Process Over Product: Formal Logic, Sudoku Puzzles, and the Development of Reasoning in Student Teachers

Resumo

Background: A critical disconnect often exists between the formal logical reasoning taught to student teachers and the applied, practical problem-solving skills required in a classroom. This study explores this "far transfer" problem using complex logic puzzles. Objectives: This research aimed to investigate the relationship between student teachers' formal logical reasoning skills, as measured by the Test of Logical Thinking (TOLT), and their performance, efficiency, and metacognitive strategies when solving variant Sudoku puzzles. Design: The study employed a descriptive correlational design to analyze the relationship between participants' cognitive skills and their puzzle-solving behaviors. Setting and Participants: The study involved 69 volunteer pre-service teachers from the Degree in Primary Education program at the Universidad de Extremadura, Spain, during the 2024/2025 academic year. Data collection and analysis: Data were gathered using the TOLT, puzzle-solving metrics (resolution rates, time, retries), and reflective questionnaires. The analysis involved Spearman's rank correlation and thematic analysis of qualitative responses. Results: TOLT scores did not significantly predict success in solving the puzzles (ρ = -0.096, p = 0.431). However, higher TOLT scores were weakly correlated with greater efficiency, indicated by fewer retries (ρ = -0.259, p = 0.032). Metacognitive analysis revealed high confidence in incorrect answers, suggesting poor calibration. Conclusions: Abstract logical reasoning skills do not automatically transfer to novel problem-solving contexts. The pedagogical value of these puzzles lies not in applying existing knowledge but in developing procedural efficiency, metacognitive resilience, and strategic thinking to manage cognitive load.