A type of inductive theory that is based on (grounded in) field observation. The researcher makes observations in natural settings and then formulates a tentative theory that explains it.
An expectation about the nature of things derived from a theory. It is a statement of something that ought to be observed in the real world if the theory is correct.
The determination of whether the expectations that a hypothesis represents are indeed found in the real world.
That quality of science (and other inquiries) whereby two different researchers studying the same problem arrive at the same conclusion i.e. "objectivity"