ENGLISH :
This research aimed to investigate the relationship between students’ reading anxiety and their reading comprehension among eighth-grade students of MTsN 1 Pangkalpinang in the academic year 2025/2026. The research employed a quantitative correlational design.The population of this study consisted of all eighth-grade students of MTsN 1 Pangkalpinang. A total of 116 students were selected as the sample using stratified random sampling by dividing the sample into 2 categories which are male and female. The researcher took 50% of male students and 50% of female. Two research instruments were used to collect the data: a Foreign Language Anxiety Questionnaire consisting of 27 valid items and a Reading Comprehension Test consisting of 35 valid multiple-choice items. Prior to data analysis, both instruments were tested for validity and reliability to ensure their appropriateness. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics were used to determine students’ levels of foreign language anxiety and reading comprehension, while Pearson Product Moment Correlation was used to examine the relationship between the two variables. The results revealed that the majority of students experienced a moderate level of reading anxiety, with anxiety test being the most dominant type of anxiety. The reading comprehension test results showed that students’ reading ability was generally at a moderate level. The correlation analysis showed a significant negative correlation between reading anxiety and reading comprehension (r = - 0.515, p < 0.05). This finding indicates that higher levels of reading anxiety are associated with lower reading comprehension achievement. Therefore, the null hypothesis was rejected, and the alternative hypothesis was accepted. In conclusion, reading anxiety has a significant relationship with students’ reading comprehension. This study suggests that English teachers should create a supportive learning environment and apply appropriate instructional strategies to minimize students’ anxiety during reading activities.