There is an interesting article in the 2e newsletter this week about how personality, level of giftedness, and gender can affect classroom behavior. I've never paid a huge amount of attention to Myers-Briggs testing, but according to Ruf, an FP (feeling perceiver) is more apt to refuse to do the work that is beneath him/her.
Both my sons absolutely fit these descriptions of kids who won't do the work to jump through hoops, or to please the teacher, or to get it over with, or whatever. If it's a "stupid" assignment, it is offensive to them personally.
It sounds like a few of us adults may have made similar choices as students, regardless of whether the choice "got us what we wanted" which is what popular child psychology seems to tell us is motivating our children. (Pet peeve here - I have heard that my kids "must not care, don't want to work hard", etc a few too many times.
No one has ever said, "I'm so sorry that I offended your sensitive 7 yr old!"
http://www.educationaloptions.com/resources/resources_rufs_tips.php
