factor analysis application: difficulties and limita tions

factor analysis is one of the most advanced multivariate statistical techniques applying to attain a variety of scientific and research goals such as model-building, hypothesis-building lest validation, identifying subtests and development conditions in order to perform the other advanced methods as multiple regression and structural equation models. while there are difficulties and complexities in understanding. applying. and interpreting of factor analysis, many of the users who have not sufficient knowledge about its underlying bases. limitations. and wide range of applications wish to perform, interpret and generalize the results. hence, there is a great body of invalid and unreliable results and generalizations about the variables have studied by this method. the aim of this article, on the one hand, is explaining the history, theoretical and logical foundations and mathematical bases of (actor analysis and , on the other hand, introducing its limitations and major problems. because of increasingly interest to apply (actor analysis, especially in scientific and educational set tings in our country we offered recommendations in order to help who interest learning more and who used this technique in their research for many years.