Bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and educational practice: Analysis of the effects of self-made materials on future teachers' beliefs

The main goal of this research study was to assess the beliefs of a group of Teacher Education students on the usage of self-made materials as an educational tool. A second goal was to evaluate the effects of these resources on the students' teacher training process. 110 subjects belonging to the Special Education and Physical Education groups of the Primary Education degree agreed to participate. Students were asked to systematically construct different pieces of equipment. At the end of the project, they were invited to complete a 40-item questionnaire with two subscales. The final results showed that this group of future teachers believes that self-made materials can involve students in their own learning process. Special Education students highlighted that this type of materials can really attend schools' diversity. They are also perceived as a valuable teaching tool. Self-made materials seem to help reduce the existing gap between theory and practice in teacher education.