A study compared the effects of four study strategies on at-risk sixth-grade students' comprehension and retention of main ideas and details in considerate and less considerate social studies text. The four strategies investigated consisted of the following two pairs: (1) mapping with and without instruction in identifying important details; and (2) answering questions with and without instruction in identifying details. Four intact social studies classes, containing 73 black at-risk students and taught by the same teacher, were randomly assigned to one of the four strategies and treatments. The students' usual sixth grade social studies text (modified) served as the source for the content of the instructional and test passages as well as the basis for observational data on students' strategy use. Results revealed no significant difference in the performance of students who received explicit instruction in strategy use and students who did not. Results also revealed that the majority of students who received training in mapping did make some attempt to use mapping as a study strategy, but did not use the mapping strategy in its entirety. Findings suggest that training at-risk sixth grade students to use the mapping study strategy does not result in greater comprehension of either taught material or new material. (KEH)