In this blog post, we explore how red marking affects students’ emotions and learning, and examine the positive effects of alternative colors.
Back in elementary school, everyone has the experience of coming home with a test marked in red pencil after an exam. Those who did well went home excited, while those who didn’t did so worried. It was a very familiar situation to tease a friend who got many questions wrong, saying “it’s raining red.” In this way, we were very accustomed to grading in red. In Korea, this led to the creation of workbooks called “Red Pen.”
However, some people don’t necessarily use red when grading. In my case, I graded with a purple ballpoint pen, and others often chose their preferred color for grading as well. When asked why, some simply said they liked the color, but many also stated they disliked red. So why do people dislike red? Perhaps it’s not just a matter of color preference, but rather about the emotional response colors evoke.
People experience different emotions when perceiving each color. Research on this has been ongoing for a very long time, and accordingly, it has been applied to psychotherapy, architectural design, and marketing strategies. Examples include painting walls in calming colors like white or green in mental hospitals to promote patient stability, or using colors like green and purple in artwork to emphasize strangeness. Thus, color is closely linked to our psychology, and research into what emotions specific colors evoke remains active.
While red can bring positive effects like passion, courage, and excitement, it also carries negative effects such as inferiority, aggression, gloom, and discontent. The issue lies in the emotions people feel when grading test papers in red. While individual differences exist, red can be perceived as hurtful when receiving feedback on mistakes after an exam. This is likely why people use colors other than red for grading.
In fact, Professor Richard Duke of the University of Colorado provided identical comments on essays but used different colors. Students perceived comments written in red as harsher evaluations and felt a weaker bond with the professor. If adult university students feel this way, the emotional impact on young children, whose sensitivities are heightened, would be even greater. Consequently, a health authority in Australia actually proposed legislation banning red-ink grading, citing concerns it could harm students’ mental health.
So, is grading with red ink truly bad? Is it right to reject its negative effects and propose a new color? I don’t think so. Red isn’t merely a color for pointing out errors. If a struggling student receives a test paper covered in red marks, it could be hurtful. But what emotions would a high-achieving student feel upon receiving a test paper covered in red circles? They would likely feel a sense of accomplishment and confidence. Focusing solely on the negative effects of red while ignoring its positive impact is one-sided.
Red can sufficiently evoke emotions like passion and love, which can certainly motivate students toward studying or exams. Receiving a teacher’s passionate comments in red ink would provide motivation beyond words. Thus, focusing solely on the negative effects of red-ink grading and debating it feels somewhat regrettable. What we should focus on is the burden imposed by the exam itself or its results, not the tool used to mark those results—red ink.
Students constantly find themselves on the stage of exams—school grades, college entrance exams, job placement tests, interviews—and feel pressure each time. That’s why red, which could alleviate that burden by showing passion, interest, and love, sometimes becomes red that feels aggressive and accusatory. From the student’s perspective, correcting flawed or distorted knowledge and receiving accurate knowledge is paramount. The educator’s role in this process is also crucial. That educator could be a teacher or professor, or it could be the student themselves studying independently.
What students need is not red that feels like a wound or inferiority, but red that represents love, passion, and care. Clearly, red holds positive effects beyond just wounds and criticism. Thoughtful red comments and circles will give hope to students standing on the exam stage and ease their burden. How about gifting students, who constantly live under the stress of exams and studying, not red marks filled with aggression and dissatisfaction, but red circles brimming with passion and love? Such a change could be a huge motivator for students and help them gain a new perspective on exams.
