This blog post examines the psychological impact of red pen grading, which has been used in education for a long time, on students.
Among the study guides for elementary school students, there is a study guide called “Red Pen.” The name of this study guide is not simply a brand name that is easy to remember, but comes from the unique symbolism of “Red Pen.” The brand’s “Red Pen Teacher,” a home visiting tutor, visits students in person to help them with their studies and grade their work, which allows students to understand their learning achievements on their own. This method helps students feel closer to their teachers and gives them a sense of accomplishment. In addition, the “red pen” used by home visiting teachers helps students pay more attention. In Kumon learning, which most children have experienced at least once in their childhood, teachers mainly use red colored pencils to help students intuitively distinguish between mistakes and successes so that the results of their work can be communicated quickly. If you think back to your elementary school days, you may remember receiving a test with a red mark and the phrase “very well done” written on it after taking a test.
As such, red has long been used as the color for grading in the education field. This is why students and parents often think of a white test paper with red circles and slashes when they hear the word “grading.” Why is red so widely used in education? Of course, other colors are sometimes used depending on individual preferences, but most people associate red with grading.
If we analyze the visual effects of red scientifically, we can come to a conclusion that red is particularly eye-catching. Red has a wavelength of 620740 nm, which is particularly striking to the eye, and with a value of 4 for brightness and 14 for saturation, it is a color that is more eye-catching than other colors. Generally, the background color of the test paper is a gray tone with a brightness of 79 and a chroma of 0, and the font is black with a brightness of 0.5. In this case, the red color stands out more clearly by contrasting with the background and font colors. Thanks to this characteristic, which makes it stand out visually compared to other colors, red has naturally become the color of choice for grading. However, it is somewhat disappointing to see that red was chosen simply because it is a “color that stands out,” as other colors that stand out, such as blue and purple, can also be used for grading.
The symbolic meaning and psychological effect of the color red are also one of the reasons why red is mainly used as a scoring color. Red is the color of blood, and it instinctively evokes images of warnings, prohibitions, and danger. These images can be effective in emphasizing mistakes and errors, and in particular, they can encourage learners to review the content more carefully and attentively. However, there are also studies that show that the intensity of these colors can make students feel intimidated or have negative feelings, so many countries have banned the use of red grading or replaced it with other colors. For example, some schools in the Anglo-American region use purple or green instead of red pen to reduce the psychological burden on students. These attempts are intended to convey a softer, more positive message rather than the warning or caution that red conveys.
Red not only has a negative image, but also a positive one. On the one hand, red symbolizes passion, energy, and confidence, and it also conveys warmth to people. As in the case of Orion Choco Pie, the red packaging, which symbolizes affection, enhances the image of the product, which aims to share affection and convey a warm heart. The “Red Devil” T-shirt worn by the Korean supporters during the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup is also an example of the positive power of red. As such, red has been used not only as a color that symbolizes warnings and danger, but also as a color that inspires love, passion, and courage.
In the education field, grading with a red pen has more meaning than simply pointing out errors. It can convey the meaning of “good job” by circling the student’s work in red or “try harder” by circling the student’s work in red. Therefore, teachers using red to grade can be seen as not just pointing out mistakes, but also conveying a warm sense of affection and encouragement to students. For example, when grading a test, drawing a large red circle around the correct answers helps students visually confirm their achievements and boost their confidence.
In this regard, I would like to suggest a way to use red grading more positively. For the correct questions, a large red circle or a smiley face can be drawn to emphasize the sense of accomplishment, and for the incorrect questions, green or blue can be used to reduce the sense of warning while still conveying that the answer needs to be corrected. This will be a small change that will allow students to accept grading without being hurt and study more enthusiastically.
