在中国社会，“勇气”是一个重要的概念，在《孟子》中被誉为三大德之一。在此后的许多经典著作中，也经常出现对勇气问题的探讨。但是，当代中国的青少年，却往往被评价为“胆小”、“脆弱”。一批“草莓族”、“宅男”、“宅女”、“宅娃”逐渐增多。这些现状，都与青少年的勇气问题相关。在上述时代背景下，本研究试图探索学生的勇气观念，并探索影响学生和教师勇气观念的主要因素。本研究以北京市某重点中学初一年级的学生和教师为研究对象，采用观察法、访谈法和问卷法。研究发现，学生和教师对勇气的理解不仅呈现出水平上的差异，而且表现为两种不同的类型。学生认可的勇气，可以概括为“个人成长的勇气”：为了不断突破自己，他们克服心理上的障碍或身体上的危险，借助他人鼓励或自我激励去做曾经不敢做的事情。这一系列行为，体现的是学生在青春期阶段成长的勇气。初中生渴望证明自己已不再是小孩子，敢于不断地去挑战自己。教师理解的勇气主要体现的是“社会实现的勇气”：为了他人和社会，他们克服心理上的障碍，结合个人经验，在理性思考的基础上，决定去做一般人不敢做的事情。这些行为展现的是教师将个人价值与社会进步联系，把自己作为群体的一份子，关爱他人，为人类幸福贡献出自己的一份力量。因为学生和教师分别持有两种类型的勇气概念，在教育过程中，教师可能会误解甚至忽略学生身上体现出的勇气。有时，学生和教师甚至会因为这种观念上的差异，产生直接冲突。

Courage is a very important concept in Chinese society, discussed in many Chinese classics and considered as one of the three major virtues in Mencius. But in today’s China, adolescents are often regarded as “coward” and “vulnerable”. More and more adolescents are becoming “Strawberry” “male OTAKU” “female OTAKU” and “OTAKU Doll”. These issues all can be associated with adolescent courage. With what has been mentioned above, the study will explore the students’ concepts of courage, and possible causes for students’ and teachers’ understanding toward courage.The participants of the study were selected from first grade students in a key middle school in Beijing. Study data were collected by methods of observation, interview and questionnaire. The study showed that students and teachers held two different concepts of courage. Their understandings on courage were markedly disparate not only in the comprehension levels, but in types of concepts. Students were inclined to hold “courage of personal growth”. To achieve a breakthrough of self, they overcame psychological difficulties or obstacles and dared to do what they did not before by means of others’ encouragement or self-motivation. The series of behavior reflected the students’ courage of personal growth in junior stage. Junior middle school students were eager to prove that he/she was no longer a child, so they were courageous to challenge themselves constantly. Teachers’ understandings mainly reflected “courage of social realization”. For altruistic purpose, based on personal experience and rational thinking, they were determined to overcome psychological barriers and did what most people dared not. It indicated that teachers combined their individual values with social progress, and they considered themselves as part of community, cared for others and made significant contribution to human happiness.Because students and teachers held two types of courage concepts, teachers often misunderstood or even ignored the students’ understandings on courage during education. Sometimes, students and teachers would come into direct conflict.