Towards a Framework for Powerful Learning Environments for Struggling Students in Middle School: A Systematic Review

Students in Grades 5–8, hindered in their learning for various reasons, struggle to achieve the educational goals of basic literacy, which is a critical prerequisite for active participation in society. For these learners, further inequality in learning experiences emerges. To promote equal opportunities for all, a powerful learning environment (PLE) that focuses on both basic and high literacy goals is essential. These environments influence students’ engagement, achievement, and attitudes. However, existing literature lacks comprehensive knowledge of PLEs specifically for struggling students. This systematic literature review aims to fill this gap and identifies effective teaching principles for PLEs for struggling students through a best fit framework synthesis. This synthesis involves adapting existing educational effectiveness frameworks into a new framework tailored for struggling students. Therefore, two systematic searches were conducted across different databases, resulting in a comprehensive best fit framework: Teaching Principles for Powerful Education for stRuggling Students (ToPPERS). ToPPERS comprises 14 interdependent teaching principles enabling teachers to design and implement a PLE. These principles are systemically linked, meaning that each principle affects other principles. Both the learner, central to the learning environment, and the teacher and his team can set ToPPERS in motion.