Investigating spatial thinking-based puzzle tasks for improving geometric reasoning.

This study investigated the effects of a brief spatial puzzle task on geometric reasoning performance and gesture production among undergraduate students (N 5 84).Using a randomized controlled design, participants completed either a spatial Tangram puzzle task or a nonspatial control word task before engaging in geometric proof problems.We examined associations between visuospatial working memory, spatial anxiety, gesture production, and geometric reasoning outcomes, measuring both mathematical insight generation, as expressed through words and gestures, and transformational proof production.Results demonstrated that visuospatial working memory was significantly associated with all geometric reasoning measures and gesture categories.Spatial anxiety was positively associated with any representational gesture production, suggesting gestures may serve as compensatory mechanisms for students experiencing spatial anxiety.Use of Tangrams significantly improved proof production, with students in the puzzle condition being over 4 times as likely to produce mathematically valid proofs compared with the control group.The intervention did not significantly impact mathematical insight generation.Students in the Tangram condition were more likely to produce dynamic gestures (representational gestures that simulate spatial transformations of geometric objects), which are specifically associated with successful geometric reasoning in past research.These findings provide initial evidence that brief spatial interventions may enhance geometric proof production directly, and indirectly through increased dynamic representational gesture production.The study extends prior research by demonstrating effectiveness of spatial activities and embodied resources to improve advanced geometric reasoning skills. Educational Impact and Implications StatementThis study found that having college students complete a short, spatial Tangram puzzle before working on geometry problems significantly improved their ability to produce valid mathematical proofs through a direct pathway, though it did not help them generate initial mathematical insights.The spatial puzzle task also increased students' use of dynamic representational gestures (hand and arm movements that simulated spatial transformations of geometric objects) during reasoning, which was associated with better mathematical thinking through an indirect pathway.These findings suggest that brief spatial activities, such as puzzles, could prime students' geometric reasoning skills directly, as well as indirectly, by activating body-based resources.