This article examines the responses given by 590 kindergarten to 12th-Grade
students when they were asked about their conception of heroes. The sequen
ce of questions asked students to define, describe, name, and justify their
response about heroes. Students, regardless of age level, appear to use an
operational definition of hero, but when asked to identify a hero, most st
udents named a person with whom they have had personal experiences. Respons
es given over the age spans move from a specific behaviour to that of a sus
tained behaviour over a period of time. The change in responses demonstrate
s developmental changes in conceptual, cognitive, and social growth.