Lower ability students participate much less frequently than those of higher ability. When lower ability students are assigned leadership positions, their roles tend to be usurped by more able group members. The contributions of lower performers to group decisions are usually limited to minor procedural suggestions. The dominance of group work by more capable students is particularly strong when the goal is to produce a single group product. In these circumstances, students who feel their offerings are of little value respond by withdrawing from the task.
Several factors reduce engagement of lower-ability students.
Low-ability students often fail to ask for appropriate help because they do not know when they need it, do not know whom to ask, or how to formulate a request that will evoke a constructive response. In addition, recordings of student talk show that explanations are frequently inadequate because explanation givers lack a language for talking about math, have deficient teaching skills, are insensitive to the needs of help seekers, and do not monitor the effects of their explanations. For example, middle-class parents inculcate higher career aspirations that are more likely to require advancement through school. Middle-class parents emphasize reasoning in family talk and are more likely to teach children that they control their fates. In contrast, children in working-class homes are more likely to receive knowledge passively.