The Lines of Knowledge Generation and Application (LGAC) are the thematic fields that characterize the program. They bring together the research or professional work trajectories of professors and students, from a systemic perspective of generating new knowledge or applying it, according to its nature and approach.

The following are the lines and sub-lines of this doctorate.

The characteristics, implementation and results of the policies implemented at different levels of government in relation to the development of the education system and its impact on the social environment are analyzed.

a) Educational policies and social justice.
It focuses on the analysis of management and leadership processes within the Education System, aiming to achieve greater social impact and a more just society. Specifically, it examines decision-making for public action to address social and educational inequalities among vulnerable and excluded populations; the design, implementation, results, and impacts of public action; the political and governance processes of the Education System and its constituent institutions; and affirmative action strategies for educational and social inclusion, targeting populations living in poverty, marginalization, and segregation.

b) Education for the integral development of the country.
It focuses on phenomena within formal and non-formal education, with educational intentions that have a direct impact on the community and, on a broader scale, on the country. These include: lifelong learning; education, citizenship, and democratic political development; education and sustainability; and education and scientific and technological development. The common denominator is the focus on formative interactions between individuals and their communities, centered on improving their living conditions.

c) Education, work and poverty.
This study focuses on initiatives by educational, governmental, and civil institutions to offer training and skills development opportunities for young people and adults, as well as their effects on productive inclusion and poverty reduction in rural, suburban, and urban-marginal areas. It also examines, from the perspective of the economics of education, the labor market integration and employability of secondary and higher education graduates. This includes analyses of the relationship between schooling and improved living conditions, in terms of the private and social benefits of education, particularly in contexts of poverty and vulnerability.

The aim is to develop educational proposals designed to provide students with a well-rounded education through diverse pedagogical approaches to the social and value-based aspects, which will significantly impact civil society, with the goal of building more participatory and democratic societies.

a) Education and diversity.
Studies are considered on educational conditions that promote or hinder multiculturalism and interculturalism, especially those related to socioeconomically vulnerable groups: indigenous communities, native peoples, migrants, displaced persons, migrant farmworkers, and street children and youth, among others. This includes studies on addressing cultural diversity, gender diversity, educational inclusion, and school coexistence.

b) Practices of education actors.
On the one hand, it focuses on the psycho-pedagogical analysis and understanding of the practices of school stakeholders—students, teachers, and administrators—and how these practices influence teaching and learning processes. On the other hand, it studies three types of practices: the relationships between schools and families, as well as joint actions aimed at learning; the links between educational institutions and the communities in which they are located; and innovative educational practices. This sub-line includes works that address the use and integration of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in education and the analysis of educational change resulting from the incorporation of new approaches.

c) Non-formal and community education.
It focuses on non-formal educational processes organized around explicit educational purposes, whose value lies primarily in their political and democratizing nature. It also includes studies that critically analyze community-based social experiences involving the recovery of traditional knowledge transmission methods and situated learning, particularly within Indigenous communities, as well as communities of practice in productive and professional settings that are not affiliated with a formal institution.

d) Evaluation of educational processes.
This refers to the study of the theory, techniques, and instruments for evaluating learning and teaching, as a component of educational assessment. This sub-line includes research on micro-evaluations, that is, on the attributes of educational actors, such as the evaluation of teaching practice, management and leadership, and learning.

Its purpose is to analyze the dimensions and possibilities of the curriculum as a central element that shapes, organizes, and significantly influences the outcome of educational processes. It addresses the study of pedagogical and communication relationships between teachers and students in the educational environment.

a) Educational philosophy.
Consider empirically based studies on the axiological, ethical, deontological, teleological, and epistemological dimensions of education; for example, studies on: integral training, ethics in teaching, commitment to justice, social responsibility, as well as the aims of education and the educational system.

b) Curriculum design, management and evaluation.
It considers research on curriculum theories, models, development, and evaluation. This includes work aimed at generating knowledge about the process of conceptualizing, implementing, and evaluating curricular proposals for their eventual transformation. It also includes research on models and strategies for evaluating educational projects and curricular projects.

c) Pedagogical interactions.
This study analyzes the interactions between learners, teachers, methods, and content within a curricular context. It generates knowledge about the forms these interactions take and the characteristics of each participant in relation to achieving educational objectives. The role of social-emotional learning in these relationships is highlighted.