A study evaluated the effectiveness of a series of print materials and interactive computer-guided study programs designed to lead undergraduate students to apply basic textbook reading and concept mapping strategies to the study of science and social science textbooks. Following field testing with 25 learning skills students, 50 freshman biology students enrolled at Indiana University were divided into treatment and control groups. Both groups read two 7-10 page biology textbook selections. Treatment students scheduled three weekly one-hour appointments using the computer programs, which helped students identify key concepts, write summary statements comparing and contrasting concepts, and graphically map relationships among concepts. After each lesson students answered a questionnaire on the usability of the lesson, and on completion of the last lesson, chapter examinations were given along with an open-ended questionnaire evaluating the program. One week after the chapter exam, treatment subjects read a new biology text and were given an exam on the new material. Control students were provided only with the text and completed the same examination taken by the treatment group. They also returned one week later to repeat the process with the new text. Findings showed that treatment students significantly outperformed control students for both texts in ability to link terms and map concept relationships. Questionnaire data indicated that computer instruction was viewed positively as a way to learn strategies for reading difficult material. (Two tables of data are included, and 23 references are appended.) (MM)