The Influence of Subject Understanding and Analytical Thinking on Student Problem Solving Skills in Food Technology Learning

This study examines the impact of subject understanding and analytical thinking on students’ problem-solving skills in Food Technology courses within the S1 and D4 Culinary Education programs at the State University of Surabaya. Employing a quantitative design with Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), data were collected from 82 students selected through random sampling techniques. The research instruments, comprising questionnaires validated by experts, demonstrated strong internal consistency, with Cronbach’s Alpha values exceeding 0.700 for all constructs. Results reveal that subject understanding directly and significantly predicts students’ problem-solving skills, with path coefficients of 0.679. While analytical thinking shows no direct effect, it had substantial indirect effect mediated by subject understanding with a path coefficient of 0.526. These results highlight that deep subject understanding is fundamental to effective problem-solving. Curriculum should therefore leverage analytical reasoning as a tool to build a robust understanding for students so that they are ready to tackle complex challenges in the food sector.