Are they not realizing that in a terminal airspace, the traffic closest to them is on another frequency?
You would be surprised how much you can pick up from communications to surrounding traffic. On the airways, at a minimum you pick up the callsign of the aircraft ahead and thus the next frequency to set (yes we
do get rather bored in cruise
).
On approach, if you can match a callsign to the target preceding you on your TCAS display, you can really improve your SA: for example on an extended downwind (as you often get in CDG FRA DXB etc), by watching for when the controller turns the preceding traffic base you can get a very accurate idea of where your base will be and thus miles to run. In addition by listening out to the speeds and altitudes given to the preceding traffic you can get a good idea of what to expect for yourself, as well as what the next frequency will be (so you can preset it during a quiet moment).
Of course this is all rather more difficult to do if the chatter is in French or Spanish...