A major goal of science education is to produce students who are scientifically literate, meaning that students can not only understand scientific texts, but also use scientific information to make informed decisions related to scientific issues. Unfortunately, students in the United States have below proficient science ability, meaning the average student cannot comprehend scientific texts or use text evidence to support or refute claims. One reason that students in the United States struggle with scientific literacy is because students have poor understanding of the Nature of Science (NOS), which is comprised of the elements of science that leads students to understand how one creates scientific knowledge. In order for students to increase their scientific literacy, students must develop an understanding of NOS. One method for students to increase their understanding of NOS is to read adapted primary literature (APL), a genre of text that is created by re-writing and adapting primary scientific literature (PSL) at a middle or high school level. APL follows the cannon of the original PSL text and maintains the research objectives, results, and findings but has lower levels of technicality, and lexical complexity. This study examines the efficacy of reading APL versus text from science textbooks on 10th grade biology students' understanding of NOS, attitude toward science, and science academic achievement in an urban setting using a quasi-experimental, mixed-methods design. To assess student the impact of reading APL on NOS understanding, the researcher collected interview data from six students, and pre-/post-survey data from four biology sections. Students who read APL had a greater understanding of NOS and gave more detailed responses regarding what science is and science as a creative process. Additionally, students who read APL scored slightly higher on the biology assessment and had a greater self-reported cognitive attitude toward biology as compared to students who read traditional text from a biology textbook. Finally, the classroom teacher reported and overwhelmingly positive experience using APL and perceived higher student engagement in the classes reading APL. Based on these findings, the researcher recommends incorporating APL into future biology curriculums to supplement hands-on learning. [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.]