From Sensory Engagement to Culinary Innovation: Integrating Five-Sense Experiential Learning and Scaffolding Theory with Local Ingredients

Culinary education increasingly demands pedagogies that develop technical competence, sensory acuity, and creative confidence in tandem. This study examines the effectiveness of integrating five-sense experiential learning with scaffolding theory in an 18-week western cooking practicum offered to 80 first-year hospitality management students drawn from heterogeneous admission pathways at a single institution in Taiwan. A mixed-method design combined pretest – posttest surveys with semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and reflective journals. Paired-samples t-tests revealed statistically significant improvements in culinary competencies, perceived learning quality, and learning satisfaction. Students attributed these gains to systematic sensory exploration – sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch – combined with structured, step-by-step instruction, collaborative activities, and the use of distinctive local ingredients. Despite the single-institution sample and reliance on self-report data, the findings suggest that a multi-sensory, scaffolded framework effectively addresses diverse skill levels and offers a replicable model for hospitality and culinary education.