desire for autonomy helps explain why traditional classroom demands fail to motivate him: the more controlling or rigid the task appears, the more likely Calvin is to disengage or respond with oppositional creativity. Although he appears unmotivated on the surface, his behavior reflects a strong need for autonomy that is being expressed in counterproductive ways. In the context of SDT, Calvin’s motivation remains largely externally regulated, as his engagement is driven not by interest in learning, but by the reactions he provokes and the sense of control he maintains over how he participates.