Classroom instruction became a popular topic due to its crucial role in teaching and learning activities. The teacher plays an essential role in providing quality classroom instruction. This study tries to explore the key predictors of instructional quality. This study was conducted on 283 teachers taken randomly. We used an online questionnaire to reach the research participants in east java, Indonesia. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was utilized to examine the relationship between the variables. The findings revealed that the teacher competencies, including cognitive and motivational aspects, positively affected instructional quality. This study also revealed that teachers' cognitive aspect is not the only predictor of instructional quality. The motivational aspect also plays a crucial role in predicting instructional quality. This study provides several insights for related stakeholders (such as teachers, policymakers, and universities) in making efforts or policies to improve teacher instructional quality.