<![CDATA[Function composition material is essential in vocational mathematics, yet many students struggle due to low conceptual understanding, especially in solving word problems. Students' difficulties in understanding the concept of story problems stem from their tendency to memorize formulas and their inability to represent visual information in mathematical form. This study used a qualitative method with a hermeneutic phenomenological approach. Using a purposive sampling strategy, the researcher selected 5 out of the 22 eleventh-grade students from SMKN 1 in Kampar Regency for in-depth interviews. The student test instrument included story problems on the conceptual understanding of function composition to identify potential difficulties and learning obstacles students may encounter. Data were triangulated from written tests, student and teacher interviews, and textbook analysis. Results based on Thompson’s criteria showed that 45% of students scored 0 (very low understanding), while only 18% scored 4 (complete understanding). Three types of learning obstacles were identified: ontogenic, didactic, and epistemological. These findings highlight the need for a didactic design, such as using Liveworksheet, to improve conceptual understanding.]]>
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