In spite of efforts to achieve the reading proficiency requirements mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, students' inability to comprehend text and meet grade level standards on state and national assessments continues to be problematic. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of explicit direct instruction of metacognitive strategies using thinking maps. Research questions compared the comprehension achievement of at-risk 4th grade students who received the metacognitive strategy instruction coupled with traditional READ 180 instruction with those who solely received traditional READ 180 instruction. Control and intervention groups were also compared by gender and race. The foundation of the study was based on the constructivist learning theory proposed by Vygotsky. A quasi-experimental, pretest/posttest control group design was used to compare the achievement of 58 students organized into 4 READ 180 program classes from 3 elementary schools in the study district. Data were collected and analyzed using ANOVAs, with intervention/control group, race, and gender as independent variables to compare students' reading comprehension scores on the Scholastic Reading Inventory. The findings revealed no significant differences between the control and intervention groups. The findings did indicate that male students tended to have greater improvements in SRI scores than females. Although the findings did not support the implementation of Thinking Maps to improve comprehension for at-risk 4th grade students, they supported recommendations for further research and professional development. Implications for social change include improved reading proficiency for all students. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]