The effects of an advance organizer, a preview of text structure, and two different arrangements of reading material on prose learning and on delayed retention were investigated. The textual material was preceded by an advance organizer, a preview of structure, or a neutral control passage. The narrative text, which concerned the economic geography of the Soviet Union, had either a hierarchical or a hierarchical and categorical structure. Subjects were 120 high school seniors from a Catholic girls' school. Results indicated that groups reading the advance organizer and either textual structure showed greater learning than control subjects; this effect was replicated eight days later for advance organizer plus hierarchically and categorically structured text, but not for advance organizer plus hierarchically structured text. The preview of reading text structure significantly affected learning for students reading hierarchically and categorically structured text. Results also indicated that students learned and retained significantly more superordinate than subordinate concepts. (Author/GDC)