The study reported here had several objectives: (1) to design different types of hypertext and then assess and evaluate the effects of each on reading comprehension and performance, (2) to collect feedback from students about which types of hypertext they believe are most helpful, (3) to apply results to revise and refine hypertexts to help students improve reading skills more efficiently, (4) to apply results to teach students more effective strategies for reading and comprehending all texts, whether hypertext or traditional print, and (5) to construct and make available on the Internet a body of interactive online texts that can be used to develop students' reading skills.