Active learning has emerged as a means of developing generic employability skills that enable students to prepare for an uncertain future. In this context, many universities have encouraged their instructors to practice active learning. While some scholars indicate challenges with adopting this approach, few empirical studies have examined perceptions of instructors related to its application. This current study addresses this research gap—how instructors perceive the issues regarding the application of active learning—by surveying 157 instructors from across numerous institutions in Japan. Identifying issues at the individual level is important because it can provide guidance for institutional managers and policymakers on the strategies necessary for effective implementation of active learning. While the findings of this study largely confirm those of the extant literature, they also revealed which issues are more pertinent than others. Japanese instructors did not adopt active learning because they were indifferent and reluctant toward active learning and prioritized students’ knowledge acquisition over application. We conclude with a discussion of the findings and suggestions to address the perceived issues in implementing active learning at all levels, using the theory of planned behavior.

主动学习已成为发展通用就业技能的一种手段，使学生能够为不确定的未来做好准备。在这种情况下，许多大学都鼓励其教师练习主动学习。尽管一些学者指出采用这种方法面临的挑战，但很少有实证研究检查与这种方法相关的指导老师的看法。本研究通过对日本众多机构中的157名教员进行调查，解决了这一研究差距（教员如何看待主动学习的问题）。在个人层面上确定问题很重要，因为它可以为机构经理和政策制定者提供有效实施主动学习所必需的策略方面的指导。尽管这项研究的发现在很大程度上证实了现有文献的观点，但他们也揭示了哪些问题比其他问题更相关。日本的老师没有采用主动学习，因为他们对主动学习漠不关心，也不愿主动学习，并且优先考虑学生的知识获取而不是应用。最后，我们讨论了发现和建议，以解决使用计划行为理论在各级实施主动学习中的感知问题的建议。