This study was aimed at clarifying how readers explore and construct meaning in a hypermedial text. 120 students participated in the study (60 from the 6th grade and 60 from the 9th grade) from a private institution in Medellin, Colombia. They read books in hypermedial format over a three-week period during 12 reading sessions lasting 2 hours each; one book was about natural science, another about social science and a third about literature and communication. Analysing the results revealed differences in exploration strategies used by 6th and 9th grade basic education students in helping to construct meaning when reading hypermedial texts on different topics. The findings from this research could be used for orientating teachers so that they use hypermedial resources in a more efficient and creative way when seeking to improve learning and reading comprehension.