AERA 2026- Sager, Sherard, and Petrosino (2026) Data and Farming: Uncovering Tensions in Food Justice

At this year’s American Educational Research Association* annual meeting, I am excited to share new work situated at the intersection of data science, learning, and social justice. In our paper, Data and Farming: Uncovering Tensions in Food Justice, my colleagues Marc Sager and Maximilian Sherard and I examine what happens when undergraduate students partner with an urban farm to use data science in pursuit of food justice. Grounded in situated and consequential learning, the study surfaces important tensions—between simplicity and complexity, analysis and action—while highlighting how students can leverage data practices to support community-informed change and more equitable futures.

Sager, M., Sherard, M. & Petrosino, A. J.,  (2026, April 11). Data and farming: Uncovering tensions in food justice. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Los Angeles, CA, United States.

*The American Educational Research Association (AERA), founded in 1916, is the premier international professional organization dedicated to advancing educational research, improving the educational process, and promoting the use of research to serve the public good. It boasts over 25,000 members, including educators, researchers, and graduate students

Critical Narratives From Carceral, Educational, and Community Contexts

Sat, April 11, 11:45am to 1:15pm PDT (1:45 to 3:15pm CDT), Westin Bonaventure, Floor: Lobby Level, La Brea

Session Type: Paper Session

Abstract

This session brings together research at the intersections of critical pedagogy, community building, identity, and social justice within diverse educational and societal contexts. Presenters reconsider what constitutes knowledge, agency, and equity through the lenses of prisoner-authored newsletters, a democratic school community, language and memory, and using data science for food justice. These papers will help attendees to consider how these diverse acts of meaning-making challenge dominant structures, nurture agency, and foreground community-led change for more equitable futures.

Papers

Data and Farming: Uncovering Tensions in Food Justice

Sat, April 11, 11:45am to 1:15pm PDT (1:45 to 3:15pm CDT), Westin Bonaventure, Floor: Lobby Level, La Brea

Abstract

Our study investigates tensions inherent in employing data science for social justice. Grounded in situated and consequential learning, our study employs a case-study methodology and analysis techniques from interaction and conversation analysis. Collaborating with three undergraduate students and an urban farm, the students used data science practices to highlight inequities surrounding food justice and access to food. Our findings reveal two key tensions: (1) the undergraduates' discourse on simplicity versus complexity in utilizing data science for social justice; and (2) the successful application of data science by the students in their food justice project, culminating in a presentation to the farm's director. We conclude by discussing implications for research and the use of data science in social justice projects.

Anthony J. Petrosino, Southern Methodist University

Marc Sager, Southern Methodist University

Maximilian Sherard, University of North Texas