RUME 28
2026
Alexandria, Virginia
Mapping the Demands of Thinking: Spatial Reasoning and Cognitive Demand in an Undergraduate Discrete Mathematics Textbook
Page: 1213
Spatial reasoning and cognitive demand are both critical for mathematical learning, yet they are rarely examined together. This study analyzes 178 tasks from the graph theory chapter of Discrete Mathematics: An Open Introduction to explore how these dimensions present themselves and how they interact. Most tasks were of high cognitive demand and required spatial reasoning, especially spatial relations and visualization. Notably, spatial reasoning did not consistently appear as cognitive demand increased in tasks. These findings suggest that while spatial reasoning is crucial for success in discrete math, selecting high-level tasks alone is insufficient to foster it. Instead, these findings point to the need for careful task selection, pre-college preparation, and in-class scaffolding to equip students with the spatial skills necessary for success in discrete mathematics and beyond.